Quantum

Scientist Profile: Elisa Torres Durney

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Childhood

For Elisa Torres Durney, every flower, every leaf, and every insect was an opportunity to discover something new. As a child, her parents could never find her at home; she was always outside, exploring the wonders of nature. Her parents loved this, even when she brought dirt into the house. They believed in the value of education and gave her a pink microscope as a gift. This pink microscope became her window to a new world.

Elisa’s curiosity wasn’t limited to what she could see through the microscope. She simply loved learning, even the art she learned from her grandfather. All she needed to master advanced techniques was to watch him work. She observed how he mixed blues, yellows, and reds to create the perfect skin tone. She’s still painting today, using the skills she learned from her grandfather.

Thanks to her parents, by the time she started high school, her curiosity remained as strong as ever. She took full advantage of learning opportunities—working in a lab, participating in theater, and asking questions in all her classes. Unfortunately, the coronavirus pandemic brought all of that to a halt.

Her Journey into Quantum Computing

As a teenager during the pandemic, Elisa had too much free time and was very bored, with no social interaction and fewer activities. To pass the time, she enrolled in an online quantum computing class for the fall of 2021. The two-semester course was taught by The Coding School and sponsored by a large tech company, IBM. Before the course, Elisa knew that quantum mechanics is a field of physics that studies tiny things, but nothing more. No one in her life had heard of quantum computing, not even her mother, who works in technology.

From the first day, the course captivated her. Her professor explained fascinating topics like qubits and superposition. In her course, she learned that quantum computing uses the laws of quantum physics to solve certain problems faster than traditional computers. A normal computer only uses the numbers 0 or 1, but in a quantum computer, the numbers are a mix of both. Imagine that the qubit is both 0 and 1 at the same time—but also neither 0 nor 1. The ability to exist in multiple states at the same time is called superposition in quantum mechanics. Once the quantum computer reads it, the qubit becomes 0 or 1. This is an idea that challenges our understanding of the natural world!

In addition to learning quantum theory, she had the chance to dive into the subject through labs. For example, she worked with quantum circuits and coded with quantum algorithms—important tools in this interdisciplinary field. Most importantly, she made international friends with other students in the program. Without a doubt, the course was a transformative experience for her. Elisa said, “When you love something, you want to share it.” And that’s exactly what she did.

Girls in Quantum

After the program, she wanted to keep exploring quantum computing and maintain the network she had formed in that class. She also felt inspired to share what she had learned with people who lacked the same opportunities. So, she founded Girls in Quantum, an organization to make the quantum field accessible through virtual workshops and other free resources.

At first, the organization was only for girls in Chile (the country where she lived). But after seeing that her classmates came from many countries, she felt that Girls in Quantum should go beyond Chile. Becoming an international organization was a major challenge. It was hard to find time for meetings: while some teammates were sleeping, others were just waking up. It was also difficult to find experts to collaborate with. They were lucky if, out of hundreds of emails, even one person replied. The most frustrating part was that many adults didn’t take her seriously. When they saw her, they asked Elisa, “Where are your parents?” or “Who are you with?” Even though she was qualified, they doubted her abilities because of her gender and age—but she persisted, and the team learned how to be organized and flexible.

Today, there are 27 active countries in Girls in Quantum, from Japan to Egypt! In total, over 5,000 young people around the world are learning with the organization. Elisa is propelled by the movement to democratize quantum computing education. She believes that there are many women with potential in the quantum field who simply lack the opportunities and resources they need to succeed, and is determined to change that by opening doors for the next generation of women in quantum mechanics.