Founder & CEO
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I’m Elisa Torres Durney, founder & CEO of Girls in Quantum, a global initiative closing the gender gap in quantum science and technology. I started Girls in Quantum in 2022 as a high school student after noticing the lack of accessible, engaging opportunities for young women to explore quantum technologies.
We provide hands-on workshops, mentorship, and resources that give students the skills, confidence, and connections needed to enter and excel in the quantum industry. Since launch, we’ve impacted over 8,000 students from 60+ countries, building a community of 10,000+ followers on LinkedIn and 17,000 on Instagram. Our programs connect participants directly with leading researchers and companies, creating tangible outcomes such as internships and research opportunities—not just awareness.
We measure success through active engagement metrics: event attendance, repeat participation, completion of quizzes and forms, and long-term tracking of participants’ academic and career steps. 90%+ of participants report increased technical skills and confidence after our programs.
We’ve collaborated with UNESCO, the United Nations Foundation, IBM, EY, MetLife, The Lancet, The Economist, and quantum leaders including QuEra, Infleqtion, and Quantinuum to deliver scalable programs addressing a critical talent pipeline bottleneck. Our focus is turning early interest into viable career pathways while accelerating diversity in a field where women remain underrepresented.
Now a mechanical engineering student and tech entrepreneur, I’m scaling Girls in Quantum into a practical, outcome-driven platform that tackles structural barriers to entry. As quantum technologies move from research labs into real-world applications, we’re building the talent pipeline that will shape the industry’s future.
