Research Park Executive Director Laura Appenzeller Named to IQMP Leadership Team

Categories : Partnerships & Acquisitions, Recognition & Awards, Research Park
Posted on: October 30, 2024

CHAMPAIGN — Laura Appenzeller, executive director of the University of Illinois Research Park, has been named to the leadership team of the Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park.

Appenzeller will serve as Associate Director and Chief Operating Officer for the first-of-its-kind project, while retaining her position with the Research Park as Executive Director.

The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is connected to IQMP through its leadership team, researchers in quantum science and role in supporting the newly formed IQMP LLC.

Harley Johnson, Laura Appenzeller, Brian DeMarco
Left to Right: Harley Johnson, Laura Appenzeller, Brian DeMarco

Harley Johnson, a Founder Professor in Mechanical Science and Engineering, is serving as Director and CEO of the IQMP. Brian DeMarco, the IQMP’s Associate Director and Chief Technology Officer, is a professor in the U. of I. physics department and Director of the Illinois Quantum Information Science and Technology Center (IQUIST) housed in the Grainger College of Engineering. His research team has advanced the frontier of quantum science for over 20 years.

“The Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park will bring innovation, job creation, and economic development to the South Side of Chicago and extend across every corner of our state. I’m thrilled to see such talented individuals step into leadership roles that will guide the day-to-day operations of the campus,” said Wilbur C. Milhouse III, Chair of the IQMP’s Board of Managers and chairman/CEO of Milhouse Engineering & Construction and a former member of the University of Illinois Research Park Board of Managers.

A separate company of the University of Illinois Board of Trustees, IQMP’s governance structure utilizes Research Park’s model as a foundation and developed in the same spirit as a dynamic public-private partnership.

While Appenzeller will leverage her extensive experience in advancing complex organizations encompassing federal, state, university and private sector partners for IQMP, she remains rooted in her role at UIRP.

“I have full confidence in the Research Park team to handle day-to-day management and provide excellent customer service, while also advancing our strategic direction,” Appenzeller said. “This symbiotic relationship will result in long-term impact on both campuses.”

IQMP will support the full ecosystem of companies, researchers, suppliers and other partners working to facilitate the development of quantum technologies, and will build on historic investments by Governor Pritzker and the state to further establish Illinois as a global hub for this emerging technology.

Read more on WCIA’s website, or on the Crain’s Chicago Business website.