10 IonQ engineering leaders
Vice President of Engineering, Public Sector, Vice President of Technology and Vice President, Architecture are among the current titles held by these IonQ engineering leaders, alongside directors of optical, networking, resilience and systems engineering. A reader can learn how engineering leaders work at IonQ from people who have held the role.
Professionals to explore
Amy Smidutz
LinkedInExperience: Senior Director of Resilience Engineering and Operations · IonQ
Amy Smidutz has been Senior Director of Resilience Engineering and Operations at IonQ since November 2023, based in Seattle. Amy Smidutz was Director, Delivery Engineering at Netflix from 2020 to 2023, Engineering Manager, Resilience Engineering there from 2018 to 2020 and Director Of Engineering - Infrastructure Services & Data at Moz from 2017 to 2018.
Damiana Lerose
LinkedInExperience: Director, Optical and Integrated Devices · IonQ
Damiana Lerose has been Director, Optical and Integrated Devices at IonQ since February 2025, based in the Washington DC-Baltimore Area, with a headline of Senior Optical & Photonics Engineering Leader. Damiana Lerose was Manager, Waveguide Design at Meta from 2023 to 2024, Lead Waveguide System Engineer there from 2022 to 2023 and Director, Planning and Strategy at Rockley Photonics Inc. from 2020 to 2021.
Dean E. Kassmann
LinkedInExperience: Executive Vice President, Global Engineering · IonQ
Dean E. Kassmann was Executive Vice President, Global Engineering at IonQ from October 2025 to May 2026, Senior Vice President, Engineering & Technology there from 2024 to 2025 and Vice President, Engineering there from 2021 to 2024, based in Bellevue, Washington. Dean E. Kassmann was Senior Director, Advanced Technology at Blue Origin from 2018 to 2021.
Jeremy Sage
LinkedInExperience: Vice President of Technology · IonQ
Jeremy Sage has been Vice President of Technology at IonQ since January 2026, based in Boston. At IonQ Jeremy Sage was Senior Director of Technology from 2025 to 2026, Director of Technology in 2025, Director of Integrated Devices from 2021 to 2025 and Principal Physicist from 2020 to 2021.
John King Gamble
LinkedInExperience: Vice President, Architecture · IonQ
John King Gamble has been Vice President, Architecture at IonQ since October 2025, based in Redmond, Washington. At IonQ John King Gamble was Senior Director, System Architecture & Performance from 2024 to 2025, Director, System Architecture & Performance from 2023 to 2024 and Director, System Performance Optimization from 2022 to 2023, and was Principal Quantum Engineering Manager at Microsoft from 2020 to 2022.
Karl A. Tillman
LinkedInExperience: Director of Optical and Laser Systems · IonQ
Karl A. Tillman has been Director of Optical and Laser Systems at IonQ since September 2023, with the role listed in Bothell, Washington, and a headline naming optical and RF control. Karl A. Tillman was Director of Optical and Systems Engineering at MicroVision from 2022 to 2023, Optical Engineering Manager there from 2021 to 2023 and Principal Scientist at Synrad from 2019 to 2021.
Ken Wright
LinkedInExperience: Director, System Integration and Performance · IonQ
Ken Wright has been Director, System Integration and Performance at IonQ since October 2025, based in Baltimore, Maryland. At IonQ Ken Wright was Senior Manager, Systems from 2022 to 2025, Manager, Systems from 2021 to 2022 and Senior Physicist from 2017 to 2021, and was Research Scientist at Georgia Tech Research Institute from 2010 to 2012.
Leah Sardone
LinkedInExperience: Director, Quantum Networking & Interconnects · IonQ
Leah Sardone has been Director, Quantum Networking & Interconnects at IonQ since April 2026 and was Director, Control Electronics and Power there from 2024 to 2026, based in Seattle. Leah Sardone was Senior Manager - Hardware Systems at Metropolis Technologies from 2022 to 2024 and Senior Manager, New Shepard Avionics Embedded Systems at Blue Origin from 2018 to 2020.
Maciej Malinowski
LinkedInExperience: Director, Systems Architecture · IonQ
Maciej Malinowski has been Director, Systems Architecture at IonQ since January 2026, based in Zurich. Maciej Malinowski was Systems Architecture Team Lead at Oxford Ionics from 2021 to 2025, lists a PhD in Quantum Computing (Experimental) at ETH Zürich from 2015 to 2021 and was Podcast Host at Hearing the Quantum from 2019 to 2020.
Shad Reed, PhD
LinkedInExperience: Vice President of Engineering, Public Sector · IonQ
Shad Reed, PhD has been Vice President of Engineering, Public Sector at IonQ since August 2025, with the role listed in Bothell, Washington, and a headline naming IonQ Federal. Shad Reed, PhD was Vice President of Engineering, ALTIUS at Anduril Industries from 2022 to 2025 and Deputy Commander/International Program Officer in the United States Air Force from 2016 to 2021.
Choose the right perspective
Match the person's area, whether trapped-ion system architecture and integration, optical and laser hardware, control electronics and networking, resilience engineering, or public sector programs, to the decision you face. Check when each person's role started and whether it has ended, to judge how close their view is to your question.
Questions to take into the conversation
- 01What did you focus on first when you took on your engineering role?
- 02How do you balance new technology work against delivery commitments?
- 03What have you learned about bringing together engineers with different technical backgrounds?
Reaching IonQ engineering leaders
How can I contact one of these IonQ engineering leaders?
Pick one of the 10 people on this page and choose "Book a paid call", or describe your project to find others. You offer a fee for a 15-minute call or a written answer, Instant Expert finds the person's work email and sends the invitation, and they decide whether to accept. The list covers 1 company: IonQ, based on profile data retrieved on October 24, 2026. Being listed here doesn't mean someone has agreed to take calls.
How much does it cost to reach IonQ engineering leaders?
You choose the offer, starting at $5 per person. The offer is what the person receives, and Instant Expert's fee is added on top, so a $100 offer costs you $125. The fee is 20% of what you pay. You're charged only when the person books the call or sends the answer.
What if they don't reply?
You pay nothing. Instant Expert sends follow-up reminders, and if the person hasn't booked or answered within 7 days, the request expires and any hold on your card is released. You can invite several of the 10 people on this list at once and cap your total spend, so you pay only for the ones who accept.
Can an AI agent ask one of these IonQ engineering leaders a question?
Yes. An agent with a USDC wallet on Base can ask one question without an Instant Expert account. It names the person, for example by the LinkedIn URL on this page, and pays per ask over x402 (HTTP 402). The person answers in writing or by voice note, and if nobody answers within 7 days, the payment goes back to the wallet automatically. Claude and ChatGPT can do the same through the Instant Expert connector: setup is at /docs/mcp for Claude and /docs/chatgpt for ChatGPT. x402 docs
About this directory
This is a professional research starting point based on business profile data retrieved on . Titles and companies reflect that source snapshot; roles marked former had ended by then. Check the linked profiles for current details. Inclusion does not imply Instant Expert membership or availability.
Request a correction or removal