Microsoft’s Nathan Baker headlines Innovative Leaders Lecture Series

Nathan Baker, senior partner architect in Microsoft's quantum applications division, is the fall 2026 feature speaker in the College of Arts and Sciences' Innovative Leaders Lecture Series.

Baker's presentation, "Accelerating scientific discovery with quantum computing, high-performance computing, and artificial intelligence," will be held from noon-1p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 24, in Room B11 of the Webster Physical Sciences Building.

In his current role at Microsoft, Baker leads efforts to demonstrate the real-world impact of quantum computing, high-performance computing, and artificial intelligence. He tackles complex scientific and societal challenges by harnessing the combined power of quantum algorithms, AI, and cloud-based high-performance computing.

Baker's research portfolio revolves around materials science, computational biology, applied mathematics, chemistry, and quantum information science. He is especially known for his work on the Adaptive Poisson-Boltzmann Solver (APBS) software suite used in biomolecular modeling.

Prior to joining Microsoft in 2022, Baker spent more than a decade at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) in several leadership positions. He is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Sciences (AAAS), a member of the Washington State Academy of Sciences, and a former Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellow. Baker earned his Ph.D. in physical chemistry from the University of California, San Diego.

The Innovative Leaders Lecture Series is sponsored by the WSU College of Arts and Sciences and the Washington Research Foundation.