Leadership Team

Eric Ginsburg, PhD

Interim Director of Duality

In this role, he serves as the interim leader for Duality—overseeing all program operations, providing critical venture support resources to quantum startup companies, and cultivating relationships with key partners, mentors, venture capitalists, corporations, and other stakeholders. He is also a member of the Polsky Center Science and Technology team.

Preeti Chalsani, PhD

Deputy Director of Duality

In this role, she helps set the accelerator’s strategic vision while providing the technology context to the accelerator and build relationships with corporate partners, mentors, quantum startups, partners, and stakeholders. She also serves as the director of industry partnerships for quantum information science in a joint position with the Polsky Center and the Chicago Quantum Exchange.

Anna Wislocki, PhD, MS

Assistant Director

In this role, she supports all programming and operations for startups in Duality cohort. She also works at the Polsky Center, where she is responsible for managing a portfolio of new and existing programs, events, and scientific initiatives.

Devin Wideman

Associate Director, Marketing and Communications

In this role, he creates and implements strategies to foster external awareness of the Duality program, startups, and mission among a wide variety of audiences. He also leads all digital marketing and communications at the Polsky Center.

Melissa Fassbender

Associate Director, External Relations and Science Communications

In this role, she develops strategic communications for Duality and supports all external brand-building opportunities and events that connect Duality startups with the business, corporate, investor, government, and academic communities. She also leads science communications for the Polsky Center.

Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz

Associate Director, Media Relations and External Communications

In this role, she leads all media relations for Duality and develops successful external communication strategies to generate local, national, and global coverage of Duality and its startups. She also leads media relations and PR for the Polsky Center.

Kelsey Ryan

Media Relations Manager

In this role, she manages media relations efforts surrounding the quantum science and innovation work happening with Duality’s startups, at UChicago and with the Chicago Quantum Exchange. She also supports UChicago’s Office of Communications in university-wide communications campaigns.