Elisa Torres Durney is an exceptional Year 11 student at Colegio Champagnat in Chile, who demonstrates a deep dedication to her studies and an unwavering commitment to making a positive impact in the world. At the young age of 16, Elisa founded a non-profit organisation, Girls in Quantum, which provides free educational resources on Quantum Computing to students around the globe. Her tireless efforts have already benefited more than 500 students from over 12 countries, earning her recognition in national and international newspapers. Elisa’s collaboration with IBM has further amplified the reach of her organisation, inspiring countless students and individuals to engage with Quantum Computing.
Elisa’s impressive academic achievements extend beyond her organisation. She participated in the Yale Young Global Scholars summer programme and completed a simulation project on niche fields such as Quantum Computing and statistical analysis. Additionally, she was admitted to two of the most prestigious research programmes at the New York Academy of Sciences – the Junior Academy with a 6% international acceptance rate and the program 1000 Girls 1000 Futures.
Elisa’s outstanding accomplishments have also earned her numerous invitations to speak at global conferences, seminars, and events. She has shared her insights with over 6,000 individuals in more than eight countries, speaking at distinguished venues such as the IBM town meeting, IBM Innovation Day, and the US-Switzerland Symposium at Uptown Basel, where she was the youngest speaker alongside renowned professors, scientists, and quantum leaders.
At CCIR Academy, Elisa conducted a research project titled “Bioinformatic Approaches in Transcription Factors and Genomics.” Her study focused on the use of computational methods and tools to analyse and interpret data related to transcription factors and genomics.
Recently, Elisa shared her insights on her research project and highlighted her overall research journey in the CCIR Academy on an episode of CCIR Academy Student Spotlights.
