Quantum is no longer a distant promise, a theoretical curiosity, or a topic reserved for closed research labs. It is becoming one of the defining technologies of the coming decade - with direct consequences for computing, cybersecurity, defence, diplomacy, industry, education, data protection and Europe’s technological sovereignty.
That is why the Quantum Path at Perspektywy Women in Tech Summit 2026 is one of the most powerful and future-facing parts of this year’s programme. Across two Summit days, participants will be able to explore quantum technologies from every angle: from the foundations of quantum computing and the physics behind it, to post-quantum security, quantum diplomacy, deep-tech careers, photonics, cryptography, VR-based quantum education, artistic visualisation of quantum states and the first real sectors that may be transformed by quantum technologies.
This is a path shaped by world-class organisations, research institutions, companies and communities, including CERN, Brookhaven National Laboratory / C2QA, IBM Research, Creotech Quantum, ICFO - The Institute of Photonic Sciences, Girls in Quantum, Quantum Security Defence, and the Open Quantum Institute.
It will bring together leading researchers, founders, educators, strategists, security experts and science communicators, including Heike Riel, Enrica Porcari, Andrzej Dragan, Cierra Lunde, Diya Nair, Anna Topol, Kiran Kaur Raina, Denise Ruffner, Nydia Assaf Aragón, Anna Kamińska, Anna Beata Kalisz Hadegaard, Kimberly D. McGuire, Irene Alda Ferrero, Audrey Himmer and many more.
The result is a rare opportunity to understand quantum not as hype, but as a real technological, scientific and strategic shift already taking shape.
Day 1: Wednesday, 10 June 2026
12:35–12:50 | Sci/Eng Stage: Quantum Stage Opening
Speakers: Cierra Lunde, CEO & Co-Founder, Universum Labs; Diya Nair, Head of Outreach, Girls in Quantum; Bianka Siwińska, President, Perspektywy Education Foundation; Anna Topol, CEO, Qlithic
Event link: https://womenintechsummit.pl/agenda/event/quantum-stage-opening
The official opening of the Quantum Path sets the tone for the entire programme. It introduces quantum as a field where science, technology, education, business and social impact meet. This is the perfect starting point for everyone who wants to follow the full quantum journey during the Summit - from fundamental research to future careers and global strategy.
13:15–13:30 | Sci/Eng Stage: Quantum Computing: From Fundamentals to Future Impact
Speaker: Heike Riel, IBM Research / IBM
Event link: https://womenintechsummit.pl/agenda/event/quantum-computing-from-fundamentals-to-future-impact
This keynote goes straight to the foundations of quantum computing. While quantum is often discussed through the lens of future applications, algorithms and hype, this session brings the focus back to the physics, materials and engineering challenges that make real progress possible.
A must-see for anyone who wants to understand what quantum computing actually requires - and why the road from scientific promise to scalable technology is so demanding.
13:35–14:15 | Sci/Eng Stage: Shaping the Quantum Future: Geopolitics, Education, and Transformation
Speakers: Nydia Assaf Aragón, Cierra Lunde, Denise Ruffner
Moderator: Kiran Kaur Raina
Event link: https://womenintechsummit.pl/agenda/event/shaping-the-quantum-future-geopolitics-education-and-transformation
Quantum computing is becoming a global power play. This discussion explores the quantum race from the perspective of countries, startups, education systems and international collaboration. The panel will address some of the biggest questions around quantum today: who will shape the field, who will benefit from it, how we prepare the workforce, and how we avoid creating a future where only a few actors control the most powerful technologies.
14:20–14:35 | Sci/Eng Stage: Girls in Quantum
Speaker: Diya Nair, Head of Outreach, Girls in Quantum
Event link: https://womenintechsummit.pl/agenda/event/girls-in-quantum
Quantum needs talent, visibility and access. This session shows how young women, students and early-career professionals can enter the quantum ecosystem through community, outreach, mentoring and education. It is an ideal session for anyone curious about quantum but unsure where to begin - and for everyone who believes that the future of deep tech must be built by diverse teams from the very beginning.
14:40–14:55 | Sci/Eng Stage: Quantum Reality: Why Security and Education Decide Everything
Speaker: Kiran Kaur Raina, Founder & CEO, NucleQi
Event link: https://womenintechsummit.pl/agenda/event/quantum-reality-why-security-and-education-decide-everything
Quantum computers will challenge today’s cryptographic systems. That makes post-quantum security one of the most urgent issues for governments, companies and institutions handling sensitive data.
This talk connects two critical dimensions: security and education. Without a workforce prepared to understand quantum risks, and without robust security frameworks, quantum innovation cannot scale safely. This is one of the most practical and urgent sessions on the Quantum Path.
15:00–15:15 | Sci/Eng Stage
Hear from the Chief Information Officer at CERN
Speaker: Enrica Porcari, Chief Information Officer, CERN
Event link: https://www.womenintechsummit.pl/agenda/event/hear-from-the-chief-information-officer-at-cern
CERN is one of the world’s most complex scientific environments, where fundamental physics, computing, digital infrastructure and global collaboration meet at extraordinary scale.
This session is not only about CERN as a scientific institution. It also shows how big science creates technological spillovers — including in AI, advanced computing and quantum computing. For the Quantum Path, it provides a broader perspective on how frontier science becomes a driver of future technologies.
16:00–16:15 | Sci/Eng Stage
The Quantum Edge: Innovation, Defence, and a Career at the Frontier
Speaker: Lucy Maidwell, Quantum Computing Lead, MBDA UK
Event link: https://womenintechsummit.pl/agenda/event/the-quantum-edge-innovation-defence-and-a-career-at-the-frontier
Quantum technologies are increasingly connected with defence, security and strategic innovation. This session explores quantum not only as a scientific field, but as a frontier with implications for national security, industrial resilience and future careers.
A strong choice for participants interested in defence tech, dual-use technologies, strategic security and high-impact career paths at the edge of science and industry.
16:10–17:20 | Room B1
Quantum Pioneers Inaugural Meeting [by invitation]
Speakers: Nydia Assaf Aragón, Anna Beata Kalisz Hadegaard, Cierra Lunde, Juliette de la Rie, Denise Ruffner, Anna Topol
Event link: https://womenintechsummit.pl/agenda/event/quantum-pioneers-inaugural-meeting-by-invitation
This special event inaugurates the Quantum Pioneers Legacy Initiative 2026 — a mentoring and leadership initiative for high-potential young women interested in shaping the future of quantum technologies.
It is one of the most exclusive and talent-focused elements of the Quantum Path, connecting future leaders with experts from the global quantum ecosystem, including CERN, IBM and pioneering startups.
16:50–17:30 | Sci/Eng Stage
CARLA Capsule: Professional opportunities enabled by quantum
Speakers: Verònica Ahufinger, Dobrosława Bartoszek-Bober, Morgan Mitchell, Aleksandra Sierant, Lydia Sanmartí-Vila
Organisations: ICFO, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń
Event link: https://womenintechsummit.pl/agenda/event/carla-capsule-professional-opportunities-enabled-by-quantum
Quantum is not only about research — it is also about careers. This session explores professional opportunities enabled by quantum and deep tech, especially in photonics, quantum technologies and research-driven innovation.
CARLA, coordinated by ICFO, supports career development in deep tech. At the Summit, this capsule format gives participants a concrete look at what quantum-related career paths can look like in practice.
17:35–17:45 | Sci/Eng Stage
Quantum Fractals: Landscapes of the Unseen Where Quantum States Become Form
Speaker: Wiktor Mazin, Quantum Fractal Artist, Qiskit Advocate
Event link: https://womenintechsummit.pl/agenda/event/quantum-fractals-landscapes-of-the-unseen-where-quantum-states-become-form-1
Quantum also has an aesthetic and imaginative dimension. This short session explores how quantum gates, circuits and states can become visual forms through fractal geometry and artistic experimentation.
A beautiful bridge between science, computing, visual culture and creative technology.
Day 2 — Thursday, 11 June 2026
09:00–09:30 | Tech Stage 2
Women at Creotech Quantum
Speakers: Agnieszka Jasińska-Kołodziej, Chair of the Supervisory Board, Creotech Quantum; Anna Kamińska, CEO, Creotech Quantum; Marta Misiaszek-Schreyner, Quantum Cryptography Specialist and System Architect, Creotech Quantum; Barbara Wajnchold, Project Lead, Creotech Quantum
Moderator: Cierra Lunde, CEO & Co-Founder, Universum Labs
Event link: https://womenintechsummit.pl/agenda/event/women-at-creotech-quantum
What draws women to deep tech — and what keeps them there?
This panel brings together women from Creotech Quantum working at the frontier of advanced technologies. The conversation will explore their paths into R&D and quantum technologies, the forces that shaped their careers, and what it means to work in a field that is still being invented.
It is one of the most important Polish deep-tech moments on the Quantum Path.
10:50–11:05 | Main Stage
Special Guest — Andrzej Dragan on Quantum Cryptography
Speaker: Prof. Andrzej Dragan, Faculty of Physics, University of Warsaw
Event link: https://womenintechsummit.pl/agenda/event/special-guest-andrzej-dragan-on-quantum-cryptography
One of Poland’s most recognisable science voices enters the Main Stage with a talk on quantum cryptography.
Prof. Andrzej Dragan is a theoretical physicist, artist and science populariser whose work connects quantum optics, relativistic quantum information, relativity and quantum field theory in curved spacetime. His presence makes this one of the strongest public-facing quantum moments of the Summit.
14:10–14:25 | Sci/Eng Stage
Beyond the Lab: The Hidden Workforce Powering Quantum Innovation
Speaker: Kimberly D. McGuire, Chief Operating Officer, C2QA / Brookhaven National Laboratory
Event link: https://womenintechsummit.pl/agenda/event/beyond-the-lab-the-hidden-workforce-powering-quantum-innovation
Quantum innovation is often presented as the work of physicists, engineers and mathematicians. This session widens the lens.
The quantum ecosystem also needs programme managers, policy experts, communicators, partnership builders, educators, operations leaders and people who can connect science with institutions, business and society. This is a crucial session for anyone who wants to enter the quantum field without following a traditional lab-based career path.
15:40–16:05 | Sci/Eng Stage
Quantum Hack VR: Building Quantum Literacy One Qubit at a Time
Speaker: Irene Alda Ferrero, Academic Director, IE School of Science and Technology, IE University
Event link: https://womenintechsummit.pl/agenda/event/quantum-hack-vr-building-quantum-literacy-one-qubit-at-a-time-1
Quantum education does not have to begin with fear, abstraction or inaccessible equations.
Quantum Hack VR uses an immersive, game-like environment to introduce concepts such as superposition, entanglement and quantum gate operations. Participants solve challenges and engage with ethical and technical questions connected with quantum technologies.
This is one of the most accessible, experiential and education-focused sessions on the Quantum Path.
15:40–17:40 | Room B1
Quantum Diplomacy Game
Speaker: Audrey Himmer, Capacity Building Project Manager, CERN
Event link: https://womenintechsummit.pl/agenda/event/quantum-diplomacy-game
This is one of the most distinctive formats of the entire Summit.
The Quantum Diplomacy Game is an immersive role-play serious game set against a fictional geopolitical crisis triggered by a breakthrough in quantum computing. Participants take on roles as scientists, policymakers, industry leaders and stakeholders from fictional countries with unequal quantum capabilities.
The game was developed by GESDA for the Open Quantum Institute, an initiative hosted by CERN. It brings quantum governance, global power, cooperation and access to life in a way that no classic panel could.
16:10–16:25 | Sci/Eng Stage
Quantum and AI impact on the cybersecurity of nations, industry and YOU
Speaker: Anna Beata Kalisz Hadegaard, CEO, Quantum Security Defence
Event link: https://womenintechsummit.pl/agenda/event/quantum-and-ai-impact-on-the-cybersecurity-of-nations-industry-and-you
Quantum and AI are two of the most powerful forces reshaping cybersecurity. This session looks at their combined impact on states, industries and individuals.
It is a must-attend for anyone responsible for data, risk, cyber resilience, critical infrastructure, defence communication, privacy or security strategy.
17:00–17:50 | Main Stage
Quantum Reality Check: the First 3 Sectors Transformed by Quantum Technologies
Speakers: Nydia Assaf Aragón, Founder & CEO, EnLuz; Anna Kamińska, CEO, Creotech Quantum; Bianka Siwińska, President, Perspektywy Education Foundation; Dariusz Standerski, Undersecretary of State, Polish Ministry of Digital Affairs; Anna Topol, CEO, Qlithic
Moderator: Cierra Lunde, CEO & Co-Founder, Universum Labs
Event link: https://womenintechsummit.pl/agenda/event/quantum-reality-check-the-first-3-sectors-transformed-by-quantum-technologies
This is the grand reality check of the Quantum Path.
The panel asks the question that matters most now: where will quantum technologies create value first?
The discussion will focus on near-term value zones, the blockers that still slow down progress — including error correction, control stacks, hardware scaling, talent, funding and product proof — and the role Europe can play in the quantum ecosystem.
Expect a grounded, strategic and high-level conversation about quantum-safe security, photonics, software, systems engineering, HPC-quantum integration and the future of Europe’s technological leadership.
Quantum is becoming one of the most important technological frontiers of our time - it will affect cybersecurity, data, defence, industry, education, science and global power. The field needs not only physicists and engineers, but also leaders, communicators, educators, policymakers, founders, security experts and people brave enough to enter a field still being invented.
