October 6, 2025 (Waterloo, Ontario) - The Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI) is pleased to welcome five new experts as senior fellows – Mauritz Kop, Einar Tangen, Cornelia C. Walther, Lisa Quest and Barry Sanders. The experts, who are distinguished leaders in their respective fields, will lead and contribute to innovative research on geopolitics, transformative technologies, and the digital economy.
At CIGI, Mauritz’s work will help analyse the nexus between quantum technology, artificial intelligence (AI), intellectual property policy, and national security strategy; Einar will examine China’s evolving role in an increasingly multipolar world; Cornelia’s research will focus on advancing AI for social good; Lisa will contribute to significant research at the intersection of technology, economics and digital assets: and Barry will co-lead CIGI's Emerging Dual-Use Technology project.
Learn more about the new senior fellows:
Mauritz Kop is the founder of the Stanford Center for Responsible Quantum Technology (RQT) and the creator of the Stanford Quantum Incubator. As a distinguished technology lawyer, scholar, policy adviser and investor, Mauritz supports deep-tech startups through RQT Ventures and serves as an expert on the von Neumann Commission. He holds a patent in AI, is the director at AIRecht and serves as general counsel at Daiki, a platform dedicated to advancing a responsible quantum-AI future.
Einar Tangen is a widely recognized commentator on global political and economic affairs, with a focus on China’s evolving role in international governance. A former lawyer, entrepreneur and investment banker, he currently resides in Beijing, where he advises on urban planning, economic strategy and cross-border investment. He is the founder of China Cities Bluebook Consulting and a principal at DGI/SMP Design, an international infrastructure and design firm with offices across Asia and Europe.
Cornelia C. Walther is a visiting fellow at the Wharton Neuroscience Initiative/Wharton AI & Analytics Initiative, as well as an adjunct associate faculty at the School of Dental Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. Previously, she worked as a humanitarian practitioner with the United Nations for two decades in large-scale emergencies in West Africa, Asia and Latin America, focusing on hybrid advocacy and social and behavioural change.
Lisa Quest is the Managing Partner for UK and Ireland and co-head of the Government and Public Institutions Practice in Europe for Oliver Wyman, a global management consultancy. She sits on the firm’s global leadership team, defining major strategy and policy decisions for the business, while overseeing the work of other regional teams and global subcommittees. Lisa works with the world’s leading organizations on topics spanning digital transformation, governance, strategy, financial planning, risk management and public policy and regulatory response.
Barry Sanders is a visiting senior fellow at CIGI and a leading figure in quantum science and technology, with research spanning quantum sensing, communication, computing and optics. He is scientific director of the University of Calgary’s “Quantum City”, where he leads efforts to build a quantum innovation ecosystem in Canada. Barry is also an advisor for CERN’s Open Quantum Institute and the quantum computing Google's XPrize, a mentor for Creative Destruction Labs in Toronto and Calgary, and co-lead of the Canada-France Centre national de la recherche scientifique International Research Network.
For more information or to schedule an interview with any of the experts, please contact:
Communications Team
Centre for International Governance Innovation
519-885-2444
[email protected]
About CIGI
The Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI) is an independent, non-partisan think tank whose peer-reviewed research, foresight and trusted analysis influence policy makers to innovate. With the engagement of a global network of experts and contributors, CIGI tackles the governance challenges and opportunities of data and transformative technologies, including AI, and their impact on the economy, security, democracy and, ultimately, societies. For more information, please visit cigionline.org.