Quantum computing expert wins CSIRO's Eureka Prize
Source: ELEANOR
Now to the award-winning scientist whose Australian team is leading the world in the race to build a quantum computer that she says will transform our lives and could be the foundation for a multi-billion dollar new industry in Australia.
Professor Michelle Simmons is the director of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Quantum Computation and Communication Technology at the University of New South Wales.
She's just been awarded the CSIRO Eureka Prize for Leadership in Science.
Professor Simmons spoke to me earlier.
Dr Simmons, thanks for joining us and congratulations.
MICHELLE SIMMONS: Thank you very much.
ELEANOR HALL: So what was your reaction on winning the CSIRO Eureka Prize for Science Leadership?
MICHELLE SIMMONS: Oh, you know, actually it's a moment of fear because you know you've got to get up and stand on the stage. No, it was a wonderful experience and I'm obviously very grateful for the award so I thank everyone that nominated me and supported me.
ELEANOR HALL: So it's quite a large team that you lead. In general terms, what is quantum computing and why should we care about it?
MICHELLE SIMMONS: Ah, so quantum computing is going to be a transformational change in computation and so basically it's kind of like going from the abacus to the calculator.
It's something that's coming; it's an international race to try and build a new type of computer and it basically gives you computational power that we just don't have access to nowadays.
ELEANOR HALL: So it's about big data. Many people have scoffed that a quantum computer just can't be built. How could it change our lives if it does become reality?
MICHELLE SIMMONS: I guess the key thing of a quantum computer is it looks at lots of different calculations in parallel so you get this exponential speed up in computational power and it will basically affect pretty much every walk of life, anything where you have lots of data that you have to sort through or lots of variables that you have to try and figure out what's the optimal way to get the solution to something.
A quantum computer can do that just so much quicker than what we can do nowadays, and that will affect everything from, you know, the logistics industry of working out how to get goods to places with lower fuel costs to kind of artificial intelligence, understanding how to optimise problems to get the answers much quicker than we can.
ELEANOR HALL: It's interesting; you gave an analogy about a sort of cake recipe compared to what a quantum computer would do.
MICHELLE SIMMONS: Yes, and the kind of cake recipes you add one thing at a time but you can't put everything at once, whereas in the quantum computer you basically ask it a question, it looks at all possible solutions and then it tells you what's the right answer, so it's just, you know, this increase in speed that we just can't understand at the moment, but it will literally affect every industry in Australia.
ELEANOR HALL: How pioneering is your research, how does it compare internationally?
MICHELLE SIMMONS: We started out back in 2000, we had a group of people that got together and said we're not going to adapt what we currently have, but we're going to look at what's the best way to build it, and even if we don't have expertise in that particular material, we're going to get that expertise and actually start from the ground level.
So we chose silicon because its manufacturable material and it's a material that you can make cubits out of that have very good properties, so we started working at the hardest system to make, but the one that we thought would work in the long term and the results we've got in the last few years have demonstrated that it is actually the best material out there.
So we're leading that field internationally and lots of groups international are now deciding to switch to what we're doing to try and compete with us.
ELEANOR HALL: That's pretty extraordinary, isn't it? How does that feel?
MICHELLE SIMMONS: Terrifying (laughs). So, you know, it's a highly competitive field. As a scientist, it’s hugely exciting to be on something where literally every day there are advances coming out, but it means that we've got to be smart and we've got to move fast so that we can get there first and build a prototype here in Australia.
ELEANOR HALL: Well, as she gave you your award last night, Kim McKay, the Australian Museum CEO, said quantum computing could be a multibillion dollar industry. What is the potential for this technology to develop into a significant industry and job creator here in Australia if we get it right?
MICHELLE SIMMONS: Well, for me that's one of the biggest challenges at the moment. I guess the key thing there is that we've realised that we can actually build it here. It's not something that we have to ship overseas.
It's something where we've developed the whole technology here. We can actually build kind of a service system in Australia and then actually have people get access to that service system, and that's kind of the model we're looking at the moment. So people can buy time to do the calculations that they can't do anywhere else but actually that would mean creating an industry here in Australia where we actually build the systems.
People come to work in Australia, we build companies here and then in the long term the benefits will be to Australian industry.
ELEANOR HALL: Do you have any concerns that you may not get the support you need to do that?
MICHELLE SIMMONS: It is a huge challenge. I think it's a huge challenge in any country to translate from fundamental research to actually building an industry, and I think in Australia it’s even more of a challenge because of our geographic location and so we are looking for investors from Australia, from support from the Government, from everybody and that is a huge challenge us.
For that something, you know, we're actually working on. We really do want to build the first kind of prototype here in Australia.
ELEANOR HALL: Do you share the concern of many scientists and educators in Australia that we need to do better in developing skills in science and technology and investing in training in our children much earlier?
MICHELLE SIMMONS: Yes, I think Australia has phenomenal skills. I mean it's something that, I'm English by birth, but I came to Australia partly because the skill set here is phenomenal.
But what I am recognising again internationally is the quality of education that our children are getting is actually reducing, and I think that's something that we've got to really pay serious attention to, making sure that we educate our children well.
The other challenge for Australia is how do you translate you know, really high quality research in the high tech area to actually building industries, and I think that's one of the biggest challenges. Once you do that then you have jobs for the future and the young people can see those jobs in Australia and that will feed back on itself.
ELEANOR HALL: You've won this prize for your leadership, how rare is it for women in science to be in leadership positions?
MICHELLE SIMMONS: Actually, I don't think that rare. I mean I'm looking around me, I see lots of other women that are leading in the scientific field so it's becoming more of the norm now and to be honest, what gender you are has really no kind of role in whether you're a good leader or not.
So I do see there are lots of female leaders around. I think it's becoming more of a norm and hopefully that will encourage younger females to see that it's the way things should be.
ELEANOR HALL: Well, this week leaders in other fields, in the economic and community and political fields, have been holding a summit on how to drive innovation and growth in Australia. Do you think there is sufficient recognition of the role of our scientists in this?
MICHELLE SIMMONS: I think, look, I think in general scientists are not people that like to steal the limelight anyway. They've people that want to get on and get things done, but I guess the key thing is, if there is some kind of new technology coming along, it has huge potential for Australian industry, how do we support that to actually really nurture it and make it happen in Australia.
ELEANOR HALL: You're clearly at a critical point in your research. Do you feel that you are getting the support that you need right at the moment from politicians for example?
MICHELLE SIMMONS: From the Australian Research Council it's been phenomenal and for the support that we've had as a centre of excellence has been, you know, it's really a unique scheme internationally that really supports Australia, but yeah, once you get to that point, if you're a world leading centre and you're doing really good things, how do you bring that home for the benefit of all Australians.
That's something we haven't got right in this country. I don't know how to get it right. I have been talking a lot down in Canberra about how we can more forwards in a more positive way in the future and that's something I will continue talking to because we firmly believe we've got something highly valuable here and we want to translate it here in Australia.
ELEANOR HALL: You say you've been talking a lot down in Canberra. What sort of reception have you been getting?
MICHELLE SIMMONS: Oh look, hugely supportive, but I guess the key issue is there is no schemes, there's no fundamental schemes that actually help that translation. I think everybody understands the importance of technology, they all want to help support it but what's the mechanism, how do they make it happen and that's really the challenge for the Australian Government; how do they actually translate these high tech areas for the industries of the future.
Really there has to be more of a coordinated approach where they try and get this right.
ELEANOR HALL: Well, good luck with it. Dr Simmons, thanks so much for joining us and once again, congratulations.
MICHELLE SIMMONS: Thank you very much.
ELEANOR HALL: That's Professor Michelle Simmons.
She's the director of the Australian Research Council's Centre of Excellence for Quantum Computation and Communication Technology at the University of New South Wales
And, she's just won the CSIRO Eureka Prize for Leadership in Science.
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