Meet the QBI Team! (Part 2/2) Continuing our introductions, meet four more people behind the Quantum Biology Institute! From scientific computing and microbiology to research infrastructure and operations, each plays an important role in supporting QBI's mission. Dr. Michael Montague | Chief Technology Officer A microbiologist with research experience at Johns Hopkins and the J. Craig Venter Institute, Michael brings expertise in synthetic biology, bioinformatics, and microbiology. At QBI, he oversees technology efforts and investigates how microorganisms respond to weak magnetic fields through multi-omics research. Dr. Morgan Sosa | Head of Computational Research and Data Infrastructure A computational physical chemist and research software developer, Morgan built QBI's research data infrastructure from the ground up. Her work includes developing the systems that automatically publish our electronic lab notebooks, helping make QBI's experiments, methods, and scientific progress openly accessible. Bret Gaitan | Grants & Operations Consultant With a background spanning military intelligence, education, business management, and operations, Bret brings experience in research, analysis, and organizational planning. At QBI, he supports grant-related work and helps improve the processes that keep the Institute running smoothly. Jennilyn Gaitan | Head of Operations Certainly not least, the woman who helps keep everything together! With more than two decades of experience in administration and operations, Jennilyn has been part of QBI since 2023. She oversees day-to-day operations and develops the systems and processes that allow the team to focus on their research. We're grateful for the expertise, dedication, and perspectives each person brings to QBI. It's this kind of collaboration that makes interdisciplinary research possible, and we're excited to share more of the work happening across the Institute.

Meet the QBI Team! (Part 1/2) We wanted to take a moment to introduce (or reintroduce) the people behind the Quantum Biology Institute. Our team brings together researchers from different scientific backgrounds, each contributing their expertise to a shared goal: understanding the role quantum physics may play in living systems. Here are some of the people working to make that happen: Dr. Clarice D. Aiello | Chief Scientific Officer A quantum engineer with a PhD from MIT and research experience at Stanford and UC Berkeley, Clarice leads QBI's scientific direction. Her work focuses on understanding how quantum physics may inform biological processes at the nanoscale. Dr. Venkatesh K. Sridharan | Head of Redox Biology With a background in cardiovascular research and biopharmaceutical discovery, Venkatesh investigates how weak magnetic fields and electron-spin dynamics may influence cellular redox processes, signaling, and metabolism. Dr. Brian L. Ross | Head of Biochemistry A molecular biologist specializing in protein design and evolution, Brian earned his PhD from Johns Hopkins and conducted postdoctoral research at the Weizmann Institute. At QBI, he brings expertise in protein engineering and molecular biology to the investigation of magnetosensitive proteins. Dr. Alessandro Lodesani | Co-founder With a PhD in Physics from the Polytechnic University of Milan and previous research at MIT, Alessandro helped build QBI's experimental capabilities. His work has included designing specialized instruments to investigate the effects of weak magnetic fields on biological systems. Joseph Mansour | Applied Physicist A patented inventor, and STEM polymath, with 40 years developing laser, and electronic commercial products. Completed graduate studies in Applied Physics at Stanford, after Physics B.S. from UCLA. At QBI, he is developing the Quantum Bacterioscope. We're excited to show off some of the people driving this research forward.

We thought it was time to properly introduce ourselves and share a little more about the work we're doing at the Quantum Biology Institute (QBI). Our mission is to understand the role quantum physics plays in living biological systems. Right now, our research focuses on a core question: How can weak magnetic fields influence biology? Scientists have observed that magnetic fields can affect biological processes, including cellular growth and metabolism. But the mechanisms behind many of these effects remain poorly understood. One hypothesis we're investigating involves quantum superposition, through a process known as the radical pair mechanism. In certain chemical reactions, magnetic fields can influence the quantum states of paired electrons, potentially changing the outcomes of those reactions. We want to understand whether these quantum processes help explain magnetic-field effects inside living cells, and whether they play a functional role in biology. Thread below ⬇️ — How are we approaching this? Our research brings together physics and biology: - On the physics side, we're developing specialized instruments to investigate magnetic-field effects and quantum spin dynamics, alongside theoretical models to understand and predict these interactions. - On the biology side, we're identifying magnetosensitive proteins, studying changes in gene expression and biological pathways, and exploring how magnetic fields may influence redox processes and metabolism. — Where does the research stand today, and what's next? So far, we've developed specialized instruments, built theoretical models, identified naturally occurring magnetosensitive proteins, and observed magnetic-field-dependent changes in bacterial growth and gene expression. Now, we're working to connect these observations to their underlying physics. We're developing the Quantum Bacterioscope to investigate quantum spin dynamics inside living cells, while continuing to identify the molecules and biological pathways involved. Our long-term goal is to establish whether and how quantum superposition contributes to biological function. — Of course, there's much more to this work than we can fit into one X post, and we'd love for you to explore the research, ask questions, and join the conversation. Open science is central to how we operate. We share our ongoing research through publicly accessible electronic lab notebooks, alongside publications, educational courses, and more: - Open lab notebooks: data.quantumbiology.org/ - Research publications: quantumbiology.org/publicati… - Educational series: youtube.com/@QuantumBioOrg Follow along as we investigate whether quantum physics could offer an entirely new way to understand, and perhaps one day influence, living biology.

Congratulations to Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann & Georg Nagel! Optogenetics is a remarkable example of how fundamental science can open new ways to understand living systems. This spirit of discovery inspires our work. Thank you for expanding what's possible in biology!

Our second Quantum Unbound class series wrapped up last week! This fall, we explored quantum biology in biomanufacturing, human health, and space. Thanks to our instructors and everyone who joined us! Recordings are also available here: youtube.com/@QuantumBioOrg

Next Thursday, Quantum Unbound continues with Class 3: Quantum Biology and Health, led by Dr. Venkatesh Sridharan. The class is free and open to anyone, anywhere. Register here: bit.ly/QBI-Q2-Class-2

Update! This class has been moved to next week and at this time, we will be joined by Clarice Aiello! bit.ly/QBI-Q2-Class-3

Next Thursday, Quantum Unbound continues with Class 2: Quantum Biology and Health, led by Dr. Venkatesh Sridharan. Guest instructors, Dr. Doug Brash and Dr. Karolina Okla The class is free and open to anyone, anywhere. Register here: bit.ly/QBI-Q2-Class-2

Last quarter, we launched Quantum Unbound, our free educational series on quantum biology. Next Friday, Dr. Michael Montague kicks off kicks off our second course with Class 1: Quantum Biology and Biomanufacturing. Anyone can join! Register here: bit.ly/QBI-Q2-Class-1

Using a mathematical model, three scientists from the Quantum Biology Institute have found that #fluorescence is only a reliable indicator of #magnetic field sensitivity when a #magnetosensitive protein is illuminated strongly enough: biorxiv.org/content/10.64898… @ClariceDAiello

On July 24, @ClariceDAiello participated in a panel discussion on #extremophiles and human adaptation at “Designing the Future of Space,” a conference in Santa Maria, Azores. Image credit: Univ. of Pittsburgh, Otsuka Pharmaceutical, and Portuguese Space Agency. #QuantumBiology

Yesterday's final class in our three-part virtual series on #QuantumBiology wrapped up with Michael Montague, Chief Technology Officer at the Quantum Biology Institute, who explored “Quantum Biology Across Life.” A big thank-you to everyone who joined us across all three classes!

On July 24, Clarice Aiello, a scientist at the Quantum Biology Institute, will participate in a panel discussion on #extremophiles and human adaptation at “Designing the Future of Space,” a conference taking place July 22–25 in Santa Maria, Azores: tinyurl.com/59s82yfx.

Don't miss the 3rd and final class in the series on #QuantumBiology, which will be held on July 23 at 11 am PT (2 pm ET). Michael Montague, Chief Technology Officer at the Quantum Biology Institute, will present "Quantum Biology Across Life." Register at: bit.ly/QBI-Q1-Class-3.