SandboxAQ establishes academic advisory board of leading scientists and researchers in AI, Quantum and Cyber
PALO ALTO, Calif., August 15, 2023 — SandboxAQ today announced it has formed relationships with more than 30 major universities and other educational organizations and has hit key milestones in co-training masters and PhD students with universities in AI, quantum, cyber and other key technologies.
“We realized that the increasing industry demand for advanced technologies would result in a severe shortfall of highly skilled AI and quantum tech talent. To address this, SandboxAQ forged partnerships with some of the world’s top universities to create a steady pipeline of talent and prepare graduates for cutting-edge jobs throughout the quantum industry,” said Jack Hidary, CEO of SandboxAQ. “In addition to working with universities, we are providing training to corporate partners to upskill their workforces in AI and quantum technologies.”
SandboxAQ has built relationships with dozens of universities across many countries. These institutions collaborate with SandboxAQ - either formally or informally - to expand their AI, quantum and STEM curricula; host educational seminars; and provide students and postdoctoral researchers with grants, fellowships, mentorship, and hands-on experience working with cutting-edge AQ solutions. SandboxAQ has trained hundreds of graduate students and postdocs from 15 countries via its Residency Program, which embeds students directly into a SandboxAQ team using AQ technologies to solve real-world business and societal challenges.
SandboxAQ’s university relationships include:
- Residency Program: We have drawn students from more than 45 universities including Imperial College London, Cambridge University, University of Edinburgh, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL), Caltech, Harvard University, Stanford University, Princeton University, Duke University, and other leading institutions.
- Curriculum Development at four higher-ed organizations including New York University (NYU) and University of Mondragon
- Grants to The City University of New York (CUNY) Graduate Center
- Fellowships to faculty and students: University of California Merced, University of Mondragon and three others
- Talks/Seminars at The City University of New York (CUNY), New York University, Czech Technical University and many more
“SandboxAQ’s residency program provides valuable opportunities for students and researchers to explore exciting career and commercial opportunities in quantum – across a broad range of industries, technologies and academic disciplines – that complement what they get from a more traditional, university education,” said Dr. Andrew A. Houck, Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Associated Faculty in Physics at Princeton University. “Programs like this will help shape the future of the quantum industry, exposing students to what’s possible now and encouraging them to push beyond those boundaries after they graduate.”
The company is also seeking to collaborate with other leading corporations to educate and train employees on cutting-edge AI and quantum technologies.
“AI and quantum technologies will continue to transform asset management, and we are investing in learning and upskilling opportunities for our crew to enable them to meet the complex needs of our of clients and give investors the best chance for investment success,” said Nitin Tandon, Chief Information Officer of Vanguard’s Information Technology division.
Global systems integrators such as EY and Deloitte have also joined forces with SandboxAQ to help upskill Global 1000 workforces and take advantage of new opportunities in AQ.
“EY teams work closely with SandboxAQ, an organization that shares our unwavering commitment to fostering opportunities for women in STEM and entrepreneurship,” says Dr. Kristin Gilkes, EY Global Quantum Leader. “Working in an industry where gender representation remains a challenge, we at EY recognize the vital importance of championing diversity and inclusivity. SandboxAQ's dedication to empowering women aligns seamlessly with our core values.”
SandboxAQ’s other education partnerships include:
- Diversity in Quantum (DiviQ) provides career support, mentorship, events, resources and safe spaces for underrepresented groups in the quantum ecosystem, including women, people of color and the LGBTQIA+ community. The SandboxAQ founding partnership provides DiviQ members with grants to attend or speak at industry events.
“DiviQ is proud to partner with SandboxAQ and advance our joint mission to bring more diversity and inclusion to the quantum ecosystem,” said Denise Ruffner, founder of DiviQ and President of Women in Quantum. “To achieve its fullest potential, the quantum ecosystem needs greater diversity in skills, education and talents, but also in perspectives and life experiences. With the help of sponsors like SandboxAQ, DiviQ creates opportunities for underrepresented groups to expand their careers surrounded by others like them and learn about their careers, and their research.”
- Womanium is a DC-based non-profit organization that works with US government agencies and industry in advanced scientific and technological sectors to prepare and advance scientific talent and leadership globally. Womanium’s Global Quantum Program brings scientists, CEOs and industry leaders together to train 2,000+ participants, nearly 50% women, from 70+ countries in Quantum Computing, Sensing and Communication. SandboxAQ is a key collaborator and partner in the Global Quantum Program.
“SandboxAQ is dedicated to propelling the adoption of Quantum and AI technologies. Womanium becomes a natural partner, as Womanium equips the global workforce with strong quantum skills and the vision to shape the innovations of the future. With SandboxAQ’s support, Womanium will ignite the quantum journeys of young talent all over the world,” said Dr. Marlou Slot, Womanium’s Quantum Head, who is a quantum researcher in the daytime and spends her evenings inspiring and training thousands of young women to be scientific leaders and entrepreneurs.
- TechTrek provides an exciting and engaging one-week summer camp for middle school girls in nine states, featuring hands-on science and technology classes, fun and educational field trips, opportunities to meet inspiring women role models, and a unique college campus experience. In addition to sponsorship, many women at SandboxAQ volunteer their time to design and facilitate AQ activities including participating in their career night.
In the public sector, SandboxAQ partners with various organizations to provide hands-on training, mentorship and career opportunities in the quantum ecosystem, including
- Shift.org’s Defense Venture Fellows program, an 8-week fellowship that identifies emerging innovators from the Department of Defense and facilitates industry immersions at venture capital firms, incubators, and startups across the United States.
- Breakline, which helps top-performing and diverse candidates, including women, veterans and people of color, pivot into tech careers through classes, training, and mentoring. SandboxAQ works with Breakline to upskill participants across a diverse range of fields, including physics, computer science, neuroscience, mathematics, cryptography, natural sciences and more.
- Hiring our Heroes (HOH), which connects transitioning service members, military spouses, and veterans with corporate internships to create economic opportunity and a strong, diversified workforce. Through HOH, SandboxAQ can tap into a growing pool of talented and dedicated workers looking to apply their advanced degrees and military experience towards solving some of the world’s toughest challenges.
- U.S. Department of Defense Skillbridge fellowship program, which connects Service members with industry partners to provide valuable civilian work experience through specific industry training, apprenticeships, or internships during the last 180 days of service.
To support its education mission and vision, SandboxAQ has attracted prominent and highly regarded PhDs and professors from a broad range of universities and disciplines to join its advisory board. One of SandboxAQ’s advisors, Dr. Fei-Fei Li, Sequoia Professor in the Computer Science Department at Stanford University and Co-Director of Stanford’s Human-Centered AI Institute says “By forging strong links between academia and industry, SandboxAQ empowers graduate students and PhDs with hands-on experience in AI, quantum technology, and interdisciplinary approaches, nurturing the next generation of inclusive and innovative AI leaders poised to shape a positive impact on the world."
SandboxAQ’s advisors include
- Dr. Fei Fei Li - Sequoia Professor of Computer Science at Stanford University; former VP/Chief Scientist of AI/ML at Google Cloud
- Dr. Steven Chu - Nobel laureate and former U.S. Secretary of Energy; currently a William R. Kenan Jr. Professor of Physics and Professor of Molecular and Cellular Physiology at Stanford University
- Dr. Jelena Vuckovic - Jensen Huang Professor in Global Leadership in the School of Engineering, Professor and Fortinet Founders Chair of Electrical Engineering, Professor by courtesy of Applied Physics, and leader of the Nanoscale and Quantum Photonics Lab at Stanford University
- Dr. Andreas Hülsing - Associate Professor, leading the Applied and Provable Security group at Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e), Eindhoven, Netherlands
- Dr. Douglas Stebila - Associate Professor of cryptography in the Department of Combinatorics & Optimization at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada
- Dr. Mark Smith, Stanford University Head of Medicinal Chemistry; co-founder of Riboscience LLC
- Dr. Gerald Gilbert - Corporate Chief Scientist, Fellow and Director, Quantum Systems at MITRE
- Dr. Samir N. Khleif - Director, Center for Immunology and Immunotherapy and Professor of Oncology at Georgetown University’s Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center; Founder/CEO of Georgiamune Inc
- Dr. Mattia Butta - Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering, Czech Technical University
- Dr. Henry Kressel - Special Limited Partner at Warburg Pincus; former Vice President at the RCA David Sarnoff Research Laboratory
- Dr. John Seely Brown - Former Independent Co-Chair of Deloitte’s Center for the Edge; former Co-founder of the Institute for Research on Learning; former Chief Scientist at Xerox Corporation and Director of its Palo Alto Research Center (PARC)
Universities, corporations and other organizations interested in collaborating or partnering with SandboxAQ can learn more at https://www.sandboxaq.com/company/education.
About SandboxAQ
SandboxAQ is an enterprise SaaS company, providing solutions at the nexus of AI and Quantum technology (AQ) to address some of the world's greatest challenges. The company's core team and inspiration formed at Alphabet Inc., emerging as an independent, growth-capital-backed company in 2022. SandboxAQ is backed by T. Rowe Price, Eric Schmidt (chairman of SandboxAQ), Breyer Capital, Guggenheim Partners, Marc Benioff, Thomas Tull, Paladin Capital Group, and other leading investors. For more information, visit https://www.sandboxaq.com.
