Quantum Information

19 - 20 February 2025 09:30 - 17:00 Online Free Watch online
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Two spheres joined by a beam of light

On 19-20 February 2025, the Royal Society will hold a conference on the future of quantum-based computing, networks and sensing systems.

The United Nations has proclaimed 2025 as the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology. This conference aims to contribute to the year-long celebrations of quantum science and its applications. 

Over two days, industry leaders, top scientists and key public sector stakeholders will convene to highlight advances and prospects in quantum innovation and consider the scientific and technical challenges facing the field. Discussions will focus on the future of quantum information processing and related technologies, examining what support is needed to scale existing technologies and which predictions for the future are both ambitious and realistic.

Transforming our future conferences

This conference forms part of the Royal Society's industry-focused Transforming our future series. These unique meetings feature cutting-edge science and bring together experts from industry, academia and government to explore and address key scientific and technical challenges of the coming decade.

Organisers

  • Professor Martin Dawson FRS

    Professor Martin Dawson FRS

    Martin Dawson is professor and director of research at the University of Strathclyde’s Institute of Photonics, which he helped establish almost 25 years ago. Since 2012 he has also been the inaugural Head of the Fraunhofer Centre for Applied Photonics (Fraunhofer CAP) in Glasgow. Martin has contributed broadly to laser and semiconductor research including ultrafast lasers, optically-pumped semiconductor lasers, diamond photonics and micro-LEDs, the latter of which is now emerging globally as a new form of commercial display technology. He holds fellowships of the IEEE, OSA, Institute of Physics and Royal Society of Edinburgh, and he has been awarded the Dennis Gabor Medal and Prize of the IOP and the Aron Kressel Award of the IEEE.

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    Professor Elham Kashefi

    Elham Kashefi is Professor of Quantum Computing at the School of Informatics at the University of Edinburgh and Director of Research at CNRS, Sorbonne Universite. She has pioneered a trans-disciplinary research environment, investigating all aspects of quantum computing and communicating from application all the way to actual implementation and industrial exploitation. She is the associate director of the EPSRC Networked Quantum Information Technologies Hub and executive team leader for the Flagship Quantum Internet Alliance in charge of applications development. She is co-Founder of VeriQloud, a quantum startup in security. She has been awarded the UK EPSRC established career fellowship, the US Airforce Cyber Security grant and the French ATOS chair.

  • Dr Jonathan Matthews, Department of Physics, University of Bristol, UK

    Jonathan Matthews is an Associate Professor in Quantum Technology at QETLabs (University of Bristol) where he leads a quantum enhanced sensing activity. His early research efforts focused on integrated quantum photonics, e.g. silica waveguides to control photonic quantum states for primitive quantum information demonstrators and higher refractive index contrast waveguide arrays for multi-photon quantum walks. His current efforts focus on discrete and continuous variables strategies to perform quantum sensing and imaging, and the development of CV capabilities in silicon photonics.  His research is supported by an EPSRC early career fellowship, an ERC starting grant and the Quantic quantum-imaging hub.

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    Professor Roberto Desimone

  • Professor Leigh Lapworth

    Professor Leigh Lapworth

    Prof Leigh Lapworth is a Rolls-Royce Engineering Fellow specialising in Computational Science with over 30 years’ experience of developing and applying physics-based simulation using High Performance Supercomputers. He led the development of the Rolls-Royce corporate CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics). Other previous roles include Chief Design Systems Architect and Head of Computational Science. He has led several successful industrial-academic collaborative research projects. The most recent being a pre-exascale EPSRC Prosperity Partnership. Leigh leads the Rolls-Royce Quantum Computing initiative. To date this includes three Innovate UK co-funded projects and a small portfolio of directly funded projects with national and international partners. These focus on algorithms for error corrected computers and the hybrid classical-quantum interface.

    Leigh is a Chartered Mathematician and Fellow of the Institute of Mathematics and its Applications and an Honorary Professorial Fellow in Computer Science at the University of Warwick.

Schedule

09:30-09:35 Welcome & opening remarks
Professor Sheila Rowan FRS

Professor Sheila Rowan FRS

University of Glasgow

09:35-09:40 Introduction to keynote
Professor Martin Dawson FRS

Professor Martin Dawson FRS

University of Strathclyde

09:40-10:20 Opening keynote: The first 100 years of quantum
Professor Sir Peter Knight FRS

Professor Sir Peter Knight FRS

National Physical Laboratory & UK National Quantum Technology Programme

10:20-10:30 Q&A

Chair

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Professor Elham Kashefi

National Quantum Computing Centre

10:30-10:35 Introduction to Session 1
Professor Elham Kashefi

Professor Elham Kashefi

National Quantum Computing Centre

10:35-10:50 Talk 1
Professor Andrew Daley, University of Strathclyde, UK

Professor Andrew Daley, University of Strathclyde, UK

10:50-11:05 Talk 2
Professor Kristel Michielsen

Professor Kristel Michielsen

Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH

11:05-11:15 Q&A

Chair

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Dr Jennifer Hastie

University of Strathclyde

11:45-11:50 Introduction to Session 2
Dr Jennifer Hastie

Dr Jennifer Hastie

University of Strathclyde

11:50-12:05 Talk 1
Dr Steve Brierley

Dr Steve Brierley

Riverlane Ltd

12:05-12:20 Talk 2
Dr Richard Murray

Dr Richard Murray

ORCA Computing

12:20-12:35 Talk 3
Dr Elvira Shishenina

Dr Elvira Shishenina

Quantinuum

12:35-12:45 Q&A

Chair

Professor Leigh Lapworth

Professor Leigh Lapworth

Rolls-Royce plc

13:45-13:50 Introduction to Session 3
Professor Leigh Lapworth

Professor Leigh Lapworth

Rolls-Royce plc

13:50-14:05 Talk 1
Dr Carmen Palacios-Berraquero

Dr Carmen Palacios-Berraquero

Nu Quantum

14:05-14:20 Talk 2
14:20-14:35 Talk 3
Professor Alexander Tzalenchuk

Professor Alexander Tzalenchuk

NPL & Royal Holloway

14:35-14:45 Q&A

Chair

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Professor Roberto Desimone

Plantagenet Systems

15:15-15:25 Introduction to Panel discussion
Professor Roberto Desimone

Professor Roberto Desimone

Plantagenet Systems

15:25-16:25 Quantum innovation - what support is needed?
Dr Eleni Diamanti

Dr Eleni Diamanti

CNRS

Ilyas Khan

Ilyas Khan

Quantinuum

Dr Andrew Shields FREng, Toshiba Cambridge, UK

Dr Andrew Shields FREng, Toshiba Cambridge, UK

Chair

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Professor Roberto Desimone

Plantagenet Systems

09:30-09:35 Welcome & opening remarks
Professor Elham Kashefi

Professor Elham Kashefi

National Quantum Computing Centre

09:35-09:40 Introduction to keynote
Professor John Rarity FRS, University of Bristol, UK

Professor John Rarity FRS, University of Bristol, UK

09:40-10:10 The next 100 years of quantum
Professor Jian-Wei Pan

Professor Jian-Wei Pan

University of Science and Technology of China

10:10-10:20 Q&A

Chair

Professor Martin Dawson FRS

Professor Martin Dawson FRS

University of Strathclyde

10:20-10:25 Introduction to Session 4
Professor Martin Dawson FRS

Professor Martin Dawson FRS

University of Strathclyde

10:25-10:40 Talk 1
Professor John Rarity FRS, University of Bristol, UK

Professor John Rarity FRS, University of Bristol, UK

10:40-10:55 Talk 2
Gerard Milburn

Gerard Milburn

The University of Sussex

Chair

Dr Jonathan Matthews, Department of Physics, University of Bristol, UK

11:35-11:40 Introduction to Session 5
Dr Jonathan Matthews, Department of Physics, University of Bristol, UK

Dr Jonathan Matthews, Department of Physics, University of Bristol, UK

11:40-11:55 Talk 1
Dr Helena Knowles

Dr Helena Knowles

University of Cambridge

11:55-12:10 Talk 2
Professor Alessandro Fedrizzi

Professor Alessandro Fedrizzi

Heriot-Watt University

12:10-12:25 Talk 3
Professor Miles Padgett FRS, University of Glasgow, UK

Professor Miles Padgett FRS, University of Glasgow, UK

12:25-12:35 Q&A

Chair

Professor Leigh Lapworth

Professor Leigh Lapworth

Rolls-Royce plc

13:35-13:40 Introduction to Session 6
Professor Leigh Lapworth

Professor Leigh Lapworth

Rolls-Royce plc

13:40-13:55 Talk 1
Professor Ashley Montanaro

Professor Ashley Montanaro

Phasecraft

13:55-14:10 Talk 2
14:10-14:25 Talk 3
Dr Jennifer Hastie

Dr Jennifer Hastie

University of Strathclyde

14:25-14:35 Q&A

Chair

 Professor Jim Al-Khalili

Professor Jim Al-Khalili

University of Surrey

15:05-15:15 Introduction to Panel discussion
Professor Jim Al-Khalili

Professor Jim Al-Khalili

University of Surrey

15:15-16:15 What is the future of quantum?
Dr Philip Ball

Dr Philip Ball

Freelance writer

Roger McKinlay

Roger McKinlay

UK Research and Innovation

Professor Elham Kashefi

Professor Elham Kashefi

National Quantum Computing Centre