Washington, D.C.
Today, Qubit by Qubit, The Coding School’s quantum education initiative, announced the appointment of the newest member to the academic Advisory Board: Dr. Tina Brower-Thomas.
“We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Tina Brower-Thomas to our board. Not only is Tina an expert in quantum chemistry, she brings a deep passion and understanding for quantum workforce development that will further strengthen and guide our programs to new heights. We are honored to collaborate with her to continue to make quantum science approachable and exciting for early learners, especially those from minoritized backgrounds who have been historically excluded or discouraged from advanced sciences like quantum,” said Kiera Peltz, Executive Director of Qubit by Qubit.
Dr. Brower-Thomas joins current advisory board members: Dr. Scott Aaronson (University of Texas Austin), Dr. Clarice Aiello (University of California, Los Angeles), Dr. James Whitfield (Dartmouth), Dr. Raymond Laflamme (University of Waterloo), Dr. Spiros Michalakis (California Institute of Technology), Dr. Umesh Vazirani (University of California, Berkeley), and Dr. William Oliver (Massachusetts Institute of Technology). The QxQ Advisory Board provides counsel, strategic direction, and relevant expertise to support Qubit by Qubit’s mission to empower the next generation of quantum leaders.
About Dr. Tina Brower-Thomas:
Tina Louise Brower-Thomas received a BS in chemistry from Howard University, a MS of chemistry and PhD in materials chemistry from the New York University Tandon School of Engineering. After completing a National Research Council postdoctoral fellowship at the Naval Research Lab, Surface and Microanalysis Division, Center for Biomolecular Science and Engineering, Tina consulted in the support of missions of The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and The Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Tina’s desire to work in academia lead her to return to her beloved Howard University in 2007. Since returning she has been the assistant director for the integration of research in education and has taught courses in nanoscience and nanotechnology in the department of chemical engineering.
Currently, Tina is a research professor in the graduate school and holds a visiting faculty position at Harvard University. Tina’s research interest include: 2D materials, molecular self-assembly, surface functionalization and chemical vapor deposition.
Dr. Brower-Thomas has served as Co-PI for the NSF-funded Center of Integrated Quantum Materials (CIQM) and the Center’s executive director at Howard. She is CIQM’s education director and investigator in the 2D heterostructure research area. In 2020, Dr. Brower-Thomas took on the role of Diversity and Inclusion co-director for the NSF-funded Engineering Research Center, The Center for Quantum Networks (CQN). She is the Center’s PI at Howard and supports research thrust 3: Quantum Devices, Materials, and Fundamentals. Dr. Brower-Thomas is also a co-PI for the Co-design Center for Quantum Advantage (C2QA), supporting the materials thrust. Tina is a volunteer on C2QA’s workforce development board. Tina is also a member of the Quantum Economic Development Consortium.
In March of 2020, Dr. Brower-Thomas was recognized by her graduate school alma mater, New York University, Tandon School of Engineering, with the Champion Award for the Ninth Annual Women in STEM Conference.
Tina has been invited as keynote speaker and expert panelist for leaders in STEM such as The National Science Foundation, The National Nanotechnology Coordination Office, Qubit by Qubit, and IBM. In addition to research, her invited talks have been relevant to STEM education including developing criteria in quantum education, building a quantum workforce, increasing STEM awareness, addressing racial and gender equality in STEM and creating culture in research centers.
About Qubit by Qubit:
The Coding School’s flagship program Qubit by Qubit offers a wide-range of first-of-its-kind programming; from classroom workshops to a full-year high school course, Qubit by Qubit has introduced 15,000 students to quantum computing since 2020. Regarded as an international quantum education expert, Qubit by Qubit is partnered with a number of leading academic institutions, companies, and organizations, including IBM Quantum, Google Quantum AI, and the White House’s National Q-12 Education Partnership. To learn more about our organization and programs, visit: www.the-cs.org.