The Microsoft “Most Valued Professional” or MVP program is a global community of over 3000 technical professionals representing 90 countries, with active representatives who are passionate about nearly every technology. Quantum is no exception! In 2020, the MVP program was expanded to include a focus area for quantum computing. While the group of MVPs focused on quantum is relatively small today, they are a passionate bunch and are accomplishing big things! We are actively seeking to grow the quantum MVP community with passionate professionals committed to furthering the emerging field of quantum computing. Let’s look at some favorite contributions by a few of the current quantum MVPs.

Rolf Huisman, The Netherlands

Rolf works as an enterprise security architect for a large Financial Services firm in Amsterdam. He extends his traditional development background with expertise in and a passion for quantum programming. He has made many outstanding contributions to the Q# community, including building samples demonstrating integrations between Q# and other languages and helping build a CHP simulator for Q#. He also enjoys sharing his knowledge and passion for the ever-evolving landscape of quantum programming toolsets like the qTRIL project with other community members through speaking engagements and workshops.

Dr. Sarah Kaiser, USA

Dr Sarah Kaiser (she/her) is a technical staff member and community lead at Unitary Fund, a non-profit supporting the quantum open-source ecosystem. Combining her experimental quantum physics background, open-source development skills, and a passion for making technology more accessible, she helps create content and communities that enable the quantum ecosystem to grow. She has co-authored a textbook on Q#, helped found Q# Community, gives talks and workshops on Q# all over the world, and has built a number of Q# tools, libraries, and examples. Her favorite project is a library for quantum memory (QRAM), as it was an opportunity to put Q# through its paces and addressed a real need in emerging quantum algorithm development. She even did most of the development work while live coding on Twitch!

Filip W, Switzerland

Filip is a .NET software development engineer based in Zurich. He’s very passionate about engaging with technical communities on a wide range of topics, including Azure Quantum and programming with Q#. He also enjoys the direct interaction and collaboration with the Azure Quantum engineers at Microsoft through numerous contributions to the Q# Compiler. His blog is a great reflection of his commitment to and passion for numerous technologies including quantum programming.

As the Azure Quantum ecosystem continues to grow and expand, there are more and more ways MVPs can contribute and get involved. Whether you are a quantum savvy professional active in other communities today, or an existing MVP focused on other technologies, your contributions are most welcome!

While there is no single way to become an MVP, the examples above showcase the passion for technology, community enablement and leadership shared by all who earn the MVP award. Interested? Learn more about what it takes to be an MVP, currently available MVP award technologies and how the nomination process works.