Hello, my name is Samantha Norrie!
I’m a software developer who makes software for research and education. I’m currently working as a software developer at University Systems (UVic) on the Research Administration Information System (RAIS) team. In the past, I have built and contributed to teams making software for teaching quantum computing while also working jobs that gave me experience in other software industries.
Outside of software development, I enjoy weightlifting, sports, reading, and learning languages!
Table of Contents
Professional Experience
Senior Software Developer, University Systems, University of Victoria
January 2026 - Present
Remote, British Columbia, Canada
- Develops and maintains components of UVic’s RAIS software using Groovy/Grails.
- Writes, and maintains Oracle SQL queries, database objects, and data migration scripts.
- Creates and executes automated end-to-end tests using Playwright to improve software quality and reliability.
Software Development Specialist, Quantum Algorithms Institute
January 2025 - October 2025
Remote, British Columbia, Canada
- Created technical content and programming exercises using Python, Qiskit, PennyLane, and Pytest
- Co-led development of quantum computing curricula
- Worked in an Agile environment using Jira, Git, and GitHub
Research Assistant, UVic, RIGI Lab
January 2024 - December 2025
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
- Develops full-stack applications that demonstrate quantum computing concepts using Python, Qiskit, Next.js, and Axios
- Ensures CI/CD best practices are followed by using Pytest for automated testing and Git for version control
- Publishes and presents technical papers on work
Teaching Assistant, UVic, Department of Computer Science
September 2022 - December 2024
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
Quantum Software Engineering Bootcamp Teaching Assistant, QAI & UVic
December 2023 - May 2024
Remote, British Columbia, Canada
- Created and marked assignments and quizzes on foundational quantum computing concepts
- Answered student questions related to quantum computing and software engineering
NSERC USRA Research Intern, UVic, RIGI Lab
May 2023 - September 2023
Victoria (hybrid), British Columbia, Canada
- Conducted a literature review on educational QC tools
- Created QNotation, a Python widget for Qiskit quantum circuits which allows users to see their circuits in circuit, Dirac, and matrix notation
- Published an extended abstract and poster on QNotation in IEEE Quantum Week 2023 (QCE 2023)
- Presented QNotation at QCE 2023
Full-Stack Developer Co-op, Giftbit
May 2021 - December 2021
Victoria (hybrid), British Columbia, Canada
- Developed application features for the Giftbit web application using Groovy/Grails and React
- Designed frontend components using Figma
- Deployed AWS EC2 instances
- Audited automated test suites
Software Test Developer Co-op, Teledyne FLIR
September 2020 - May 2021
Remote, British Columbia, Canada
- Wrote automated tests in C, C++, C#, and Python for Teledyne FLIR’s Spinnaker SDK
- Wrote Shell scripts to help maintain Jenkins CI/CD pipelines
- Worked in a *nix environment
Publications
- Samantha Norrie, Anthony Estey, Hausi Müller, Ulrike Stege, QNotation: A Visual Browser-Based Notation Translator for Learning Quantum Computing, technical paper published in the proceedings of QSEEC 2024 (QCE 2024)
- Samantha Norrie, Anthony Estey, Hausi Müller, Ulrike Stege, QGrover: Teaching Grover’s Algorithm Through Visual Exploration, technical paper published in the proceedings of QSEEC 2024 (QCE 2024)
- Samantha Norrie, Anthony Estey, QNotation: An Interactive Visual Tool to Lower Learning Barriers in Quantum Computing, extended abstract and poster published in QCE 2023
- Addie Jordon, Austin Hawkins-Seagram, Samantha Norrie, José Ossorio, Ulrike Stege, QWalkVis: Quantum Walks Visualization Application, paper published in QCE 2023
- Samantha Norrie, Miguel Nacenta, Improving Typing Experiences Through the Use of a Keyboard Interface With Integrated Gesture Recognition, poster published in Graphics Interface 2023 (GI23)
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Awards, Grants, and Scholarships
- IEEE Computer Society Student Travel Grant for IEEE Quantum Week 2024, awarded August 2024
- Open Education Resource Grant, awarded May 2024
- NSERC CREATE in QC, awarded August 2023 for January 2024 - January 2026
- NSERC CREATE in QC Undergraduate Summer Research Top Up Award, awarded June 2023 for Summer 2023 Semester
- NSERC USRA, Awarded March 2023 for Summer 2023 Semester
- Jamie Cassels Undergraduate Research Award, awarded August 2022 for Fall 2022 Semester
- JW McConnell Scholarship (McGill entrance scholarship), awarded September 2018
- BC Excellence Scholarship, awarded June 2018
- Canadian Parents for French Grade 12 Excellence Award, awarded June 2018
Education
Computer Science, MSc (quantum computing + education research focus)
January 2024 - December 2025
RIGI-PITA Lab, UVic
8.0/9.0 GPA
Computer Science with Distinction and Co-op, BSc
May 2019 - December 2023
UVic
7.8/9.0 GPA
(Human) Languages
- English (Native)
- Spanish (Intermediate, CEFR low B2), currently enrolled in the Spanish, Practical and Business certificate program at UBC
- French (Intermediate, CEFR B2 through BC Double Dogwood program)
- Arabic (Absolute beginner, learning the basics in CEFR A1)
References can be provided upon request.