Women In Quantum: Sarah Blanchette

By Ana Ciocoiu

March 4, 2025

At the Quantum Algorithms Institute, we believe that diverse perspectives are essential to the advancement of quantum technology. In 2024, Ana Ciocoiu conducted a series of interviews to highlight the careers, challenges, and aspirations of women in the STEM workforce, with a focus on quantum computing.

This series explores the experiences of women shaping the future of quantum—how they got started, what inspires them, and the impact they hope to make.

In this feature, Sarah Blanchette shares her journey from studying physics to becoming the Executive Director of the Quantum Information Science undergraduate program at Université de Sherbrooke. Previously a quantum software developer at Institut Quantique, Sarah has combined her technical expertise with a passion for education, helping shape the next generation of quantum scientists.

Sarah currently works as the executive director of the Quantum Information Science undergraduate program at Université de Sherbrooke, where she also shares her passion of quantum computing by teaching a Quantum Solutions course.

Prior to this, she was a quantum software developer at Institut Quantique, which she joined after completing her bachelor’s in physics at Université de Montréal. In her free time, you will find her climbing at the local crag.

What got you interested in quantum technology initially?

It was kind of random, honestly. I was studying physics and I had only taken a single quantum mechanics course. One summer during my undergrad I was on a data science work term and just browsing the internet one day at my desk when I came across the IBM quantum website. I was reading some of their introductory material and realized that its backbone was really just linear algebra, computer science, and quantum mechanics; all courses I had already taken. I thought it was a pretty cool combination, so I spent a few weekends going through the Qiskit textbook on my own and learning some basic concepts. It was quite accessible so I was able to get somewhat of a solid quantum computing foundation. And that got me hooked, so during my last year of undergrad I went out of my way to take courses in quantum computing, quantum optics and more quantum mechanics; at that point I was fully invested. I really didn't think I’d end up working in the field so quickly after that, and I feel incredibly lucky I could.

Have you always been interested in STEM? You got a degree in physics so clearly it’s important to you now - but I’m curious how your interest evolved.

I haven’t always been directly interested in STEM. When I was little I really wanted to be an astronaut just like many other kids, but I was never the best at math or science in high school. In Quebec between HS and Uni we have 2 years of something called CEGEP, and I chose to study natural sciences, to keep my options open. I took a classical mechanics course and my prof was just amazing, he was this old guy who was just super passionate about physics. He made me believe that no problem couldn’t be conquered by a whole lot of excitement and dedication. Case in point: I failed the midterm for that course but then ended up getting a 99 on the final. It was during these CEGEP years that I got to first interact with researchers promoting their respective fields at lunch and learns. I remember one female university professor came to do a presentation on supermassive black holes, and it was probably the first time that I felt represented as a woman in science. After all, my family aren’t in science, and nobody that I knew at the time was in the field either. So I don’t think I really considered science as a career until I met her. This is why I think it’s so important for women scientists to do these interactions inside schools and interact with young girls -that whole interaction kick-started my career.

Growing up, what were your perceptions of a job in the STEM field and of the people in it?

Oh gosh. I don’t even think I considered it to be a real option. When I was younger I pictured it as all these nerdy guys in lab coats, you know, the typical stereotype! I never took it to be a serious career option, since it just seemed so unattainable. No way was I smart enough for this, and no way these would ever be my people! So my view of it was pretty negative, I would say. I thought it was appealing but I didn’t think I could ever do it.

What has been your favorite project or research experience so far?

Throughout my career here at Institut Quantique  (IQ) I’ve realized that I really enjoy teaching quantum computing concepts. I’ve had the opportunity to attend many of conferences and been able to do a lot of classroom interaction throughout CEGEPs in the region.

In my first year here I was working as a quantum software developer and we hosted a workshop with UVIC and QuantumBC. I was tasked to give a lecture on quantum machine learning, and this was a topic I had only learned about a few months prior! Being able to self-teach myself enough information to lead that workshop really boosted my confidence, and my colleagues were extremely helpful and supportive. I was presenting to graduate students who probably were way more knowledgeable than me overall, but in this one small niche, I maybe knew a bit more than them and could provide value - that was an important moment for me.

Now I’m teaching a course for the new quantum computing focused undergraduate program here at Université de Sherbrooke and for me, gaining the experience to be able to teach has been really fun.

Did you feel you had adequate mentorship and support on your learning and professional journey?

No, during my undergrad, not at all. For me, starting a physics university program was incredibly intimidating, since there are just so many highly gifted people. I really got the impression that if you weren’t the absolute top of your class, professors discounted or disregarded you fairly quickly. Half of my degree happened during COVID, as well, so maybe that made it worse. In any case, there were only about 3 women in my program and none of us managed to become friends until a year in. So for a long time I didn’t feel like I had people that I could speak to- of course, I had friends, but the vast majority of them weren’t in my program so I didn’t feel like I could dream about my future career in physics with them. It was a pretty lonely time in that sense. However, in my professional career, I’ve had the chance to work with uplifting colleagues who believed in me since the beginning and gave me many opportunities, often intimidating but instilling great pride in myself.

Who is a woman that inspires you, and why?

I have to shout out the professor I mentioned earlier, Julie Hlavacek-Larrondo. During her visit she mentioned that she studied at the same CEGEP as me, then went on to pursue physics because she “found it interesting”, and then became an astrophysicist at the Université de Montreal. Astrophysics and cosmology was my great passion at the time so her story really stuck with me. And now it’s come full circle…recently I was giving a talk at a CAP conference for women in physics, and noticed that she was on the DEI panel. I approached her after the panel to thank her for influencing my career path, and let her know that I attributed a lot of my current success to her. She had just recently founded an organization to increase inclusivity in STEM across all educational levels called Parité Sciences, and I immediately asked how I could collaborate with them. It’s been to be in touch with the team there especially now that I’m older and have gained some perspective on the challenges facing women in STEM.

Another woman I think is incredible is Ravy Por, who runs the organization Héros de Chez Nous and is also an accomplished mathematician working as Artificial Intelligence & Data partner at Deloitte. Her organization aims to democratize tech education among youth. She has this video series targeted at youth from all horizons where she speed-teaches tech and AI concepts, and I think that’s just incredibly important. I got to meet her when IQ collaborated on a quantum computing video, and they sent me to work with her. I remember being very emotional after first getting off the phone with her, because it was the first time I had ever talked about tech concepts with another woman in my professional journey and it was just so refreshing.

What is a challenge you have faced that you are especially proud of overcoming?

I think, figuring out what to do with my career after my degree without having much guidance from anyone else. Most women in STEM that I met in school planned going down the academic road and I knew that wasn’t the path for me. I was the only woman on my team for a while at IQ and I learned to be ok with that. I didn’t have anyone around me that I could truly relate to, but I’m proud that I felt like I was blending in with my male colleagues. Maybe that’s a kind of sad thing to say, I don’t know! [laughs]

Initially at IQ I was not just the only woman on the quantum software development team but also the least educated, as I only had my bachelor’s. I wasn’t sure if I had my place here, and I didn't have much confidence. During our group meetings it was me in a room with men who almost all had PhDs, so I was scared to ask questions and felt like I couldn’t say anything relevant that they wouldn't already know. I was constantly asking myself ‘what am I bringing to the team?’ But with time I’ve gotten a bit more confident, and I’m proud of persevering through that.

What would you like to accomplish in the future?

In my current role I’m not doing much science, and I’m more on the admin side of things.  I really want to go back to doing science but I’m honestly quite terrified, because it’s difficult and I don’t know anyone who has had the same path as me. I’m not sure how to go back to doing science full-time since I only have a bachelor’s degree, and a lot of these positions require more education. Going back to school to get more degrees sounds intimidating at the moment. I also care a lot about social impact and would want my work to benefit people directly, which I think is not something you get to have in more academic, research-oriented roles. I really hate that it seems you must to choose between doing physics or having a direct social impact. I want to do both! There’s so many huge injustices in our time that need to be addressed, so I’m very motivated to find a way to help with that while also staying true to my passion for scientific discovery. Right now I’m really trying to figure out what path I need to take to make this dream come true.

How do you think quantum technology can impact the lives of people in your community (either for better or worse)?

I would really like to believe that all the hype and excitement around quantum computing will lead to us talking about science in a positive way that will attract more diverse people into the field. I would love to see young people inspired about working in this field and dreaming big about how they can contribute, because the new generation coming in will be able to change a lot about how we think of science and how we judge its impacts.

We can see from AI and facial recognition technologies the consequences of considering responsible development only after the technology has hit the market. As the global conversation around quantum computing develops, the concept of responsible innovation has emerged. RI aims to foster a culture of engagement between the quantum computing community society, so that we experience not only the benefits of quantum computing research  but also good governance, transparency, and accountability. Do you feel quantum computing is developing responsibly? Why/why not?

I will say yes, in part because my colleague is currently leading a project about starting a quantum ethics dialogue, and is speaking at the provincial and national level about quantum computing to an audience of non-experts. Because I’ve heard so much about this initiative, I do feel like there is an effort to talk about the ethical impacts of quantum computing. Does it lead to concrete actions immediately? Maybe not, but it’s something I know people are working on Hopefully this discussion creates some momentum and people become aware that it’s something we have to think about and address. I think we’re still very early in the development cycle of this technology, so hopefully as it progresses, more discourse and eventually regulation will emerge.

Development of quantum technology has thus far been concentrated in well-funded research labs and a subset of companies that exist mostly in the ‘global north’ due to the level of infrastructural development needed and the existing research environments. Going forward, who would you like to see included in the development and deployment of quantum technology?

I think that if more laypeople and non-academics were included, it would create interesting dialogue. Sometimes when non-experts ask you questions that seem at first glance trivial or silly, it actually makes for an ‘oh, snap!’ moment when you question your knowledge on a deeper level than before. You realize that something you’ve been saying for years is not entirely accurate, and forces you to rethink your approach to a problem or a worldview you’ve held since forever.  For STEM in particular, I think that we often end up in echo chambers populated by experts and all too rarely get to hear new perspectives. I think that having more dialogue with people of all backgrounds and education is not only refreshing but necessary.

Given the current trajectory of development, it is a possibility that global division emerges as only a few countries have access to quantum computing. Areas without access are left behind as those that have access take advantage of this technology. Given existing digital divides, this scenario may worsen global inequality. What does responsible quantum innovation look like to you?

I’ve seen a lot of people say that online resources are the key to democratizing quantum computing and increasing access to knowledge (as it was the case for me!). And while they are indeed fantastic, there’s tons of places in the world where having access to computers, even just a stable wifi network, is rare. The question of how to increase access is complicated. For example, one option would be to invest more in upskilling programs that are taught in-person and teach people new skills so that they can find a way to work within the industry. But the glaring problem there is that a lot of these jobs are not located in the countries where these programs would be most beneficial. What’s the point of learning a skill if you have to leave your country to apply it?

So, what’s the best solution? I wish I had a more interesting answer, but it seems it has to be ‘money’ . Investment into developing this industry and creating new research centers in countries where there previously was none is really the best way, I think, to educate people while allowing them to participate in the economic development of their country. Perhaps, this means we also need people who care about this to lead these projects. Quantum is a tiny industry right now and we always see the same people over and over again. If we want new opinions and diverse voices, investment into research, education, and commercialization of quantum technology in underrepresented parts of the world is I think the best way to make that happen.

Quantum technology can be leveraged in positive ways that benefit humanity (eg, drug discovery) but it can also be leveraged in ways that make the world far worse, such as exacerbating geopolitical tensions and opportunity divides. Developing quantum technology in a responsible way is clearly going to be challenging. Are you overall optimistic or pessimistic about the way we will choose to develop this technology?

I’m optimistic. I don’t know if I have any backing arguments to my optimism [laughs] but I fundamentally believe that people are good and can do good. The people around me are overwhelmingly good, and so I feel like that represents the world even though that’s false. People around me are asking all these important questions about quantum technology and are motivated to develop it responsibly, so sometimes I feel like we truly are changing the world - then I open my door and step outside, and the world is kind of on fire. I think we live in a bubble here and are sheltered from some of the difficult realities that exist, and being reminded of that is jarring. But I have chosen to stay optimistic.

What dreams/aspirations do you have for the future of quantum computing?

I don’t know if I have any dreams, really. It’s the field I work in and I’d love for it to add some good to the world, but I don’t want to say that I hope quantum computers will solve climate change or something like that. I don’t think technology can save us from our habits, and we can’t expect it to solve all our problems.