Shohini Ghose

Shohini Ghose is a Canadian quantum physicist, educator, author, and science advocate. She is a Professor of Physics and Computer Science at Wilfrid Laurier University and holds the NSERC Chair for Women in Science and Engineering for Ontario. She is also the Chief Technology Officer of the Quantum Algorithms Institute in Waterloo, Canada, where she works on advancing quantum technologies with academic and industry partners.

Her research is in quantum information science, with a focus on quantum computing, quantum communication, teleportation, quantum entanglement, and the links between classical chaos and quantum physics. She is known for contributing to the first experiments that directly showed how chaos can affect quantum entanglement. Her work has been published widely in leading scientific journals and has helped shape understanding of how quantum systems behave and how they can be used in real-world technologies. She has also contributed to research on quantum security, quantum-classical systems, and emerging areas linking quantum science with blockchain and communication networks.

Shohini completed her PhD in Physics in 2003 at the University of New Mexico after undergraduate studies in physics and mathematics. She began her academic career with postdoctoral research in Canada and joined Wilfrid Laurier University as a faculty member in 2005. Alongside her research, she has taught a wide range of courses, including quantum mechanics, quantum computing, modern physics, and astronomy.

She has played major leadership roles in the scientific community. She served as President of the Canadian Association of Physicists from 2019 to 2020 and was co-editor-in-chief of the Canadian Journal of Physics. She is an affiliate member of the Institute for Quantum Computing at the University of Waterloo, an adjunct professor at the University of Waterloo, and a Fellow of the Balsillie School of International Affairs. She has also served as an Equity, Diversity and Inclusion specialist at the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics and represented Canada at the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics.

Shohini is the founding Director of the Laurier Centre for Women in Science, which works to address gender and diversity issues in science through research, outreach, and policy action. She is a strong advocate for equity, diversity, and inclusion in STEM and has advised governments, universities, and international organisations on these issues.

She is a TED Fellow and TED Senior Fellow and is widely known as a science communicator. Her talks, videos, and media appearances have reached millions of people worldwide. In 2023, she published the book Her Space, Her Time: How Trailblazing Women Scientists Decoded the Hidden Universe, which won the Science Writers and Communicators of Canada Book Award.

Shohini Ghose is a quantum physicist, educator, author, and science policy contributor whose work spans research, teaching, leadership, and public engagement. She is a Professor of Physics and Computer Science at Wilfrid Laurier University in Canada and holds the NSERC Chair for Women in Science and Engineering for Ontario. She also serves as Chief Technology Officer of the Quantum Algorithms Institute in Waterloo, where she works with researchers, industry partners, and policymakers to advance quantum technologies and their responsible use.

Shohini grew up in India, where an early interest in space and science shaped her ambition to pursue physics. She later moved to the United States for higher education and completed undergraduate studies in physics and mathematics at Miami University. She earned her PhD in Physics in 2003 from the University of New Mexico. Her doctoral research focused on quantum and classical dynamics in magneto-optical systems and was recognised with the Chairman’s Award for best dissertation. Her early work explored how quantum systems transition to classical behaviour, an area that became central to her later research.

After completing her PhD, Shohini moved to Canada to undertake postdoctoral research at the University of Calgary as an Alberta Ingenuity Postdoctoral Fellow. In 2005, she joined Wilfrid Laurier University as an Assistant Professor. Over time, she progressed through academic ranks while building a research programme in quantum information science. Her work covers quantum computing, quantum communication, teleportation, multiparty quantum correlations, and the study of chaos in quantum systems. 

She is particularly known for her collaboration with researchers at the University of Arizona, where experiments with individual cesium atoms provided the first direct evidence that classical chaos can influence quantum entanglement. This work helped establish entanglement as a measurable signature of quantum chaos and was later featured in the McGraw-Hill Yearbook of Science and Technology.

Alongside fundamental research, Shohini has contributed to applied areas of quantum science, including quantum security protocols, hybrid quantum and classical systems, and emerging links between quantum technologies and digital infrastructure. Her publication record includes journal articles, conference proceedings, book chapters, and edited volumes. She has also co-authored an introductory astronomy textbook used by university students in Canada, reflecting her long-standing commitment to teaching and curriculum development.

Shohini has held several leadership roles in the scientific community. She served as President of the Canadian Association of Physicists from 2019 to 2020, becoming the first person of colour to hold this position. During her presidency, she established a standing committee to embed equity, diversity, and inclusion into all activities of the association. She has also served as Co-Editor-in-Chief of the Canadian Journal of Physics and has been involved with national and international scientific bodies, including the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics, where she represented Canada in working groups focused on women in physics. 

She is an affiliate member of the Institute for Quantum Computing at the University of Waterloo, an adjunct professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the same university, and a Fellow of the Balsillie School of International Affairs. She has also served as an Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Specialist at the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics.

In 2012, Shohini founded the Laurier Centre for Women in Science, a research and action centre dedicated to addressing gender and diversity issues in science. Through this centre, she has led research projects, supported outreach and mentorship programmes, organised conferences and exhibitions, and contributed to national policy discussions. Her work in this area has included collaboration with government agencies and international organisations, as well as participation in the development of Canada’s national charter on equity, diversity, and inclusion in higher education and research.

Shohini is also widely known for her work in science communication. She became a TED Fellow in 2014 and a TED Senior Fellow in 2018. She has delivered multiple TED and TEDx talks on quantum physics, climate change, uncertainty, and the role of women in science. Her talks and educational videos, including a TED-Ed video on Marie Curie, have reached millions of viewers worldwide. She has appeared in major media outlets and documentaries, including programmes by the BBC and PBS Nova, and regularly contributes to public discussions on the social impact of emerging technologies.

In 2020, she was appointed as an NSERC Chair for Women in Science and Engineering, leading regional and national efforts to improve participation and retention of women in science and engineering fields. In 2023, she published the book Her Space, Her Time: How Trailblazing Women Scientists Decoded the Hidden Universe with MIT Press. The book examines the history of women’s contributions to physics and astronomy and received the Science Writers and Communicators of Canada Book Award.

Shohini Ghose’s vision is to advance quantum science in ways that serve society while strengthening fairness and access in scientific systems. She seeks to deepen understanding of quantum information, computing, and communication, and to support the responsible development of quantum technologies through collaboration between academia, industry, and public institutions. Alongside scientific progress, she aims to change how science is practised by addressing structural barriers faced by underrepresented groups. Her work focuses on building inclusive research environments, improving education and mentorship, and shaping policies that support long-term participation in science. She believes scientific progress and equity must advance together.

Shohini Ghose has received national and international recognition for her work in physics, education, leadership, and science communication. In 2019, she was featured among 25 women from around the world in the UNESCO exhibition Remarkable Women in Technology in Paris, which highlighted contributions to science and technology. In the same year, she appeared in the NSERC video Canada’s Women in Science, which focused on researchers contributing to science in Canada.

She was selected as a TED Fellow in 2014 and later as a TED Senior Fellow in 2018, a role given to a limited number of TED Fellows for continued contribution to research and public engagement. She was also featured in NSERC’s 20 of Canada’s Women in Science. At Wilfrid Laurier University, she received the Science Teaching Excellence Award and multiple Merit Awards for her work in research, teaching, and service.

In 2017, Shohini was inducted into the Royal Society of Canada’s College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists and received the Hoffman-Little Award for Faculty, which recognises combined contributions to research, teaching, and service. In 2016, she received the Rogers Woman of the Year Award in STEM and was invited to advise the Canadian Minister of Science on issues related to women in STEM. 

She has also been recognised through inclusion in The A List of Indo-Canadians presented to the Prime Minister of Canada, the American Physical Society’s Woman Physicist of the Month, the Women of Waterloo Education Award, the Mahatma Gandhi Global Achievers Award, and the Shera Bangali Award for science. Earlier in her career, she received the Alberta Ingenuity Fellowship supporting postdoctoral research.