By Elizabeth Kleisath
Communications Officer, Advancement
Greg Dick, BSc ’93 (Physics), has a passion for pulling back the veil of our universe, to share the wonders of physics with others. Combined with his philosophy for life of “if something isn’t the way you want it, change it,” Greg continues to make a lasting, global impact on the field of quantum physics.
Greg began his career as a high school physics teacher, reaching hundreds of students through direct teaching and by writing physics textbooks still in use in classrooms today. He then expanded his reach even further with an opportunity to develop quantum physics resources at Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics.
Inspired by the potential of quantum computing to make a difference in the near future, as well as the hope to create technology accessible to all, Greg co-founded alongside Dr. Rajibul Islam, Dr. Roger Melko, and Dr. Crystal Senko, professors in ݮƵ’s Department of Physics, and is now the company’s CEO.
“The first digital revolution created a pretty substantial wealth gap between North and South, between haves and have nots,” Greg says. “As we approach the second quantum revolution, we want to help close this gap by making quantum technology accessible to everyone across the globe. The goal of OQD is to help accelerate quantum computing, at scale, for all.”
As a nonprofit organization, OQD is working to accelerate quantum computing access through open-source quantum computing technology. The team envisions a collaborative quantum sandbox accessible to everyone — academics, startups, government officials, policy makers, researchers, students and teachers — so that the community can guide the direction of innovation.
“There are many examples of successful open-source technologies in the past, including Linux operating systems, Apache servers, and Android’s operating systems,” says Greg. “What’s unique about OQD is there has never been an open-source initiative this early in technological development. We hope this lets the users decide the direction of the technology and also allow all the world’s quantum talent to benefit from early adoption.”
As a nonprofit organization, OQD is working to accelerate quantum computing access through open-source quantum computing technology. The team envisions a collaborative quantum sandbox accessible to everyone — academics, startups, government officials, policy makers, researchers, students and teachers — so that the community can guide the direction of innovation.
“There are many examples of successful open-source technologies in the past, including Linux operating systems, Apache servers, and Android’s operating systems,” says Greg. “What’s unique about OQD is there has never been an open-source initiative this early in technological development. We hope this lets the users decide the direction of the technology and also allow all the world’s quantum talent to benefit from early adoption.”
Throughout his career, the notion of leading the change he wanted to see has been a driving force, and one that he attributes to Dr. Reg Friesen, a ݮƵ chemistry professor he admired during his undergraduate degree. “He was a driving force for change, and created a new teaching option for Science students, a totally unique program in all of Canada. I give him, and ݮƵ, credit as this approach has bubbled up time and time again in my life. UݮƵ is core to who I am.”
Greg describes the International Year of Quantum as a driver of change: introducing quantum technology to a new audience by moving it off the algorithms, experimental benches and clean rooms of researcher labs and into the space occupied by startups, policy makers and investors. The recognition and incentives for embracing quantum are setting ݮƵ and Canada up for long term success, scaling quantum up by accelerating the technological advances and building the future workforce.
“Being here in ݮƵ at this moment is extra special. Canada is at the global leadership table in quantum, and we’re there because of investments made by Mike Lazaridis and both our provincial and federal governments into the University of ݮƵ, IQC, and Perimeter Institute 25 years ago,” says Greg. “We are at the cusp of the second quantum revolution. Quantum holds significant potential to help solve global challenges, from new catalysts for carbon capture to address climate change, to new cancer therapy pharmaceuticals tailored to someone's individual DNA, to ultra-secure communications. There is certainly still work to do, but it’s close!”
For those inspired by the discovery and exploration currently being pursued in the Faculty of Science and the impacts our alumni are making on quantum science, we invite you to connect with the Director of Science Advancement to learn how your generosity can make a meaningful impact. Philanthropic support is transformative in advancing scientific research and enabling groundbreaking discoveries that can bridge the gap between today’s technologies and tomorrow’s reality.
First envisioned 100 years ago, quantum mechanics has seen significant progress in the years since. UNESCO has named 2025 the and to celebrate, the University of ݮƵ’s Faculty of Science will be highlighting alumni from the quantum field throughout the next year.