Qiskit Fall Fest 2026

What is Qiskit Fall Fest?

Qiskit Fall Fest is a worldwide movement of student-run events built around quantum computing powered by IBM's open-source Qiskit framework that include workshops, hackathons, talks from people doing real research, and plenty of chances to meet others into the field.

Last year alone, the initiative reached over 32,000 people through events run by 150 student teams globally. Now the University of Windsor is ready to build on that momentum and bring together an even bigger crowd in 2026!

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Ten Years On The Cloud

In 2016, IBM put a real quantum computer on the cloud for anyone to use, the first time that had ever happened. What started as a 5-qubit processor accessible to researchers, students, and curious coders has grown into a global network of quantum systems, used by hundreds of thousands of people to run millions of experiments.

A decade later, that same idea is what makes events like Fall Fest possible: you don't need a lab or specialized hardware to learn quantum computing. You just need a laptop and an internet connection. Ten years in, we're celebrating how far that access has come!

What is Qiskit

Day 1 · Friday, November 13

• 9:30 - 10:00 AM
  Registration, Coffee & Networking

  Check in and connect with fellow quantum enthusiasts
• 10:00 - 10:15 AM
  Opening Remarks & Welcome

  Welcome to Qiskit Fall Fest 2026!
• 10:15 - 10:45 AM
  Out of the Lab and Into the Office

  Feite Kraay · PINQ²
• 10:45 - 11:15 AM
  From Paper to Circuit to Commercialization: Stress-Testing Quantum Ideas

  Mehdi Bozzo-Rey · QAP Partners
• 11:15 - 11:30 AM
  Coffee Break
• 11:30 AM - 12:00 PM
  Quantum-Safe Cybersecurity

  Dr. Mitra Mirhassani
• 12:00 - 12:30 PM
  Canada’s Quantum Future: Creating, Capturing, and Retaining Value in a Global Quantum Economy

  Dr. James Lannigan · Signal49 Research
• 12:30 - 1:00 PM
  Lunch & Networking

  Feed the qubits!
• 1:00 - 1:45 PM
  Industry Panel and Discussion

  Quantum Beyond the Lab
• 1:45 - 2:00 PM
  Break and Group Photo

  Capture the moment
• 2:00 - 2:30 PM
  Quantum Machine Learning - Introduction and Applications

  Saasha Joshi · CMC Microsystems (Virtual)
• 2:30 - 3:30 PM
  Qiskit and Quantum Computing

  Dr. Sean Wagner · IBM Quantum (Virtual)
• 3:30 - 3:45 PM
  Break

  Even qubits need some rest
• 3:45 - 4:45 PM
  Hackathon Kickoff

  Challenge reveal, rules and team formation

Day 2 · Saturday, November 14

• 10:00 - 11:00 AM
  Quantum Machine Learning: Opportunities, Challenges, and the Road Ahead

  Dr. Masoud Akhshik
• 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
  Quantum Games & Interactive Activities

  Trivia, challenges and quantum fun
• 12:00 - 1:00 PM
  Lunch Break

  Recharge and connect
• 1:00 - 4:00 PM
  Hackathon Presentations & Judging

  Team demos, judging and project showcase
• 4:00 - 4:30 PM
  Awards & Closing Ceremony

  Prizes, acknowledgements and closing remarks

Panelists

Mehdi Bozzo-Rey
Physicist, QAP
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Feite Kraay
Senior Business Leader, PINQ²
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James Lannigan
Senior Research Associate, Signal49 Research
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Masoud Akhshik
Partnership Coordinator in Research & Innovation, University of Windsor
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Adam Castle
Director of Venture Services & Partnerships, WEtech Alliance
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Adam Castle
Adam Castle helps startups connect with the people, resources, and opportunities they need to grow, whether that means turning an idea into a viable business or helping a venture take its next bold step. At the core of his work is a belief that innovation ecosystems should serve both companies and communities. As the Director of Venture Services and Partnerships at WEtech Alliance, Adam has spent the past seven years building founder-first programs, coaching entrepreneurs across sectors, and forging partnerships that drive sustainable economic development. His work has earned recognition from United Way's 40 Under 40, BizX's Powerhouse Professional of the Year, and The Peak's Emerging Leaders list.
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Shaoquan Jiang
Assistant Professor, University of Windsor
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Dr. Shaoquan Jiang
Dr. Shaoquan Jiang is a professor at the School of Computer Science, University of Windsor, specializing in quantum cryptography, post-quantum security, and cryptographic protocols. His research focuses on developing secure communication methods and protecting digital information against emerging quantum computing threats.
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Featured Speakers

Mehdi Bozzo-Rey
Mehdi Bozzo-Rey is a physicist (M.Sc., theoretical and mathematical physics, Université de Sherbrooke) who has spent 25 years between research labs and industry. He started with supercomputers: the Université de Sherbrooke clusters he designed and benchmarked reached rank 40 on the Top500 list in 2005 and ranked first in Canada for six consecutive lists. At IBM he moved from high-performance computing to quantum. He became IBM’s first quantum ambassador in Canada, ran the IBM Quantum startup program and co-authored a chapter of the Qiskit textbook. He then spent five years bringing quantum technology from research to industry at Cambridge Quantum Computing (now Quantinuum), the Quantum Algorithms Institute, Multiverse Computing and DistriQ, Québec’s Quantum Innovation Zone. In 2025 he founded Quantum Advantage Partners (QAP) in Toronto, an AI-native practice that helps deep-tech startups turn science into products; its science-to-market method was presented at IEEE TEMSCON Global 2026. He mentors in the Quantum stream of Creative Destruction Lab and in the PIMS Math to Power Industry program for graduate students, and sits on IEEE Quantum Week program committees. He uses AI every day, including to write Qiskit code.

Dr. Sean Wagner
Dr. Sean Wagner is a Research Scientist and Quantum Technical Ambassador at IBM Canada, helping universities and industry partners put quantum computing to work. A seasoned Qiskit workshop leader and speaker, he focuses on combining quantum and supercomputing to tackle real chemistry problems. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Toronto and a Computer Engineering degree from the University of Waterloo.

Dr. Mitra Mirhassani
Dr. Mitra Mirhassani is a Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Windsor and co-director of SHIELD, Canada's first academic centre dedicated to automotive cybersecurity. Her research spans hardware security and quantum-safe encryption. Named one of IT World Canada's Top Women in Cybersecurity in 2020, she is also a senior member of IEEE.

Feite Kraay
A senior business leader with over three decades experience in the Canadian IT sector, Feite approaches the intersection of business and technology with creativity and passion. With a motto of 'always be curious' he constantly looks for new and innovative ways to solve clients' business problems. His interests include quantum computing, artificial intelligence and the imminent convergence of these disciplines. Feite currently serves as commercialization leader for PINQ², working with clients across Canada to adopt quantum computing and deploy use cases that will lead to realization of business value. He is a frequent blogger on technical and philosophical topics covering AI and quantum computing, and can be found on the Substack platform at https://feitekraay.substack.com/ Outside of quantum computing, Feite contributes to his community by serving the boards of two non-profit institutions in Toronto.

Dr. James Lannigan
Dr. James Lannigan brings a unique mixed-methods approach that combines in-depth qualitative research, statistical rigour, and social network analysis to produce actionable insights for informed decision-making. At Signal49 Research, his work focuses on emerging technology adoption in Canada, including C-suite perspectives on artificial intelligence, recent AI developments, and projects examining AI adoption among Canadian firms and innovation trends in the mining and oil and gas sectors.

Dr. Masoud Akhshik
Dr. Masoud Akhshik is an interdisciplinary researcher working across quantum technologies, AI, and applied science, currently serving as Partnership Coordinator in Research & Innovation at the University of Windsor, where he supports industry-academic collaborations. He holds two PhDs - one in Nanobiotechnology, focused on bio-based approaches to qubit design and quantum sensors/materials, and a second from the University of Toronto extending into AI, machine learning, and sustainability-focused engineering.

His current work centers on quantum machine learning, including benchmarking classical ML against quantum kernel methods for environmental forecasting, alongside broader interests in quantum sensing, hybrid quantum-classical computing, and applying emerging quantum technologies to engineering, healthcare, and intelligent systems.

Saasha Joshi
Saasha Joshi is a Staff Scientist in Quantum Computing at CMC Microsystems, Canada. She holds a Master of Science degree in Computer Science from the University of Victoria, and a Bachelor of Engineering in Computer Science Engineering from Panjab University, India. Her work integrates quantum machine learning and optimization with quantum software development, complemented by expertise in classical machine learning and image processing. Saasha actively contributes to open-source quantum software projects and is passionate about STEM outreach and community engagement.

Event Sponsors

School of Computer Science

IBM Quantum

Students' Alliance

Graduate Student Society

Computer Science Society

PINQ²

IEEE Windsor

Ecosystem Partners

CMC Microsystems

SHIELD

QAP Partners

Spherical Learning

Faculty

Dr. Ziad Kobti
Professor and director of Computer Science
Dr. Ziad Kobti is a Professor and Director of the School of Computer Science at the University of Windsor. His research focuses on artificial intelligence, evolutionary computation, multi-agent systems, and intelligent decision-support systems. He received his Ph.D. in Computer Science from Wayne State University and has led numerous academic and industry-partnered research initiatives. A former President of the Canadian Artificial Intelligence Association (CAIAC), Dr. Kobti is also actively involved in advancing computing education, research, and student engagement at the University of Windsor.

Dr. Chitra Rangan
Professor of Physics
Dr. Chitra Rangan is a Professor of Physics at the University of Windsor whose research focuses on the theoretical and computational control of quantum and nanoscale light-matter interactions. Her work spans quantum control, quantum optics, atomic, molecular and optical physics, nanoplasmonics, and nanophotonics, with connections to quantum information and quantum computing. An award-winning educator, Dr. Rangan has extensive experience in teaching, research mentorship, and science outreach, including graduate-level instruction in quantum control and quantum computing.

Dr. Hussein Assaf
Affiliate Graduate Faculty Member in Computer Science
Dr. Hussein Assaf is an Adjunct Professor in the School of Computer Science at the University of Windsor and an Analog Design Engineer at Synopsys. His expertise spans artificial intelligence, machine learning, analog and mixed-signal circuit design, embedded systems, and quantum computing. His current research interests include large language models, generative AI, multimodal learning, qubit autotuning and calibration, and advanced computing architectures. His work bridges academic research and industry, with a focus on intelligent systems, quantum technologies, and integrated circuit design.

Dr. Tirupati Bolisetti
Professor of Civil & Environmental Engineering
Dr. Tirupati Bolisetti is a Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Windsor. His research focuses on hydrology, climate change impact assessment and adaptation, geothermal energy, and the climate resilience of water infrastructure. His work includes developing hydrological and snowmelt-runoff models to better understand water systems in the Arctic and Great Lakes regions. With extensive academic and professional experience in water resources engineering, Dr. Bolisetti is also actively involved in graduate education, research mentorship, and professional service.

Dr. Prashanth Cheluvasai Ranga
Assistant Professor of Computer Science
Dr. Prashanth Cheluvasai Ranga is an Assistant Professor in the School of Computer Science at the University of Windsor. With more than 20 years of teaching experience across universities in the United States, India, and Canada, his teaching and research interests include high-performance computing, systems programming, operating systems, database design, and the design and analysis of algorithms. He holds a Ph.D. in Computer Science from Auburn University and an M.S. in Computer Science from the University of Texas at Dallas.

Dr. Andreas Maniatis
Assistant Professor of Computer Science
Dr. Andreas Maniatis is an Assistant Professor in the School of Computer Science at the University of Windsor, where he teaches courses from database systems to advanced analytics and machine learning. His research focuses on visual analytics and big data: helping people explore and make sense of very large datasets. He brings more than 30 years of industry experience in IT and data analytics, including EU-funded research collaborations, and holds a Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the National Technical University of Athens.

Organizing Team

Nasrin Tavakoli
TEAM LEAD
As a Computer Science PhD candidate, my work sits at the intersection of AI, computer vision, and synthetic data generation, turning research ideas into solutions for real-world industrial challenges. I’m driven by curiosity about what’s next and enjoy bringing people together to connect, share ideas, and explore the possibilities of quantum computing.

Atefeh Gilvari
Sponsorship, Finance & Awards
I’m a PhD candidate in Computer Science specializing in AI-based industrial vision-language models. I’m excited to help organize Qiskit Fall Fest and bring students together to explore quantum computing through hands-on learning and collaboration.

Amangel Bhullar
Marketing, Media & Advertising
I'm a Ph.D. Candidate in Computer Science researching AI, ML, knowledge representation, and graph-based learning. I serve as a University Senator and VP Academic Affairs with the Graduate Student Society, advocating for graduate students while fostering inclusive academic communities and opportunities for collaboration and innovation.

Vinay Kumar Chukka
Hackathon, Games & Activities
I’m Vinay, a PhD researcher at the University of Windsor who spends most days trying to understand water, floods, and why models refuse to behave. I’m excited about the fest because good conversations, new faces, and a little break from research sound like a pretty irresistible combination!

Richa Rayamajhi
Posters, Catering & Decorations
I am a civil engineering graduate student specializing in hydrology and climate change, with dedication to developing advanced engineering solutions through advanced technologies.

Younes Jahandideh
Technical & Certificates Coordinator
I’m a PhD candidate in Computer Science at the University of Windsor and Vice-President, University Affairs with the Graduate Student Society. My research focuses on AI-driven optimization, cloud computing, and IoT systems. I’m excited to contribute to Qiskit Fall Fest and help create an engaging environment for students to explore quantum computing and emerging technologies.

Luisa Pegoraro
Website & Registration
Software engineer by day, entangled qubit by midnight. I'm excited to be part of Windsor's 2026 Qiskit Fall Fest, learning Qiskit along the way and seeing all of your hackathon projects. Can't wait to meet everyone!

In our collective mission to promote and encourage an inclusive and welcoming global quantum community, the IBM Quantum Community Code of Conduct applies to Qiskit Fall Fest and all associated events.

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