Juani Bermejo Vega

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Bermejo and the second or maternal family name is Vega.

Juani Bermejo Vega
Born	1987 (age 37–38) Cáceres, Spain
Occupation(s)	Professor, physicist, systems engineer and transgender rights activist

Juani Bermejo Vega (born 1987 in Cáceres, Spain) is a Spanish quantum computing researcher, activist, and the most senior transgender woman in quantum computing in Europe.[1]

Career

Bermejo completed a double degree in computer science and physics at the University of Salamanca. Her scientific vocation was partly inspired by her aunt, a professor of systems and automation engineering at the same university.[2] After studying for a year in Canada in 2008, she decided to pursue research in quantum computing. She completed her doctoral work in Munich under the supervision of physicist Juan Ignacio Cirac.[3]

During her doctorate, she completed a research stay at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Boston. After earning her Ph.D., she spent three years as a researcher at the Free University of Berlin. In 2019, she returned to Spain with a research position at the University of Granada.[4] She is one of the few transgender scientists worldwide at her level in quantum computing, the most senior in this field in Europe, and Europe's only transgender professor in quantum computing.[5]

She began her transition process in 2018 and came out in 2019 while in Berlin.[6] Transitioning has led to a loss of authority in her field, which has led her to reflect that if she had started her transition earlier, her scientific career might have been negatively impacted due to prejudice.[7]

As a science communicator and LGBTQ activist, she is co-founder of the Q-Turn project, a quantum computing conference that prioritizes diversity among speakers.[8] These inclusive conferences highlight women and minority groups in a relaxed and welcoming environment. Additionally, Bermejo was a founding member of the Equal Opportunities Working Group of Max Planck PhDnet in 2014.[9]

Recognition

• Athenea3i-Marie (Sklodowska) Curie Research Fellowship.[10]
• Named among the 20 Granada residents to follow in 2020 by the digital media outle Ideal.[11]

References

1. Susanna, Jaime (December 13, 2020). "Esther y Juani, la pareja en la que el embarazado es 'él': el cambio trans en Granada" [Esther and Juani, the couple in which the pregnant man is 'he': trans change in Granada]. El Español (in Spanish).
2. Pérez Colomé, Jordi (December 4, 2019). ""Muchos se sorprenden al saber que soy trans. Imagina cuando se enteran de que soy informática cuántica"" [“Many are surprised to learn that I am trans. Imagine when they find out I'm quantum computing.”]. El País (in Spanish).
3. Fernández de Lis, Patricia (June 21, 2020). "Aquí empieza la revolución cuántica" [Here begins the quantum revolution]. El País (in Spanish).
4. G. Parra, Andrea (July 4, 2021). "Investigación en la UGR: Hijos e hijas de la diosa de la Sabiduría" [Research at the UGR: Sons and daughters of the Goddess of Wisdom]. Ideal (in Spanish).
5. Reguero Ríos, Patricia (April 25, 2020). "Juani Bermejo-Vega: "Cuando transicioné, perdí autoridad"" [Juani Bermejo-Vega: “When I transitioned, I lost authority”]. El Salto (in Spanish).
6. F. Barrera, Javier (February 21, 2020). ""Va a ser más fácil crear el primer superordenador cuántico que lograr la igualdad de género"" [«It's going to be easier to create the first quantum supercomputer than to achieve gender equality.»]. Ideal (in Spanish).
7. Jar, Núria (November 21, 2020). ""La falta de diversidad en ciencia indica que algo va mal"" [“Lack of diversity in science indicates that something is wrong.”]. Heraldo (in Spanish).
8. Contreras, Patricia (July 23, 2022). "La cuántica revisa sus principios (humanos)" [Quantum revises its (human) principles]. La Razón (in Spanish).
9. Chen, Sophia (June 19, 2023). "Coming out at work: transgender scientists share their stories". Nature.
10. "Juani Bermejo Vega". Fundación La Caixa (in Spanish).
11. "20 granadinos a los que seguir en 2020" [20 Grenadians to follow in 2020]. Ideal (in Spanish). January 7, 2020.