Who is Michelle Simmons?
Michelle Simmons is a British-born Australian physicist at the University of New South Wales who is a world leader in building quantum computers from atoms in silicon. She was named Australian of the Year in 2018.
Simmons was born in London in 1967 and completed her doctorate at Durham University. She moved to Australia in 1999 to work at the University of New South Wales.
Her team pioneered methods for placing single phosphorus atoms in silicon with atomic precision. In 2012, they created a transistor made from a single atom, one of the smallest electronic devices ever built.
Quantum computing
Quantum computers use quantum bits, or qubits, which can represent more than one state at the same time. They could solve some problems far faster than ordinary computers, such as simulating molecules for new medicines.
Simmons founded the company Silicon Quantum Computing in 2017 to develop a commercial quantum computer based on her team's technology. The company is backed by investors including governments and banks.
Simmons has won many awards, including election as a Fellow of the Royal Society and a Companion of the Order of Australia. She is a strong advocate for women in science and for high expectations in education.
Did You Know?
Simmons directed the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Quantum Computation and Communication Technology.