Canadian leaders in fundamental science gather to talk quantum technology and transformative discoveries

Perimeter Institute was thrilled to be a key partner in the 16th annual Canadian Science Policy Conference (CSPC 2024) from November 20 to 22 in Ottawa. The conference saw over 1,000 scientists, industry leaders, and policy makers tackle pressing questions about Canadian science policy and innovation in our rapidly changing world.

In addition to acting as a key partner, Perimeter hosted two important events to support the conference’s theme Empowering Society: The Transformative Value of Science, Knowledge, and Innovation.

The first was a panel titled The Quantum Revolution: How Breakthroughs in Quantum Science Will Transform Society. It was moderated by Emily Petroff, Director of External Relations at Perimeter Institute. 

“Perimeter has already been really active in quantum,” said Petroff, in an interview before the panel. “It has been one of the core foundational research areas of Perimeter Institute since the very beginning.” 

Petroff attributed the importance of quantum research at Perimeter to its founder, Mike Lazaridis. “It was really this idea of the quantum revolution: he saw it, he’s excited by it, and we are too.” She added, “I think it’s really fun that next year, 2025, is Perimeter’s 25^th anniversary, and it’s the UNESCO International Year of Quantum Science and Technology, which is meant to celebrate 100 years of quantum mechanics.” 

“One thing I hope people take away from the panel is that quantum technology is a much broader space than just quantum computing,” said Petroff. “Quantum is a weird and wonderful place – so the technologies are weird and wonderful.” 

The panel proved Petroff right. From supply chain optimization with quantum algorithms by panellist Aida Ahmadzadegan-Shapiro, CEO of ForeQast, to quantum magnometers for mining surveys and navigation by David Roy-Guay, CEO SBQuantum, diverse and practical uses for quantum technology were on display. David Cory, Research Professor of Chemistry at the University of Waterloo, and Nick Werstiuk, CEO at Quantum Valley Ideas Lab, shared details about the research facilities and innovation hubs contributing to the development of the ‘weird and wonderful’ quantum technology in Canada. And Lisa Lambert, CEO at Quantum Industry Canada, shone a spotlight on the Canadian industry, citing the 65 quantum companies and allied organizations that her organization works with.

“Canada hits above its weight in quantum,” said Petroff during the panel. According to Lambert, there’s a couple of reasons why Canada launched its quantum industry.

“Courage for one,” Lambert said in an interview after the panel. “You’ve got to be really brazen to go out there and say hey, we’re going to do this in a commercial play.” She also points to the talent development coming out of Canada’s research and academic communities, along with a timely burst of innovation in complementary and enabling technologies.

Lambert echoed Petroff’s sentiment that the quantum industry is a broad space. “One of the most interesting areas for quantum computing is around simulating nature,” she said. 

“Quantum is looking at the tiniest levels of matter. We’re looking at atomic and smaller,” she said. “And this is how nature works. Nature is quantum.”

“This is where there’s a lot of excitement around it for materials design and for drug discovery.”

Quantum Industry Canada publishes a newsletter called Quantum, Eh? that provides round-ups of available jobs in the quantum industry. There’s a workforce shortage in quantum, explained Lambert, and over half of the jobs don’t require an advanced degree. She recommended that anyone interested in making their way into the quantum workforce get involved in the community through open-source platforms. “There’s quantum hackathons, where you don’t need to be a quantum expert to come in, but you can come and play with this stuff,” she says. She also recommended exploring PennyLane, an open-source quantum coding platform with an ‘amazing community’ behind it. 

Marcela Carena, Executive Director, Perimeter Institute, also spoke of the importance of ‘bringing nature into the lab’ during Perimeter Institute’s second event, a plenary panel titled Canadian Research Facilities at the Forefront of Scientific Breakthroughs: The Long-Term Benefits of Supporting Fundamental Research. As the panel’s moderator, Carena highlighted the work that panellists Jodi Cooley, Executive Director of SNOLAB, Laurent Freidel, Faculty Member at Perimeter Institute, Rituparna Kanungo, Director of Physical Sciences at TRIUMF, and Chithra Karunakaran, Director of Science and Innovation at the Canadian Light Source, are doing to advance scientific research across Canada.

During the plenary, Kanungo showcased how particle physics research at TRIUMF, located in Vancouver, British Columbia and home to the world’s largest cyclotron, is having pay-offs in the health sciences. “TRIUMF is one of the few places in the world where we have the capacity to produce what we call rare isotopes,” she told the panel audience. “These are short-lived isotopes. They exist in our universe, they exist in nature, but they are not around naturally on Earth.”

TRIUMF produces rare isotopes as part of their fundamental research to understand the universe, said Kanungo. One rare isotope generated at TRIUMF, Actinium-225, is showing promise in cancer therapy. Treatment with Actinium-225 is unique compared to other types of cancer radiation because the dose can be deposited locally in cancer cells, said Kanungo. 

The panellists emphasized that operating these large fundamental research facilities requires long-term investment with a focus on training talented people. As Freidel of Perimeter Institute said during the panel, the formula for scientific discovery is, “a vision, plus people, plus time.” This is what leads to ‘transformative discoveries’, he explained.

It’s clear that the Canadian research community, from universities and institutes to commercial startups and innovators, are making an impact. Fundamental science, in quantum and beyond, has the potential to underpin a thriving knowledge economy right here in Canada. With continued support, leaders in this field across the country are ready to make that vision a reality.