Quantinuum’s Dr. Patricia “Patty” Lee Named 2025 Industry Pioneer in Quantum
Quantum World Congress (QWC) today announced Dr. Patricia “Patty” Lee, Chief Scientist for Hardware Technology Development at Quantinuum, as the 2025 Industry Pioneer in Quantum, recognizing her two decades of technical leadership in trapped-ion quantum computing and her role driving today’s most advanced commercial trapped-ion systems.
At Quantinuum, Dr. Lee has led hardware programs culminating in the System Model H2 platform’s rapid scaling and fidelity advances, the highest performing quantum computer in the world today. In 2024, the H2 system was upgraded to 56 all-to-all connected qubits and has been used to demonstrate high-fidelity random circuit sampling and quantum magnetism at scales beyond classical limits. All of Quantinuum’s commercial systems operate at over “three nines” (>99.9%) fidelity, and as announced by the company at QWC this week, H2 has achieved a world-record Quantum Volume of 33,554,432.
Dr. Lee’s career began with pioneering work under Professor Chris Monroe at the University of Michigan, where she advanced phase-robust trapped-ion gate schemes. At NIST, she co-authored the first demonstration of an entangling gate based on exchange interactions in optical lattices, published in Nature and widely cited as foundational for atom-based architectures.
“It’s an honor to be recognized with the Industry Pioneer in Quantum award. This moment reflects not just my own work, but the dedication of so many of my brilliant colleagues who have pushed the boundaries of what trapped-ion quantum computing can achieve, and the exciting frontier still ahead,” said Dr. Patty Lee, Chief Scientist for Hardware Technology Development, Quantinuum.
“Patty’s career is a masterclass in end-to-end impact—from first-principles physics to systems that are now setting global benchmarks. Her leadership helped move trapped-ion quantum computing from lab demos to platforms delivering record performance and real-world, industry-relevant milestones,” said George Thomas, President and CEO, Connected DMV.
The Quantum Leadership Awards honor people and organizations catalyzing measurable progress in quantum science and technology across commercialization, policy, research, and workforce. Awardees are recognized at Quantum World Congress 2025 (September 16–18, Capital One Hall, Tysons, VA). Past honorees include Dr. Cathy Foley (Government), Dr. Jay Gambetta (Industry), Dr. Jungsang Kim (Academic), and Quantum Delta NL (Organization).