The Empire Club of Canada
Tuesday, March 6, 2018
The Empire Club of Canada Presents:
Vern Brownell, CEO, D-Wave Systems Inc. and James Olson, Dean, Applied Science; Prof, Mech Eng., UBC On Forging Partnerships to Shape the Future. Come Learn How Quantum Computers Are Transforming the Future and the Future Of Engineering
Vern Brownell joined D-Wave as CEO in 2009, leading the company through its transition from research into the leader in the development and delivery of quantum computing systems and software. During his tenure D-Wave secured its first customers including Lockheed Martin, Google and NASA, and Los Alamos National Laboratory, and raised over $170 million in venture funding. Mr. Brownell joined D-Wave from Egenera, a pioneer of infrastructure virtualization, a company he founded and at which he held executive roles including CEO. Prior to Egenera, Mr. Brownell served as the Chief Technology Officer at Goldman Sachs where he and his staff of 1,300 were responsible for worldwide technology infrastructure. He holds an MBA degree from Anna Maria College and a BEng. degree in Electrical Engineering from Stevens Institute of Technology.
James Olson, PEng, is Dean of the Faculty of Applied Science and a professor of mechanical engineering at the University of British Columbia. He has spearheaded a number of initiatives aimed at transforming engineering education in the 21st century, including efforts to enrich diversity, student work experience, and business leadership and entrepreneurship programs. A Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering and the recipient of multiple research awards, Dean Olson was previously Associate Dean of Research and Industry Partnerships, Director of the Pulp and Paper Centre, and Interim Director of the Institute for Computing, Information and Cognitive Systems at UBC.
Speakers:
Vern Brownell, CEO, D-Wave Systems Inc.
James Olson, Dean, Applied Science UBC
*The content presented is free of charge but please note that the Empire Club of Canada retains copyright. Neither the speeches themselves nor any part of their content may be used for any purpose other than personal interest or research without the explicit permission of the Empire Club of Canada.*
*Views and Opinions Expressed Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by the speakers or panelists are those of the speakers or panelists and do not necessarily reflect or represent the official views and opinions, policy or position held by The Empire Club of Canada.*