WIB-Greater Boston: The Next Wave of AI and Quantum Computing in Life Sciences

On July 31, 2026, WIB-Greater Boston welcomed an incredible panel of women leaders for a conversation about how quantum computing and AI are beginning to reshape drug discovery, development, and clinical translation. Moderated by Colleen Way (WIB), Kamaini Gupta (KAMI Think Tank), and Stephanie Oestreich (Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation), the discussion explored how hybrid quantum-classical approaches are moving beyond theory and into real-world applications, with panelists sharing where they expect to see the biggest impact over the next three to five years.

Panelists:

• Shayne Gilbert (Convergence Quantum Center)
• Ieva Liepuoniute (IBM Quantum),
• Andrea deSouza (Qubit Pharmaceuticals)
• Dina El Ahdab (Qubit Pharmaceuticals)
• Laura Matz (Merck KGaA)
• Laís Lopes (Qnity)

Top takeaways:

• Hybrid is the strategy: quantum augments classical/HPC and AI — use quantum for truly quantum problems (electronic structure, reaction/transition states, strongly correlated regions) and classical/AI for large‑scale workflows.
• Near‑term wins (3–5 years): targeted quantum subsystems embedded in larger simulations — better modeling of active sites and metalloenzymes, higher‑confidence lead down‑selection, improved force fields feeding ML and MD, and more precise predictions of toxicity/efficacy trade‑offs.
• Business focus: pharma will adopt quantum where it measurably increases probability of success, shortens timelines, or reduces cost — not for speed alone. Partnership models are the fastest, lowest‑risk path for biopharma to experiment.
• Team design: form “target squads” (biologists, computational chemists, and quantum experts), build trilingual talent, and create a shared lexicon to accelerate collaboration and decision‑making.
• Women and workforce: embrace interdisciplinarity, lifelong learning, visibility, and curiosity — practical, incremental steps (courses, consortiums, hands‑on access) are effective ways in.

Rather than focusing on what’s possible someday, this session highlighted what’s happening now. Panelists shared practical ways quantum computing can support the drug development process, discussed how organizations can work together to move the field forward, and explored the skills and talent needed to make it all happen—all to bring safer, more effective medicines to patients faster.

WIB members can log in to their WIB profile and click here to see the event recording.

Submitted by Yan Wu