Kyla Koós bridges two worlds — one of today and one into the future as she unravels complex technologies that lean into quantum computing and AI.
Her critical eye for detail and her capacity for understanding the current and emerging technologies of quantum computing across a spectrum of applications have led her to elite professional opportunities in healthcare, defense and federal environments, including the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, NASA and Cleveland Clinic Lerner Research Institute.
Today, she is a data security analyst and the post-quantum cryptography lead at KeyCorp, where she collaborates with several technology teams, leads quantum defense planning, engages with local industry leaders, and conducts research on quantum technologies to determine cyber threat timelines and potential impact.
It is an amazing start for someone who graduated from Baldwin Wallace in May 2025 with double majors in physics and applied mathematics. Her success comes as no surprise to those who know her best. Koós has been a trailblazer and future-ready leader from the start.
"I am a first-generation student. My father tragically passed away a week before I began high school. I quickly had to adjust from a lifestyle with divorced parents and attending a highly regarded school district to living without a father and immediately enrolling in a low-income school," explained Koós.
"My high school teachers refused to put me in an accelerated STEM track. But by senior year, I was taking Calculus II at a local community college, Calculus-based AP Physics classes and AP Chemistry," she noted.
Koós' aptitude for STEM fueled a passion to pursue it at college and as a career. Impressive opportunities soon followed. Her first year at BW, she was a research assistant under the supervision of BW physics professor Dr. Ed Meyer.
As her studies progressed, so did her internship experiences. From Cleveland Clinic to NASA to the Air Force, Koós impressed her supervisors and peers with her advanced knowledge of quantum computing.
She credits BW for being an invaluable stepping stone to her success. Among accolades, she cited BW's small student-to-faculty ratio, which provides one-on-one opportunities for students to have academic support and connection with professors. Koós is also grateful to the many programs and student-run organizations that fostered invaluable professional connections and skills.
"STEM Scholars and the Sherwin-Williams Career Accelerator program were an important part of my BW experience, as were the student-run clubs. I gained leadership skills and mentorship for career development. Through a Choose Ohio First STEM Scholarship, I gained much-needed financial assistance," stated Koós.
"The Ratcliff Innovation Consultants program provided an incredible opportunity for me during my senior year to grow skills outside of academia and research, such as sales, client engagement, interdisciplinary collaboration, business communication, data analytics, application development and presentational speaking," she went on to say.
"Likewise, LaunchNet provided mentorship, alumni connections, external support and financial assistance that was beneficial when I worked as an independent consultant for three months following my BW graduation," she added.
"At the time, I provided professional services in quantum computing and quantum engineering to companies in the Greater Cleveland area."
In her one-year career with KeyCorp, Koós has progressed quickly. Immediately following her BW graduation, she was hired for KeyBank's Quantitative Modeling & Analytics Rotation program (quantitative finance), where she spent three months doing big data analysis and visualizations for the commercial bank.
Koós said she was offered the opportunity to rotate into data security to lead cybersecurity efforts around quantum computing-based cyber attacks.
Six months into her career with KeyBank, she was offered a custom position as the post-quantum cryptography lead immediately following her first rotation with the data security team due to the niche skill set she brought to the team. In addition to this current role, Koós is the co-product owner on KeyCorp's multi-year quantum readiness program.
This summer, Koós was a featured speaker at The Washington Institute for STEM, Entrepreneurship and Research's (WISER) Summer Program 2026, What is the Future of Optimization? Classical + AI + Quantum.
She is still active with BW through initiatives like Women for BW, a network that creates opportunities for future generations of BW students and demonstrates the impact of many women giving together.
For her part, Koós knows she is a role model for women in STEM. She wears the title honorably in remembering how the mistaken oversight of her high school teachers created a barrier that she knew she had to break through.
Today, she has made her mark. But she aptly looks ahead to where she might go because a trailblazer has a passion within to not only make a lasting impact but to also empower the next generation of innovators.
