Envisioning a future career in the deep-tech space? Then these nine inspirational women are worth keeping an eye on.
From innovations in quantum computing and robotics to advances in machine learning and biotechnology, it is an exciting time to be operating within the deep-tech space. In the 1940s, inventor Hedy Lamarr cemented her place in history with the creation of frequency hopping technology, which laid a key foundation for the development of Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and GPS, in a time when gifted women were rarely given an opportunity to succeed.
Since then, countless women have followed Lamarr’s example, carving out their own legacies and innovating the future, including these nine deep-tech experts. If you foresee a future for yourself in the deep-tech space and could use a little inspiration, then read on, as these are the people you should be looking to.
Carmen Palacios-Berraquero
Quantum physicist, inventor and entrepreneur Dr Carmen Palacios-Berraquero, is innovating in a dynamic space that is reshaping the world of technology. She is the founder and CEO of Nu Quantum, a start-up founded in 2018 that is committed to ensuring that the transformational impact of quantum computing is fully realised in the future.
She is also the co-founder and director of UKQuantum, a group designed to give the quantum community a voice in the discussion around the use of deep tech and wider governmental policy. She has authored several important research papers as well as a book and in 2018 she was awarded the UK’s Jocelyn Bell Burnell national medal by the Institute of Physics in recognition of her research and invention in quantum devices.
Daphne Koller
Dr Daphne Koller, the co-founder of Coursera, the founder and CEO of drug discovery company Insitro and a former professor of computer science and pathology at Stanford University, is innovating primarily in two disciplines – machine learning and biomedicine.
She is of the opinion that until recently, machine learning has not impacted the field of biomedicine to the same degree that it has transformed other sectors. She aims to change that by collecting and aggregating massive datasets and harnessing advanced machine learning to accelerate drug discovery and development.
Koller has authored more than 300 publications and was previously named as one of Time Magazine’s 100 most influential people. She has also been the recipient of a number of awards and accolades and was inducted into the US National Academy of Science in 2023.
Deirdre Kilbane
Dr Deirdre Kilbane is the director of research for the Walton Institute for Information and Communication Systems Science, at South East Technological University. She is active in the areas of agritech, health-tech, smart cities, energy and ICT, with a particular interest in nano- and biotechnology, artificial intelligence and quantum physics.
Kilbane is also a member of the Research Ireland research centres Connect and FutureNeuro, as well as a coordinator and principal investigator of the EU Horizon 2020 FETOpen project Prime – a project to develop a brain implant with the power to sense and suppress epileptic seizures before they occur.
Fei-Fei Li
The inaugural sequoia professor in the Computer Science Department at Stanford University and the co-director of Stanford’s Human-Centered AI Institute, Dr Fei-Fei Li is also the co-founder and CEO of spatial intelligence AI company World Labs and is even known as the ‘godmother of AI’.
Li is active in a number of areas including cognitively inspired AI, machine learning, deep learning, computer vision, robotic learning and AI in healthcare, specifically ambient intelligent systems for healthcare delivery.
She has published more than 300 scientific articles and regularly speaks at conferences focused on science, engineering and computer science. She is the creator of large-scale dataset ImageNet and the ImageNet Challenge, which has contributed greatly to advancements in AI and deep tech and has also been working closely with US policymakers to ensure the ethical and responsible use of technologies.
Jennifer Doudna
Dr Jennifer Doudna is a professor in the Departments of Chemistry and of Molecular and Cell Biology at the University of California, Berkeley. Her impact on the world of genomics research has been substantial, namely her work in the development of CRISPR-Cas9 with collaborator Emmanuelle Charpentier, which earned her a Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
Labs all over the world have incorporated her innovative technology into their processes for use in a range of fields, such as biology, medicine, agriculture and climate science. Doudna often speaks about the ethical implications of genome editing and she is a vocal advocate for the development of policies around the safe use of CRISPR technology.
She is also an active member of a number of high-profile groups, such as the US National Academy of Sciences, the US National Academy of Medicine, the US National Academy of Inventors, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the UK’s Royal Society and the Pontifical Academy of Sciences.
Kate Darling
Dr Kate Darling, an MIT Media Lab research scientist and the ethics and society research lead at the Boston Dynamics AI institute, is known for her work on robotic technologies and how society factors in. She has a particular interest in the legal, economic, social, and ethical issues of AI.
Darling is also a published author and much of her work is concerned with addressing the evolution of human-robot relationships and how the dynamics will evolve in the coming years, in relation to technology design, policy and the questions lawmakers, engineers and the public will have to consider.
She has taught at Harvard Law School, is a former fellow at the Harvard Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society and the Yale Information Society Project and she is an affiliate at the Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies. Darling is also a senior co-chair for We Robot, a conference on legal and policy questions relating to robotics.
Lisa Su
The chair and CEO of AMD, Dr Lisa Su is at the forefront of the next wave of computing and AI technologies, with particular expertise in the area of semiconductors. She has a bachelor degree and PhD in electrical engineering from MIT and has been the recipient of a number of high-profile awards, such as the Global Semiconductor Association’s Dr Morris Chang Exemplary Leadership Award, the Grace Hopper Technical Leadership Abie Award and the Robert N Noyce Medal.
Current US president Joe Biden appointed Su to the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology and she is also on the Department of Homeland Security’s Artificial Intelligence Safety and Security Board. She regularly takes part in large-scale events and interviews, speaking on a broad range of topics such as the future of AI and the challenges of the semiconductor industry.
Niamh Donnelly
Niamh Donnelly is the co-founder and chief robotics officer of Akara Robotics, a company that develops robots and AI tools to help hospitals reduce costs and get the most use out of operating rooms, and is also a previous recipient of the prestigious Rising Innovator award at the EU Prize for Women Innovators as well as a former researcher at Trinity College Dublin.
Her main area of concern is how AI and other deep-tech technologies have the potential to revolutionise and transform the healthcare sector, particularly in relation to robotics. She is part of the team that developed the AI for Stevie the robot, a robot who can assist elderly people in senior care facilities.
Pascale Senellart-Mardon
A research director at the French National Centre for Scientific Research, an advanced quantum mechanics lecturer at École Polytechnic, and co-founder and scientific adviser at Quandela, Prof Pascale Senellart-Mardon’s particular area of interest is in the interface of solid-state physics, quantum optics and nanotechnology.
More specifically, she is fascinated by the interaction between light and quantum dots, where semiconductor nano-objects behave like ‘artificial atoms’. Her work involves developing the components needed to generate and manipulate light, for use in quantum information processing. Currently, her company is working on developing the first light-based quantum computers, so she is definitely a deep-tech innovator worth keeping your eye on.
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