Lilian Childress is an Associate Professor of Physics at McGill University where she applies concepts of quantum optics and atomic physics to solid-state systems, notably color centers in diamond. Her two decades of work in this field have examined how electronic and nuclear spins in diamond can serve as a platform for quantum networking and quantum sensing. In 2024-2025, she spent a year as Lead Scientist at startup SBQuantum developing diamond quantum magnetometers, and an ongoing collaboration examines scientific questions inspired by challenges encountered in real-world deployment of quantum technology.