Core Team

Joseph (Joe) Salfi is the Scientific Advisor and Co-Founder of Qlithic Technologies Inc. He is an experimental quantum physicist and electrical engineer, and an Associate Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of British Columbia (UBC). He is also a principal investigator at the UBC Quantum Matter Institute and an affiliate member of UBC’s Department of Physics and Astronomy. His research group designs and fabricates chips that allow individual electrons and photons to be controlled and measured, and studies them at ultra-low temperatures and high magnetic fields where quantum effects dominate. The group also builds circuits that make these particles interact, generating the entangled many-body quantum states that quantum technologies depend on. His work explores solid-state and silicon-based building blocks for quantum computers, simulators, and networks. In 2015, he was awarded a Discovery Early Career Fellowship at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) and the Centre for Quantum Computation and Communication Technology in Sydney, Australia, where he had previously been a postdoctoral fellow. He holds a BASc from the University of Waterloo and a PhD from the University of Toronto (2011). He teaches courses on linear circuits, semiconductor devices, and quantum computing.

Anna W. Topol is the CEO and Co-Founder of Qlithic Technologies Inc., a quantum computing startup. She is a former CTO at IBM Research. During her 25 years at IBM, she was named IBM Distinguished Engineer and Master Inventor. Dr. Topol held executive roles in both technical and business positions, including strategic partnerships and industry initiatives, intellectual property management, and R&D of cutting-edge technology. She led fundamental research in DRAM and 3D CMOS technology. She authored over 100 Publications, 3 Book Chapters, and 97 Patents. Her Ph.D. was in optoelectronics. She is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and a member of an Executive Committee for the Industry Advisory Board (IAB) for the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME). She serves as an advisor to quantum technology startups. She is a technical vitality coach and mentor, including Quantum Pioneers Legacy Initiative. She is a mother of 2 sons. She skydived despite her fear of heights.