Michelle Simmons
Prof. Michelle Simmons is a pioneer in atomic electronics and a global leader in quantum computing and information technology. She is Director of the highly successful Centre of Excellence for Quantum Computation and Communication Technology in Sydney and recognised internationally for creating the field of atomic electronics. Michelle established Australia’s first quantum computing company, Silicon Quantum Computing with the aim to build a silicon-based quantum computer. On 25th January 2018, Michelle was named as the 2018 Australian of the Year for her work and dedication to quantum information science. At UNSW Sydney she is a Scientia Professor of Quantum Physics and has twice been awarded a Federation Fellow and now a Laureate Fellow, the Australian Research Council’s most prestigious awards of this kind.
Michelle has pioneered unique technologies globally to build electronic devices at the atomic scale. Her groundbreaking achievements have opened a new frontier in computing and electronics globally, providing a platform for redesigning conventional transistors and for developing a quantum computer, with the potential to transform information processing. Her research team is the only group worldwide that can create atomically precise devices in silicon – developing the first precision single atom transistor, the narrowest, lowest noise interconnects in silicon quantum electronics and most recently the demonstration of the fastest 2 qubit gates in silicon. These discoveries have been the culmination of over 20 years of pioneering research led by Michelle.
Michelle was awarded the 2016 Foresight Institute Feynman Experimental Prize for her work in “the new field of atomic-electronics, which she created”; the 2017 L’Oréal-UNESCO Science Laureate and the 2017 George R Stibitz Computer and Communications Pioneer Award from the American Computer Museum. With over 420 peer reviewed publications amassing over 10,000 citations, 44 granted patents and more than 250 invited/plenary talks, she is the international leader in atomic-electronics.
