In Episode 118, Patrick welcomes back returning guest Prineha Narang, professor at UCLA and a leader at the intersection of quantum science and materials engineering.

They explore the accelerating trajectory of Quantum Computing, including the rising private venture interest, and how hybrid approaches are advancing both materials science and energy efficiency. From distributed quantum sensor networks to diverse quantum architectures, the conversation highlights how interdisciplinary expertise is driving innovation across the field.

Dr. Narang is a Professor in Physical Sciences and Electrical and Computer Engineering at UCLA with an interdisciplinary group spanning areas of physics, chemistry, and engineering. Prior to moving to UCLA, she was an Assistant Professor of Computational Materials Science at Harvard University. Before starting on the Harvard faculty in 2017, Dr. Narang was an Environmental Fellow at HUCE, and worked as a research scholar in condensed matter theory in the Department of Physics at MIT. She received an M.S. and Ph.D. in Applied Physics from Caltech. Her group works on theoretical and computational quantum materials, non-equilibrium dynamics, and quantum information science. Narang’s work has been recognized by many awards and special designations, Narang’s work has been recognized by many awards and special designations, including the 2023 Guggenheim Fellowship in Physics, Maria Goeppert Mayer Award from the American Physical Society, 2023 ONR Young Investigator Award, 2022 Outstanding Early Career Investigator Award from the Materials Research Society, Mildred Dresselhaus Prize, Bessel Research Award from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, a Max Planck Sabbatical Award from the Max Planck Society, and the IUPAP Young Scientist Prize in Computational Physics all in 2021, an NSF CAREER Award in 2020, being named a Moore Inventor Fellow by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholar by the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, a Top Innovator by MIT Tech Review (MIT TR35), and a leading young scientist by the World Economic Forum in 2018.

In 2017, Dr. Narang was named by Forbes Magazine on their “30under30” list for her work in atom-by-atom quantum engineering, that is, designing materials at the smallest scale, using single atoms, to enable the leap to quantum technologies. Dr. Narang has held leadership roles in a DOE EFRC ‘Photonics at Thermodynamic Limits’, DOE NQI Quantum Science Center, and the NSF ERC ‘Center for Quantum Networks’, among others. Her continued service to the science community includes chairing the Gordon Conference on Ultrafast and Cooperative Phenomena, Materials Research Society (MRS) Spring Meeting (2022) and the MRS-Kavli Foundation Future of Materials Workshop: Computational Materials Science (2021), organizing APS, Optica (OSA), and SPIE symposia, and a leadership role in APS’ Division of Materials Physics. Narang is an Associate Editor at ACS Nano of the American Chemical Society, an Associate Editor at Applied Physics Letters of the American Institute of Physics, and the Editorial Advisory Boards of Nano Letters and Advanced Photonics.

In Episode 117, Patrick and Ciprian speak with Helen Young Hayes, Founder and CEO of ActivateWork. A former award-winning global fund manager turned workforce innovator, Helen shares how she’s helping underserved individuals achieve economic mobility through the dignity of work.

The conversation explores building inclusive career pipelines, preparing future-ready learners for tech roles, and how ActivateWork’s unique approach delivers triple wins for employers, candidates, and communities.

They also discuss sustaining rapid industry growth and Helen’s broader efforts to create a more racially diverse and inclusive economy through CEO-led collaboration.

Helen Young Hayes is the founder and CEO of ActivateWork, whose mission is to help under-served individuals achieve their fullest potential through the dignity of work. ActivateWork is the culmination of Helen's past for-profit and nonprofit experience--harnessing the power of business to achieve profound social impact. By providing access to and training for successful careers, ActivateWork moves individuals to self-sufficiency, creating triple wins for employers, placements, and the community. ActivateWork’s employer partners benefit from highly vetted employees who demonstrate work ethic, initiative, and follow-through. ActivateWork’s clients experience more than a three-fold increase in average annual income upon placement.

In 2020 Helen launched ActivateWork’s tuition-free IT program powered by Per Scholas. Through rigorous training, professional development, and robust employer connections, ActivateWork prepares individuals traditionally underrepresented in technology for high-growth careers in the industry. ActivateWork was founded as a collaboration with Per Scholas, a national organization that has trained and placed over 17,000 individuals from underserved communities into 1700+ employers in 20 cities.

Also in 2020, Helen founded and launched the Colorado Inclusive Economy Movement, a CEO-led movement of design, action, and accountability to build the nation’s most racially diverse and inclusive economy. Comprising 134 leaders from business, nonprofits, education and government, CIE commits to creating change: change in self, change for others, and change in recruiting, hiring, retention, promotion and pay practices to build multicultural organizations from the top-down, bottom-up and inside-out.

Helen is a 20-year veteran of the financial industry. She was Portfolio Manager of the flagship Janus Worldwide and Janus Overseas Funds at Janus Henderson Investors, an asset management company headquartered in Denver, Colorado. She also served as Managing Director of Investments, heading up the 100-person research and investment arm of Janus Capital, encompassing equities, fixed income, money market, and trading.

A prominent investor in overseas equities, Helen was a pioneer in bottom-up, fundamental stock-picking in international markets. She is credited with bringing growth style investing to foreign markets. Helen was the Morningstar International Manager of the Year in 1997 and was a repeat Barron’s Manager of the Year winner.

In 2018, Helen was selected as one of the Denver Business Journal's Outstanding Women in Business for her leadership at ActivateWork Workforce Solutions. Additionally, Helen was honored by Girl Scouts of Colorado as a 2019 Woman of Distinction. In 2020 Helen was named the GlobalMindED Inclusive Leader Award Winner 2020 for the Nonprofit Sector. In 2021 she received the Talent Champion of the Year Award from the Colorado Technology Association and was a Colorado Women’s Chamber of Commerce Top 25 Most Powerful Women in Business. In 2022 Helen was an Entrepreneur of the Year Alternate by Colorado Biz magazine.

In Episode 116 of Entangled Things, Patrick and Ciprian go solo to explore whether 2025 will be the year quantum computing lives up to the hype. They dive into the rapid development of quantum chips, the scalability challenge, and how we’re beginning to bridge the gap between logical and physical qubits.

The conversation also covers:

• How quantum algorithms are evolving: from theory to real-world application
• The role of scaled particle entanglement and GHZ states
• Why the ideal quantum modality may vary by use case
• Quantum computing’s growing impact on fields like chemistry
• And whether quantum’s trajectory can match the momentum of AI and machine learning

2025 is shaping up to be a pivotal year in quantum, and this episode breaks down what that really means.