Your Quantum Future

Quantum Century: Unlocking the Universe’s Secrets and Shaping our Future

The humble electron is a pillar of modern technology. They power almost every aspect of daily life, from your toaster to your phone. But these devices use only one quantum property of the electrons: their charge. Today, physicists are harnessing other properties – such as their “spin” – to advance a new technological revolution. This talk will show you how our understanding of spin is changing the way we build devices, from basic principles to state of the art. Your quantum future is coming – learn how, why, and what society should do to prepare.

100 years ago, quantum physics was born to explain curious behaviour of tiny things. Since then, it has become our most accurate theory in history. It has unlocked secrets of our Universe, such as why stars shine and how migratory birds navigate. In this talk, I will take you on a journey to visit these surprising and consequential wonders of the quantum world. I will then reveal how scientists are now harnessing quantum physics to develop revolutionary computers that will solve problems that are currently out of reach, such as designing new medicines to fight disease and developing new materials to combat climate change. Quantum physics is the most powerful tool that humans possess, not just for increasing our understanding of the world, but for shaping its future.

Dr. Sol Jacobsen is Group Leader at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology NTNU, where she investigates ways to use the quantum property of spin in future technological devices. She studied Physics with Philosophy at the University of York, U.K., where she was awarded the Goodwin Prize. After receiving her Ph.D. at the University of Tasmania, she worked as a postdoctoral researcher in Germany and Norway, before establishing her group in 2019. She was selected as Outstanding Academic Fellow at NTNU, and will start her new project – SuperFlex – in 2025. Her three children keep her busy the rest of the time. 

Dr Danielle Holmes makes ‘qubits’ using individual atoms in silicon chips. These qubits are the building blocks of quantum computers, new technology that will revolutionise humanity’s problem-solving abilities. She received her undergraduate and master’s degrees from the University of Cambridge, before exploring the technologies used to build quantum computers during her PhD at the University of Melbourne. Now at the University of New South Wales as a Postdoctoral Researcher and Lecturer, Danielle is a passionate science outreach communicator. She shares her love for quantum physics well beyond the laboratory - having even performed at the Sydney Comedy Festival!