Back to agenda

28 March 2025 - La Pedrera (Auditorium & Gaudi Room) & Online

Quantum CARLA: The Quantum Careers Symposium 2025

9:00 to 9:30

Registration: la Pedrera - Auditorium

9:30 to 9:35

Agenda overview

Streaming available

Lydia Sanmartí-Vila

Lydia Sanmartí-Vila

Outreach Coordinator at ICFO

9:35 to 9:45

Welcome words

Streaming available

Oriol Romero-Isart

Oriol Romero-Isart

ICFO Director

9:45 to 10:05

The quantum science and technology landscape

Streaming available

Antonio Acín

Antonio Acín

ICREA Professor at ICFO

10:05 to 10:55

Academia panel - moderated by Robert Sewell

Streaming available

Alba Cervera-Lierta

Alba Cervera-Lierta

Senior researcher and Quantum Spain coordinator at Barcelona Supercomputing Center

Aleksandra Sierant

Aleksandra Sierant

Research Fellow at ICFO

Javier Argüello-Luengo

Javier Argüello-Luengo

Assistant Professor at Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya

Philippe Grangier

Philippe Grangier

Professor at Institut d'Optique / CNRS

10:55 to 11:45

Industry panel - moderated by Silvia Carrasco

Streaming available

Jaume Figueras

Jaume Figueras

CTO at Nokia Spain S.A.

Marta P. Estarellas

Marta P. Estarellas

CEO at Qilimanjaro Quantum Tech

Vanesa Díaz

Vanesa Díaz

CEO at LuxQuanta

Vito Giovanni Lucivero

Vito Giovanni Lucivero

CEO & Founder at QSENSATO

11:45 to 12:20

Coffee break*

12:20 to 13:00

Quantum testimonials - moderated by Zoi Melissari

Streaming available

Ariadna Gómez del Pulgar Martínez

Ariadna Gómez del Pulgar Martínez

PhD candidate at IFAE

Christian Hölzl

Postdoctoral researcher at 5th Institute of Physics, University of Stuttgart

Ignacio Pérez

Ignacio Pérez

PhD candidate at ICFO

Sandra de Vega

Sandra de Vega

Sales Engineer at Thorlabs GmbH

13:00 to 14:00

Trends in Quantum Science and Technology - moderated by Verónica Ahufinger

Streaming available

Albert Garcia

Quantum & AI

Albert Garcia

HPC-Quantum Researcher at IBM Quantum

Miquel Rudé

PICs for quantum random number generation

Miquel Rudé

Lead Photonics at Quside Technologies

Sandra Mingot

Quantum Satellites & Communications

Sandra Mingot

Head of EU and Defence Programs at Sener Aerospace & Defence

14:00 to 14:05

Closing words before the networking session

Streaming available

Lydia Sanmartí-Vila

Lydia Sanmartí-Vila

Outreach Coordinator at ICFO

14:05 to 16:00

Networking & Lunch break*

16:00

End of the event

*Coffee break and lunch will be provided by ICFO

Organised by

In the framework of

Funded by

In collaboration with

With the participation of

Sponsored by

With the support of

Consortium

Bio

Dr. Vito Giovanni Lucivero graduated in 2010 in experimental quantum optics at “Sapienza” University of Rome, in the group of Prof. Sciarrino. In 2011, he joined the “Atomic Quantum Optics” group of Prof. Morgan Mitchell at ICFO, where he got his PhD “cum laude” with the thesis: “Quantum metrology with high-density atomic vapors and squeezed states of light”. Between 2016 and 2019, he worked as a Postdoctoral Research Associate at Princeton University in the group of Prof. Michael Romalis, one of the pioneers of the field of optical magnetometry. His research activities contributed to the first detection of biomagnetism in unshielded environments using atomic quantum sensors. In October 2019, he came back to ICFO as PROBIST fellow, with the project “Integrated Atomic Quantum Sensing”. Since February 2023, he joined the University of Bari in South Italy where he started the research group AQuTech and he is now Vice-Coordinator of a new Master in Quantum Science and Technology. In 2024 he won the national award “Rita Levi Montalcini” and he become tenure-track assistant professor at UNIBA. In May 2024 he founded the startup QSENSATO to develop and market atomic-photonic chips for quantum sensing and metrology applications.

About the Institution

QSENSATO is an innovative startup, headquartered in Bari (Italy), focused on developing and commercializing atomic-photonic chips for quantum sensing and metrology applications. By leveraging femtosecond laser-written vapor cells (LWVCs) and integrating them with photonic structures, the company aims to deliver unparalleled precision and size reduction in its products for many industry sectors such as biomedical and lab-on-chip, space & defense, remote sensing, and automotive.

QSENSATO’s IP has been generated through an international collaboration between ICFO and the CNR-IFN in Milan, resulting in a European patent, granted in the US and extended to China, for which QSENSATO has received an exclusive license. The company is an academic spinoff accredited by the University of Bari and an emerging quantum industry player in Europe.

Only recently constituted, the startup is already showing signs of a strong start. In 2024 it received second prize at the Start Cup Puglia and a jury mention from Studio Torta (IP) at the final of the Talentis GI Startup Program in Capri. It was among the finalists of the National Innovation Prize (PNI) in Rome in December 2024 and, very recently, in the Call4Ideas “Super Sapiens Europe” by Scientifica Venture Capital.

Bio

Ariadna comes from Sabadell, and she is a Physics and Mathematics graduate from the Universitat de Barcelona, as well as a graduate of the 3rd promotion of the Master in Quantum Science and Technologies from the same university. Currently, she works at the Quantum Computing Technologies group at IFAE as a 1st year PhD student. She first joined the institute many years ago for internships and undergraduate and master theses regarding the study of novel superconducting materials. Her current research project revolves around the effects of ionizing cosmic radiation in superconducting qubits and the protection of the circuits agains it. In addition, she also works on the development and usage of ultrasensitive superconducting quantum devices for dark matter and high-frequency gravitational waves detection. This work is also done in collaboration with the Laboratorio Subterráneo de Canfranc, an underground facility in the Pyrenees.

About the Institution

IFAE, which stands for Institut de Física d’Altes Energies, is a public research facility located at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. It is more than 30 years old and is conformed by about 150 researchers. IFAE’s research groups include assorted fields, all of them gravitating around high energy physics: collider physics, gamma-ray astronomy, observational cosmology, neutrinos, gravitational waves, medical physics and quantum computing technologies. Most of the research groups also participate in international collaborations. To name some, IFAE takes part in the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider at CERN, the MAGIC high-energy gamma ray telescope in the Canary Islands and the T2K experiment in Japan. In particular, in the Quantum Computing Technologies group, we design, fabricate, measure and control superconducting quantum circuits for quantum computing and other applications. For instance, we develop circuits on the ultra-strong coupling regime to study light-matter interactions, multi-qubit circuits for quantum annealing (in collaboration with the Barcelona Supercomputing Center) and highly sensitive qubits for ionizing cosmic radiation, axion and gravitational waves detection.

Bio

Sandra Mingot is a telecommunications engineer from UPC’s ETSETB TelecomBCN, with 25 years of experience in the space sector. Her continuous drive for learning has led her to hold various roles in both public institutions and private companies, including the European Space Agency (ESA/ESTEC), the French Space Agency (CNES), La Cité de l’Espace, Airbus Defence and Space, and currently Sener Aerospace & Defence, where she is the Head of EU and Defence Programs in the Business Development Department. Her expertise in managing multidisciplinary teams and complex projects has earned her recognition in the industry. Alongside her professional dedication to space, Sandra has a deep passion for jazz, actively participating in several musical projects at Taller de Músics. She is also committed to mentoring young professionals and giving visibility to the space sector through her involvement in conferences and publications.

About the Institution

Sener Aerospace & Defence is part of the Sener Group, a family-owned engineering and technology company founded in 1956 by Enrique de Sendagorta in Bilbao, Spain. With a strong commitment to innovation and excellence, Sener has grown into a global leader in aerospace, infrastructure, energy, and naval engineering

In the space sector, Sener is at the forefront of designing and manufacturing satellite technology and equipment for space exploration. Our state-of-the-art products and technologies serve launchers in institutional, telecommunications, and scientific programs. We have a perfect 100% in-flight reliability record and have contributed to major international initiatives in space exploration and astronomy.

One of our most exciting projects is the Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) system from Low Earth Orbit (LEO). This project, awarded by the Centre for Technological Development and Innovation (CDTI), positions Sener as a leader in quantum distribution technology in Spain. The QKD LEO project aims to develop a secure communications method based on quantum mechanics, ensuring the invulnerability of communications in the future. This groundbreaking initiative will strengthen Spain’s position in quantum technology and could contribute to the EU’s secure satellite communication constellation (IRIS2).

Search for opportunities here.