ACS Quantum Change with Dr Vikram Sharma, Dr Francesca Maclean, Dr Brad Tucker and Craig Rispin.

Dr Vikram Sharma, CEO, Quintessence Labs

Dr Vikram Sharma is the Founder and CEO of QuintessenceLabs. Recognising the potential of quantum cybersecurity in the early 2000s while in California, Vikram sought to commercialise the technology, returning to the Australian National University to work with the Quantum Optics Group in the Department of Physics. QuintessenceLabs emerged from the world-leading research conducted by the group, and is today positioned at the forefront of the cybersecurity sector. The company's capabilities have been recognised at several Australian and international events, including as global runner-up from a pool of 2,500+ companies in IBM's SmartCamp competition in 2013, named by the Australian Information Industry Association as Australia’s most innovative small company in 2014, and selected by the Security Innovation Network as one of its SINET16 Cyber Security Innovators in 2015. In 2016, Cybersecurity Ventures named QuintessenceLabs its Cybersecurity 500 list of the world’s most innovative cybersecurity companies.  QuintessenceLabs was named one of the Top 20 Businesses of Tomorrow by Westpac in 2017, and most recently was selected as a Technology Pioneer by the World Economic Forum for 2018.

Prior to QuintessenceLabs, Vikram had deep experience in building and managing technology companies. During that time he founded two successful start-up ventures in the information technology infrastructure and services spaces - a consulting company providing IT services to the Federal Government in Australia, and one of India’s first private ISPs. He started his career as a programmer analyst, and went on to work as a consultant with a number of companies and government agencies in Australia.

Vikram holds a master of science in computer science from The Australian National University, a master of science in management (Sloan Fellow) from Stanford University, and a doctorate in quantum physics from The Australian National University. He was presented the Pearcey State Award for Entrepreneurship in 2013. In 2014, Vikram was invited by the UK Government to join an expert panel for its flagship Quantum Technology Hubs programme and presently serves on the Industry Advisory Board of the Research School of Computer Science at the Australian National University. He is a regular contributor to journals and a frequent speaker at conferences.

Dr Francesca Maclean
Strategic Director, Fifty50. ACT Young Woman of the Year 2017

ACT Young Woman of the Year 2017, one of Science & Technology Australia’s inaugural Superstars of STEM, awarded the Australian National University (ANU) Vice Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Tutoring, and the 2018 ANU Postgraduate Student of the Year. 

Francesca is a passionate advocate for diversity and inclusion in STEM and combines her love of understanding, communicating, and solving complex problems, and her personal experience as a woman in engineering, to positively influence the next generation of scientists to make STEM a more inclusive and diverse environment for everyone.

During her study at ANU Francesca co-founded Fifty50, a student-led movement promoting gender equity in STEM, which was named Engineers Australia’s Best Student Group in Gender Diversity in 2017.

In 2017 Francesca completed her PhD in tissue engineering, investigating biomaterials to control the inflammatory response of the brain after traumatic injury. Francesca holds a Bachelor of Engineering (Hons)/Bachelor of Science (’13) with First Class Honours from the ANU.

Francesca is a Consultant within the Integrated Cities Planning team at the independent engineering firm Arup. She leads the diversity and inclusion program of the Swinburne Engineering Practice Academy and the Bachelor of Engineering Practice (Hons) as an Engineer in Residence.

Dr Brad Tucker
Astrophysicist/Cosmologist, ANU

Brad Tucker is an Astrophysicist/Cosmologist at the Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Mt. Stromlo Observatory and the National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science, at the Australian National University. 

Brad received Bachelor’s degrees in Physics, Philosophy, and Theology from the University of Notre Dame, and then a PhD at Mt. Stromlo Observatory at the ANU.  He’s one of the leads of a Kepler Space Telescope Key Program. He is also leading a project to build a network of ultraviolet telescopes in the upper atmosphere, a search to find Planet 9 – a hypothetical new planet on the edges of our Solar System, as well as a new mission to capture and mine an asteroid.

Brad frequently gives talks to school groups and the public about Astronomy and has regular segments on various radio and TV stations such as ABC 24 and 7:30 report, and Channel 7 Sunrise and the Morning Show. Among other things, Brad has also developed a series of Astronomy coins with the Royal Australian Mint, consulted on science fiction movies such as Alien:Covenant. He is currently in the process of writing his first popular book and developing a series of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs).

Craig Rispin is a Business Futurist and Innovation Expert, his expertise is in emerging business, people and technology trends – and how companies can profit from them.
Craig has over 20 years’ experience working where the future has been created – with some of the most innovative companies in the world in IT, consumer electronics, internet and broadcasting industries.

He is an award-winning speaker and has addressed audiences as large as 16,000 people on 5 continents and has consulted with CEOs of leading companies worldwide.
Some of his clients include: BHP Billiton, Canon, Colonial First State, IBM, Kimberly-Clark, King & Wood Mallesons, NRMA, Sports craft, Symantec, Toyota, Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO) and hundreds of professional industry associations.
An award-winning keynote speaker and CEO mentor, Craig shows his clients how to Know First, Be First and Profit First.