When I asked Mary about her childhood ambitions, she paused thoughtfully. “To be completely honest,” she began, “I wanted to be an actress.” As a girl in Venezuela, she spent her afternoons in theatre and dance classes, imagining herself on screen. At home, both her parents were engineers, so the world of circuits and code was never far from her mind either.
“I realised early on,” she reflects, “that an artistic life might not be sustainable back home. So I made a choice: I would keep my art as a passion, something that feeds my soul, and pursue engineering as my career.” She remembers the thrill of that first internet connection, the wonder at ever smaller phones, and the irresistible urge to know how it all worked.
Keeping Creativity Alive
Before her children arrived, Mary found every opportunity to dance. Back in Venezuela, she toured international folkloric festivals. After moving to the UK, she joined local dance troupes and competed regionally. Today, with two young kids, her stage is the living room, and her audience her children. Still, when time allows, she slips into a class, always mindful that family comes first.
Roots in the Heart of Nature
Mary’s hometown, Puerto Ordaz, sits at the edge of the Amazon, a stone’s throw from Angel Falls, the world’s tallest waterfall. “Nature was our playground,” she says. Every Easter, her family journeyed into the rainforest. The city itself, built just decades ago by engineers to support mining, feels ordered and spacious “so different from the narrow streets I see now.” She misses sun-soaked days by the river, the steady warmth, the joyful hum of neighbours who never needed a weather forecast to know when it would rain.
Discovering Engineering
At school she excelled at mathematics and physics, winning national olympiads, yet she kept her dance shoes close at hand. When university loomed, she chose electronic engineering, enticed by the magic of bringing designs to life. “We would model a circuit on screen, print the PCB, programme it, and suddenly it worked. It was pure delight.” Before long she found herself drawn deeper into technology, dedicating her focus to mastering every schematic and line of code.
A Day in the Quantum Lab
Now, as a software lead at Universal Quantum, Mary balances remote coding days with in-lab collaboration twice a week. She explains how from home she dives into complex problems without interruption and in the lab, she synchronises with physicists, shares ideas and adapts to new developments. That rhythm of concentration and teamwork keeps her at the forefront of integrating software with experimental hardware.
Pride in Progress
“I am proud to be here,” she says, her eyes lighting up. “Quantum computing felt like science fiction for so long. Now I help build the tools that will one day revolutionise everything from drug discovery to climate modelling.” Most of all she is proud of a recent interim solution she led that linked quantum control software with experimental hardware in record time and kept her team on track toward their next milestone.
Life Beyond the Lab
Outside work, Mary is happiest with her husband and their two children. Sundays might find them exploring a castle-lined park, sharing a simple picnic or watching a family film at home. “I am not a party person,” she laughs. “I crave quiet moments with my loved ones.” She still dreams of dancing again when schedules allow. For now, her greatest joy is helping with homework, tucking the children in and planning new adventures together.
The Promise of Quantum
When I asked what excites her most about quantum, she did not hesitate. “The possibility of solving health challenges,” she says. “My mother has an immune condition and the thought that quantum could one day help us understand and even cure conditions like that motivates me every day.” She remembers studying engineering and dismissing quantum as “pure fantasy.” Today she finds herself immersed in the field, turning yesterday’s science fiction into tomorrow’s solutions.
Mary’s story reminds us that behind every technical breakthrough is a human heart, a lifelong dream and the determination to merge passion with purpose.