Quantum computing in materials and molecular sciences

Professor in Quantum Technology at the University of Strathclyde. Physicist bringing together computational scientists and engineers with quantum computing experts to develop practical quantum algorithms. Known for work on quantum version of random walks and their applications to quantum annealing and quantum optimisation problems. Leads the Collaborative Computational Project on Quantum Computing (CCP-QC) and is Theme co-lead for applications in the quantum technology Hub for Quantum Computing via Integrated and Interconnected Implementations (QCI3).

John Buckeridge is a computational materials physicist interested in modelling the properties of semiconductors and other functional materials and is currently a Senior Lecturer at the School of Engineering in London South Bank University (LSBU). He is interested in the interaction of charge carriers with defects in crystalline systems, and aims to understand this interaction at a fundamental level using a variety of state-of-the-art computational techniques. His work focuses on materials used in energy applications and high power microelectronics. He is from Cork, Ireland, which is where he studied physics (at University College Cork). After obtaining his PhD, in 2011 he moved to the Chemistry Department in UCL and subsequently moved to LSBU in 2019.

Alin Marin Elena is a computational scientist at Science and Technology Facilities Council, Scientific Computing Department based at Daresbury Laboratory where he leads Data-Driven Materials and Molecular Sciences Group. AME studied physics at University of Bucharest, Romania and completed a PhD at University College Dublin, Ireland in 2013. AME has a keen interest in new technologies for enhancing modelling of materials and molecules such as quantum computing and machine learning. AME is interested in quantum computing algorithms that can be employed in materials science on NISQ hardware. Additionally AME's research focuses on using machine learning, especially inter-atomic potentials for modelling porous materials as metal organic frameworks.

Richard began his career at Oxford University and has directed the Davy-Faraday Laboratory at the Royal Institute in London. He has been a Professor at University College London, University of Keele, the University of Cardiff, and is a Fellow of the Royal Society - the UK Academy of Science - and a member of the German National Science Academy, the Leopoldina, of the Academia Europaea and the World Academy of Sciences (TWAS); he is also an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Academy of Chemistry and of the Materials and Chemical Societies of India. He served as Foreign Secretary of the Royal Society from 2016 – 2021 and was knighted in 2000 for his services to leadership in science and research.

His research programme is based on the development and application of computational techniques used in direct conjunction with experiment in probing the properties of complex materials. He has played a leading role in developing the field both in the UK and internationally. His programme comprises the study of energy materials, catalysis, nano-chemistry and surface chemistry. His work has also exploited the synergy between computation and experiment using synchroton radiation and neutron scattering methods, especially in catalytic science. He has published over 1,200 research papers.