Co-Executive Directors
Ona Ambrozaite, Ph.D.
Executive Director | Wisconsin Quantum Institute & Co-Founder, Johns Hopkins Science Diplomacy Hub
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Dr. Ona Ambrozaite is Executive Director of the Wisconsin Quantum Institute (WQI) at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where she leads the development and execution of outward-facing strategies to expand the impact of quantum research, education, and innovation. She builds and manages high-value partnerships across industry, government, academia, and the broader quantum ecosystem, advancing initiatives in research collaboration, philanthropy, executive education, talent development, and technology transfer. She also drives cross-campus alignment to scale quantum activities – overseeing strategic programming, fostering interdisciplinary collaboration, and enabling competitive grant development and industry engagement.
Previously, Ona served as Director of the US East Coast for the UK Science and Technology Network at the British Consulate General Boston, where she led science diplomacy efforts to build international partnerships, support UK policy priorities, and advance collaboration across quantum, fusion, AI, and other critical technology areas.
Ona earned her Ph.D. in Chemistry from Johns Hopkins University, where her research focused on developing novel 1D and 2D semiconducting quantum materials for applications in sensing, computing, and communication.
She also spearheaded the advancement of science diplomacy at Johns Hopkins in Washington, D.C., co-founding the Johns Hopkins Science Diplomacy Hub and launching the first major international Science Diplomacy Summit alongside Nobel Laureate Prof. Peter Agre. The annual summit now convenes nearly 1,000 leaders across diplomacy, academia, and policy from more than 35 countries.
With a multidisciplinary background spanning biochemistry, molecular genetics, semiconductors, and quantum information science, Ona specializes in building strategic, cross-sector partnerships that translate cutting-edge research into global impact.
Senior Advisor, Digital Technologies, Quantum, Defense, AI | Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Finland
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Fikriye is a tech-savvy and analytical advisor and business development executive who has successfully implemented high-impact business strategies for global businesses. She is a dynamic and inspiring leader who brings a rare mix of strategic thinking and creative talent with excellent analytical skills.
Board of Directors
Senior Executive | National Council of University Research Administrators (NCURA)
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Experienced program director and strategist with a demonstrated history of working in the innovation, science, and technology as well as public relations industry. Skilled in Nonprofit Organizations, Public Affairs, Intercultural Communication, Translation, and International Business Development. Strong media and communication professional with a Master of Arts (MA) focused in International and Intercultural Communication from American University.
Senior Director of Global Sustainability and Development | National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine (NASEM)
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Dr. Franklin Carrero-Martínez is the Senior Director of Global Sustainability and Development Programs at the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine. Dr. Carrero-Martínez holds a B.S. in Biology, with honors from the University of Puerto Rico, a Ph.D. in Cell and Developmental Neurobiology and a Certificate in Business Administration from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. His multidisciplinary career includes roles as researcher and educator, science administrator, and science policy expert in government, academia and NGOs. Previously, he was acting as Science Advisor to the Secretary of State in the U.S. Department of State. At the Academies, he leads innovative programming in sustainability and a program aimed at ensuring scientists remain connected to science while displaced or exiled.
Professor Dame | School of Biological Sciences and School of Chemical Science, University of Auckland
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Juliet trained at Oxford University and moved to New Zealand in 1993 where her career has included roles in both research institutes and universities. Her research background is in chemical sciences and she has a broad range of governance and advisory experience. From 2018 to 2024, Juliet served as the Prime Minister’s Chief Science Advisor in New Zealand, working from a base of four founding principles: rigour, inclusivity, transparency, and accessibility. She supported the science and science advisor community to provide advice to the PM, ministers, and the public on a wide range of topics, including advice on the Christchurch mosque shootings, the response to the Whakaari | White Island eruption, the Cannabis referendum, and the Covid-19 pandemic. On her return to academic life at the University of Auckland, Juliet is pivoting her research interests towards the interface of research and policy.
Omid Noroozian, Ph.D.
Director, Quantum Lab Operations | Microsoft
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Leader in space and quantum technology at NASA with 20 years of experience in quantum sensors, systems engineering, space instrumentation, and developing state-of-the-art measurement facilities. I have managed large-scale national R&D programs worth $200M for NASA headquarters, led high-performing research teams, and secured over $10M in individual science and technology research grants. I thrive in multidisciplinary fields, collaborating across physics, engineering, and technology to solve complex challenges and drive innovation in the space and quantum sectors.
Deputy Director General | International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis
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Karen Lips joined IIASA as Deputy Director General on 1 July 2024. She is a renowned ecologist who studies global change and its impacts on animal populations, community composition, and ecosystem function in Latin America and the US. She has a particular interest in increasing engagement on environmental issues, promoting scientific leadership, and fostering international scientific collaborations.
From 2022-2023, Lips worked in science diplomacy while serving as Program Director in the Office of International Science and Engineering at the National Science Foundation. She has been a Professor of Biology at the University of Maryland College Park, USA, since 2009, where she was Director of the Graduate Program in Sustainable Development and Conservation Biology from 2009-2015. She served as a Jefferson Science Fellow at the Department of State in the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs, Office of Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs from 2016-2017. As a Jefferson Fellow she spent time as an Embassy Science Fellow in Bogota, Colombia where she worked on biodiversity policies related to the Peace Accords in the Instituto Alexander von Humboldt.
Lips has authored over 190 articles (H-index 56; 17,230 citations) and has given more than 250 invited lectures at international conferences and institutions in 13 countries. She holds a BS in Zoology from the University of South Florida, and a PhD in Biology from the University of Miami.
Senior Product Manager Tech | AWS Quantum Computing
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Zia Mohammad is a product leader whose experiences center around developing emerging technologies across artificial intelligence (AI), financial technology (fintech), and quantum computing. He currently serves as a Senior Technical Product Manager at Amazon Web Services (AWS), for the Amazon Braket team. Beyond his professional endeavors, Zia is interested in the development of emerging technology policy. His recent fellowship with The Internet Law and Policy Foundry, aimed to bridge emerging technologies with public policy driven by his diverse experiences in venture capital, AI, and quantum computing.
Zia's academic background is rooted in Electrical Engineering and Computational Neuroscience, with degrees from The Ohio State University. An advocate for community engagement, Zia helps maintains a community garden and volunteers as a Chef de Cuisine on weekends. He is currently working on his pilots license and is on a quest to visit every country, embodying his passion for global cultures and perspectives.
Advisory Board
Mathilde Cerioli, Ph.D.
Chief Scientist | everyone.AI
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Dr. Mathilde Cerioli is the Chief Scientist and cofounder of everyone.ai, a nonprofit dedicated to anticipating and educating on the opportunities and risks of AI for children. She holds a Ph.D. in Cognitive Neuroscience and a Master’s Degree in Psychology, with a research focus on how AI intersects with cognitive and socioemotional development in children, adolescents, and young adults. In May 2024, she published the influential report Child Development in the AI Era, examining the potential impact of emerging technologies on cognitive and socioemotional development. Within everyone.ai—and in collaboration with the Paris Peace Forum—Dr. Cerioli contributed to the launch of the Beneficial AI for Children Coalition, an international initiative supported by 11 governments, various tech companies including Google, OpenAI, and Anthropic, as well as the support organizations such as UNICEF, UNESCO, and Common Sense Media. The coalition’s goal is to guide AI development, deployment, and adoption to support healthy short and long term brain development among younger users.
Through her work, Dr. Cerioli emphasizes the importance of collaboration among researchers, technologists, and policymakers to shape responsible technology solutions. everyone.ai continues to advocate for AI practices that encourage child-centered innovation, aiming to ensure that, in an evolving digital landscape, children have access to tools that foster positive cognitive and socioemotional outcomes while minimizing risks.
James “Jamie” Hyneman
Former Co-host | MythBusters
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James “Jamie” Hyneman, PoP
Best known as former Co-host and Executive Producer of MythBusters on the Discovery Channel, Jamie graduated from Indiana University with a degree in Russian linguistics, and he has received honorary doctorates from Villanova University (US), from the University of Twente (Netherlands), and the Lappeenranta University of Technology (Finland), where he also is a Professor of Practice in the business school.
He is a recipient of the Washburn Award and an Honorary member of the University of Maine College of Engineering Francis Crowe Society. Jamie’s background is unusually varied; he grew up on a farm, is an expert in wilderness survival, has worked at the UN’s International Labour Office Library in Geneva, and owned and ran a sailing and diving charter boat and marine salvage business in the Caribbean for a number of years.
His longest occupation was as a special effects expert, and he and his company, M5 Industries Inc, has been involved in producing over 800 commercials and feature films through the course of over two decades. Mythbusters evolved out of his work at M5, and received seven Emmy nominations. It was one of Discovery Channel’s longest-running shows at 14 years. He is both a lifetime honorary member of the California Science Teacher’s Association, and of the International Association of Bomb Technicians and Investigators. He is currently a senior advisor at Fulbright Scholars, Finland.
In recent years he and his company have partnered with businesses and government agencies in developing new technologies: among others; robots for NASA, high speed vessels, light weight armour for the US Office of Naval Research, counter drones and anti piracy devices for US special forces under the US DOD's Defence Innovation Unit.
VP Academic Partnerships | Taylor & Francis Group
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Dr. Julia Kostova is the Director of Open Science for North America at Frontiers, where she leads efforts to accelerate the transition to Open Science. She oversees institutional and community engagement, collaborating with research institutions, libraries, funders, and policymakers to develop sustainable Open Science policies and models. Her work aims to empower researchers and drive innovation, while also ensuring robust policies that foster economic growth and technological progress in the US. Dr. Kostova brings nearly 20 years of experience in the publishing industry. Before this role, she served as Director of Publishing Development for the US at Frontiers, where she successfully established the company’s regional operations and strategy.
Prior to joining Frontiers, she was VP for Scholarly Communications at Outsell Inc., and held key positions as executive editor at Wiley’s Global Research division and senior acquisitions editor at Oxford University Press. Throughout her career, she has built long-lasting partnerships across the scholarly communications ecosystem. An advocate for Open Science and innovation, Dr. Kostova is committed to working with stakeholders to design solutions that accelerate scientific and technological advancement for the public good. Dr Kostova is also committed to the cultivating and mentoring of women executives and leaders, having held a fellowship at Women in Power at 92Y in New York City. She holds a PhD in French literature from Rutgers University and has taught at Columbia and Rutgers Universities for over a decade.
Dawn O'Connell, JD
Former Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response | US Department of Health and Human Services
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Dawn O’Connell served as the US Department of Health and Human Services’ Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) from 2021-2025. She is currently a Menschel Senior Leadership Fellow at the Harvard School of Public Health. In her role at ASPR, O'Connell led the nation in preparing for, responding to, and recovering from public health emergencies and disasters. During her tenure, she responded to 20 public health emergencies; dozens of natural disasters–including Hurricane Helene and the Maui wildfire; dozens of infectious disease outbreaks–including COVID-19, mpox, and H5N1; and over 400 cyber security incidents. Before joining the Biden Administration, she was the Director of the US Office for the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness and Innovation (CEPI), a global partnership to develop vaccines to stop future epidemics. As Director, she was responsible for managing the broad spectrum of CEPI’s U.S. and North American interests including its relationships with U.S. and North American-based stakeholders, government entities, and industry partners.
Prior to her work with CEPI, O’Connell served as a Senior Counselor to Secretary Sylvia Burwell and Deputy Chief of Staff to Secretary Sebelius at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) during the Obama-Biden Administration. In these roles, O’Connell advised the Secretaries on high-priority domestic policy, global health and humanitarian issues, including infectious diseases, public health emergencies, and refugees. She worked with HHS leaders, the White House, and other federal and international partners, to resolve key policy challenges, lead implementation, and drive progress toward Administration goals. O’Connell received a Bachelor of Arts in Literature from Vanderbilt University and a Juris Doctor from Tulane University School of Law. She lives in Washington, DC with her husband Ben and two daughters, Frannie and Maddie.
Postdoctoral Researcher | Institute for Complex Quantum Systems (ICQ) at Ulm University
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Dr. Mirko Rossini is a theoretical physicist specialising in the further development of quantum technologies and researching potential hidden gene regulation mechanisms that human cells could utilise by leveraging quantum mechanical phenomena. He is currently a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Institute for Complex Quantum Systems at Ulm University and a Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings alumnus.
His research explores the potential influence of quantum phenomena on epigenetic regulation and gene expression. To do this, he combines theoretical physics, quantum simulation and computational approaches to study charge-transfer dynamics in DNA and other biological systems. Furthermore, he has developed algorithms for quantum computing and methods for quantum error mitigation. These have been designed to leverage the potential of quantum computing for gene expression research.
In addition to his research, Dr. Rossini is actively involved in science communication, policy dialogue and international collaboration on emerging technologies. He collaborates with Quantum Delta NL to design workshops connecting quantum technologies with industry and policymakers, in parallel to his involvement with the Science Diplomacy Grid. As a scientific communicator, he has co-authored educational videos on quantum mechanics and technology, working alongside established professionals in the field. He also hosts public talks on these topics.
He holds a Ph.D. in Theoretical Physics from Ulm University and B.Sc. and M.Sc. degrees in Physics from the University of Milan.
Martha Wallace
Director of Research Security | University of Calgary
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Martha Wallace joined the University of Calgary in December 2022 as the Director of Research Security in the Office of the Vice President of Research. Martha came to the University with over 20 years of federal and provincial public service experience. She has worked with senior leaders in academia, government, and industry to develop innovation and research security policy and programs including developing the Safeguarding your Research Portal.
Martha has been an invited speaker at numerous academic and international conferences, most recently at the Canadian Association of Research Administrators, the Transatlantic Science Conference, the Johns Hopkins Science Diplomacy Summit, the Higher Education Export Control Association, and the Canada-UK Research Security Workshop.
In her present role, Martha has been an instrumental leader in building a robust Research Security posture for the University of Calgary and across Alberta through collaborations with Team Canada, the Alberta Research Security Community of Practice, and within the University of Calgary to build awareness and safeguard research. Martha currently serves as Secretariat for the Executive Committee of the Alberta Research Security Community of Practice.
Martha was the first female leader hired across Canada in this sector and quickly established the Research Security Division (RSD). RSD works with the campus community to support researchers in complying with new federal and international research security requirements and ensures that they are able to establish transparent, secure and mutually beneficial collaborations and partnerships.
RSD is a one-stop-shop for research security that provides identification and mitigation of risks; open-source intelligence expertise; guidance on sanctions and export controls; management of the Contract Security Program and Controlled Goods Program; support for the International Loaner Device Program and Laboratory Security Program; and assistance in navigating federal, provincial and international research security requirements.
Martha has a BA (Honours) from Bishop’s University and a Master’s in Public Administration from Queen’s University.
Volunteers
Academic Fellow | Science Diplomacy Grid & Senior at Tufts University in Political Science and Mathematics
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Manu Narasimhan is a senior at Tufts University majoring in Political Science and Mathematics. Manu is passionate about Artificial Intelligence safety, policy and responsible use. He is particularly interested in the role of emerging technologies in the military, autonomous weapons systems, and finding diplomatic solutions to complex military issues. Manu is currently the Policy Director of the Tufts AI Safety Society, and has completed technical research on LLM Behavior, as well as policy research on the roles and regulations of autonomous weapons systems. Manu is committed to using AI and new technologies responsibly, prioritizing transparency, ethical obligation, and global welfare above all.