Quantum Simulations
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Meet the Leadership Team

Benny G. Johnson, Ph.D., Co-Founder, President, holds Bachelor of Science degrees in Chemistry and Mathematics from the University of Kentucky, and received his Ph.D. in Theoretical Chemistry from Carnegie Mellon University in 1993, working with Professor John A. Pople, a 1998 Nobel Laureate in Chemistry. As an undergraduate, he captured first place in BFGoodrich's prestigious Waldo Semon Undergraduate Research Competition for his work on computer elucidation of reaction mechanisms. During his graduate work, Dr. Johnson focused heavily on the research and development of methods for quantum mechanical study of large molecules. He is world-recognized as a leading expert in the field of theoretical chemistry and, has contributed substantially to several significant academic, commercial and government chemistry research software projects, including Pacific Northwest National Laboratory's NWChem project, part of the Department of Energy's effort to solve environmental problems related to the Hanford Nuclear Site in the state of Washington.

Dr. Johnson is the author of over fifty scholarly publications in academic journals and books, and has delivered invited lectures at many national and international conferences. He is an accomplished software developer with more than fifteen years of experience writing scientific and educational software. As principal investigator on various research and development projects, Dr. Johnson has received over $11 million in SBIR and other awards through various agencies including the U.S. Department of Education, the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, the U.S. Department of Energy, the Air Force Office of Scientific Research and the Ben Franklin Technology Center of Western Pennsylvania (now Innovation Works). Prior to his current venture at Quantum®, Dr. Johnson developed the results of his theoretical chemistry research and successfully released a full-featured quantum chemistry software product to a worldwide market of industrial, academic and government researchers.

Dr. Johnson has been involved in education at various levels for many years and has a comprehensive understanding of the teaching techniques, curriculum and content required to educate students in science and mathematics. He experienced outstanding success as a private tutor of chemistry and mathematics while at the University of Kentucky where he was inducted into the Alumni Hall of Fame in 2007. As a graduate student, he received an Outstanding Graduate Teaching Award from the Carnegie Mellon University Department of Chemistry. Dr. Johnson's proven ability in and commitment to technology, coupled with his experience in education, research and business, provide the essential leadership and expertise required to complete all phases of product development and commercialization. Based on his work in advancing the state of the art in artificial intelligence technology systems for education, he was invited to speak at the Education Secretary's No Child Left Behind Technology Leadership Summit. He is also a recipient of a national Tibbetts Award, the highest recognition given by the federal government to small businesses for innovative research.

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