(Duration: 19 minutes 57 seconds)

Dr Marika Kieferova: [University of Technology Sydney and Google Quantum AI]

Quantum computing will affect many industries, but the process will be gradual. The first large quantum computers will have the biggest impacts on industry that are already working with physical or chemical effects. They're using quantum mechanics somewhere in there.

So, this industry will, for example, include chemistry or advanced materials.

Jacinta May: [Student, The University of Sydney]

I am excited about so many things in quantum. In experimental quantum computing, which is my forte, the field is changing so fast and so rapidly, it's extremely dynamic.

So even when I started in the field 4 years ago, things have changed enormously since then. And by the time I get to my post-graduate studies, the whole field of quantum computing may look very, very different. I'm excited for the change and the unknown.

Amanda Seedhouse [Student, UNSW Sydney]

So, I'm excited for my future career in quantum to see the hardware that certain technologies are going to use. So, at the moment, there's research across many materials and different ways to do things in the quantum technology world. And I'm very interested to see if maybe there's one particular technology or one particular material that stands out above all the other ones, or if there's a way to combine all these different materials and techniques to have this gold standard quantum technology.

[Screen reads, Why is quantum exciting?]

A/Pro Christopher Ferrie: [University of Technology Sydney]

Quantum mechanics is exciting because it gives us access to a world which we don't get to perceive with our usual senses, our sight, our touch, our smell.

Prof Andrea Morello: [UNSW Sydney]

But our ingenuity has helped us creating tool with which we can interface, with those quantum phenomena to the point where we can now control them and design them.

[Screen reads, What is quantum mechanics?]

Dr Andre Saraiva: [UNSW Sydney and Diraq]

We draw the line between regular mechanics and quantum mechanics at the point where this behaviour starts becoming anomalous. Quantum mechanics describes all of this unique behaviour that you only get at very small, very low temperature scales.

Prof Andrea Morello: [UNSW Sydney]

Quantum mechanics is in its traditional definition the description of the physical world at the very microscopic scale.

A/Prof Christopher Ferrie: [University of Technology Sydney]

So, things like atoms and molecules obey a different set of rules than we're used to.

[Music, calm jazz.]

Prof Andrea Morello: [UNSW Sydney]

That includes phenomena like superposition, entanglement, and physical quantities that are incompatible when observed.

[Screen reads, What is quantum technology?]

Quantum technology in a sense bends and uses the laws of quantum mechanics for useful, novel applications.

Dr Andre Saraiva: [UNSW Sydney and Diraq]

There is quantum physics in many, many technologies but that doesn't make them quantum technology. So, quantum technology should explicitly leverage one of these rules, be it entanglement or superposition.

Dr Maja Cassidy: [UNSW Sydney]

What we've been developing over the past decades are quantum bits or qubits that will be used one day, to build a quantum computer.

[Screen reads, what is a qubit?]

Prof Andrea Morello: [UNSW Sydney]

A qubit is a quantum bit. A bit, as we all know, is the most simple element of information that's generally zero and one.

Dr Alistair Milne: [Senior Scientist in Quantum Sensing, Q-CTRL]

And quantum computing, however, it's not just two states that the units of information can take. They can actually take both simultaneously in a quantum superposition.

Dr Andre Saraiva: [UNSW Sydney and Diraq]

The superposition is interesting in itself but it's not really why quantum information is powerful. Quantum information is powerful because of entanglement. If you have multiple qubits that all of them can be put in superposition states, but can also be made to interact with each other, the collective state of many qubits is very, very powerful, and it can encode much much, more complex information than you could with individual bits of classical information.

Dr Maja Cassidy: [NSW Sydney]

We already have individual qubits, whether they be made from an electron spin or the polarisation of a photon. We have those across many labs around the world, including here in Australia.

However, in order to be able to solve a problem that cannot be solved on a regular classical computer, we need to have millions or even potentially billions of these qubits.

Prof Gavin Brennen: [Macquarie University and BTQ]

We could kind of think of it an analogy to Legos that you can build up to make more complicated devices that really bring out some of the exciting, truly fundamental, and unique properties of quantum mechanics.

[Screen reads, What are 1st generation quantum technologies?]

A/Prof Christopher Ferrie: [University of Technology Sydney]

Quantum technology is usually seen as something that's new but it's in fact very old. Quantum mechanics is over 100 years old, and we've been using it to develop technology since then.

A/Prof Ivan Kassal: [The University of Sydney]

So, every laser is a quantum device, and every transistor, every integrated circuit, so every piece of electronics functions using the principle of quantum mechanics.

Dr Maja Cassidy: [UNSW Sydney]

Magnetic Resonance Image (MRI), you may have gone to the hospital and had a magnetic resonance image of your body. That utilises the spin of the water molecules inside you in order to create those images.

[Screen shows, a person entering, into an MRI unit.]

A/Prof Christopher Ferrie: [University of Technology Sydney]

This is like quantum technology 1.0. And quantum technology 2.0 is trying to go beyond this, and access more degrees of freedom that quantum mechanics allows which we haven't put to good use yet, but we hope to put to good use in the future.

[Screen reads, 2nd gen quantum technologies.]

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Dr Maja Cassidy: [UNSW Sydney]

Second generation quantum technologies are ones where we think we'll use the phenomena of quantum entanglement.

A/Prof Ivan Kassal: [The University of Sydney]

And that allows all kinds of new technologies that you can't have otherwise.

Dr Andre Saraiva: [UNSW Sydney and Diraq]

Examples would be quantum sensing, quantum communication, and quantum computation.

Prof Andrea Morello: [UNSW Sydney]

But there are other ones that are actually more advanced and already in place such as quantum metrology. We all use atomic clocks every day when we use a GPS to navigate.

The reason the GPS works as well as it does is because there is a controlled engineered quantum system which is an atomic clock that can set the time so accurately that you can triangulate your position to a precision of a metre or so when you're driving on the road.

[Screen shows, vehicle’s travelling on a highway, with a location marker indicating some vehicles.]

And then there's quantum communications. Quantum communication is a way to use some fundamental laws of quantum mechanics to transmit information in a way that is secured by those laws of quantum mechanics.

A/Prof Ivan Kassal: [The University of Sydney]

You can already buy some quantum cryptography tools, so to send secret messages and your enemies can't read. But these tend to be marketed to banks, and financial institutions, and those sorts of things.

It's not a consumer product yet. And I think there's some quantum sensors out there, but most of the second-generation quantum technologies are still very much in development.

[Screen reads, Quantum applications.]

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A/Prof Christopher Ferrie: [University of Technology Sydney]

Quantum computers are the holy grail of quantum technology.

Dr Maja Cassidy: [UNSW Sydney]

The hope that one day when we have enough qubits that we'll be able to solve problems that are currently unsolvable on classical computing technologies.

Dr Marika Kieferova: [University of Technology Sydney and Google Quantum AI]

The quantum computers that have now have few dozens to 100 or so qubits. But the problem is that these qubits are very noisy, which limits the type of computation that we can perform on them.

Dr Alistair Milne: [Senior Scientist in Quantum Sensing, Q-CTRL]

So, when are we likely to see a fully operational quantum computer?

Dr Andre Saraiva: [UNSW Sydney and Diraq]

That's a difficult question. There's a running joke that it's always 10 years in the future, right?

Dr Alistair Milne: [Senior Scientist in Quantum Sensing, Q-CTRL]

I think the best way to think about this is not picking a specific date, but more thinking about what types of problems we're able to solve, how that space is expanding as the capability of quantum computers increases.

Dr Andre Saraiva: [UNSW Sydney and Diraq]

Many start-ups in this field, quantum algorithms, quantum compilation, quantum processors are being fabricated because that's where the biggest applications are.

A/Prof Ivan Kassal: [The University of Sydney]

I'm particularly excited with applications that might happen in chemistry.

[Screen reads, Chemistry.]

A/Prof Christopher Ferrie: [University of Technology Sydney]

So, we simulate chemistry today on conventional computers but it's not very good. And that's why we have to test things by sticking drugs into mice, and well, it would be great if we could just simulate that sort of environment on a computer.

Dr Maja Cassidy: [UNSW Sydney]

But that's only going to happen once we have a very large and powerful quantum computer. In the near term, I think there's going to be applications in the optimisation space.

[Screen reads, Optimisation.]

Dr Alistair Milne: [Senior Scientist in Quantum Sensing, Q-CTRL]

So, this could be used in vehicle routing say, of many potential routes. This is very difficult problem on classical computers. Quantum computers, however, are naturally suited to solving this type of problem.

And it turns out that many optimisation problems across a whole range of industries can be mathematically mapped quite similarly.

So, the types of algorithms you develop for transport and rooftop optimisation might also be able to be applied to say financial modelling.

Dr Andre Saraiva: [UNSW Sydney and Diraq]

Another big demand is in quantum applications, meaning someone who understands, for instance, the issues of the transportation system in Sydney, Australia, and is able to rephrase those questions in a way that a quantum computer can be useful.

This is the missing link. We have a lot of good people working on quantum computation, a lot of great people working in transportation, but someone should make this link is the future.

A/Prof Ivan Kassal: [The University of Sydney]

So, the ultimate goal of these kinds of investigations is to develop a whole toolkit which would allow quantum computer user to simulate, for example, the development of a new drug.

[Screen shows, images of scientists in labs.]

So, there's a lot of interest from pharmaceutical industry, from energy industry, even from the aerospace industry or car manufacturers who are interested in developing better fuels.

Prof Gavin Brennen: [Macquarie University and BTQ]

So that's just for quantum computing, but there are other quantum technologies as well. There's one called quantum sensing.

[Screen reads, quantum sensing.]

So, everyone's cell phone has sensors to see how fast you're going, where you are. And quantum devices can make the precision with which we measure these things much better.

And that goes from a difference between if you're mining, you might completely miss an area, which could cause a lot more environmental destruction, or you could have very precision mining.

And, of course, doing things like monitoring the effects of climate change. These are things you can measure much more precisely with quantum technologies.

[Screen shows, images from the mining industry.]

[Screen reads, Career paths.]

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Prof Peter Turner: [CEO, Sydney Quantum Academy]

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One of the things that's exciting about quantum technology is just the massive amount of new opportunities that it's providing.

So, when I was a student, it was pretty much unheard of that you could leave academia and do quantum information theory. And now 15 years later, the students that I and others are graduating, they have the option to stay in academia, of course, which is great, but they also have the option to go to industry.

Dr Zixin Huang: [Macquarie University]

Me, personally, I am pursuing the academic path because I really enjoy the freedom of academia and travelling the world. A lot of my other colleagues and my peers have gone into quantum start-up companies. The career paths are very diverse.

[Screen reads, roles in high demand.]

[Music, soft ambient.]

A/Prof Ivan Kassal: [The University of Sydney]

Quantum jobs are already in really high demand, and I know this as someone who is trying to hire people to work with me. I'm often competing with large companies overseas.

Dr Alistair Milne: [Senior Scientist in Quantum Sensing, Q-CTRL]

A recent report has estimated that there are approximately 3 times more positions available in the field of quantum technology that can be filled by the amount of graduates being produced by universities every year.

Dr Maja Cassidy: [UNSW Sydney]

Whether they be hardware engineers building and operating the physical qubits, electronics engineers who are working on the electronics that interfaces with these qubits, mechanical engineers, then software engineers who are writing code for controlling the quantum computer, those roles are really being recruited very aggressively around the world.

[Screen shows, images of engineers, building and operating physical qubits, electronics, mechanical and software.]

Prof Andrea Morello; [UNSW Sydney]

At the moment, I think the roles that are in most high demand, are those of quantum software application engineers.

So, people who understand how to use quantum algorithms and potentially develop quantum algorithms, for the specific needs of a certain business. And the other ones are the quantum hardware engineers.

So, people who know how to design, fabricate, and operate quantum hardware.

Dr Marika Kieferova: [University of Technology Sydney and Google Quantum AI]

At Google, as well as other companies, there is a large demand for people who have bought the necessary technical skill, in building of quantum hardware and supporting technologies, as well as advanced software engineering capabilities.

[Screen reads, Who is best suited to a career in quantum?]

Amanda Seedhouse: [Student, UNSW Sydney]

One of the important characteristics a person should have if they want to work in quantum technologies, is the willingness to collaborate. There's so many ideas in quantum that are quite universal across different types of quantum technologies, that if you start talking to different groups, you actually gain a lot more insight into the specific technology that you're going to be working on.

Dr Alistair Milne: [Senior Scientist in Quantum Sensing, Q-CTRL]

People working quantum technology will need to be good problem-solvers. This is especially true in the lab working on hardware where stuff is often breaking, and you need to figure out why.

Dr Maja Cassidy: [UNSW Sydney]

I think one characteristic that's common across a large number of people is this really innate curiosity for how the world works.

A/Prof Ivan Kassal: [The University of Sydney]

Because in many ways, we don't know where quantum technology is headed, and so being open to these kinds of new experiences is a really great asset to have.

Dr Andre Saraiva: [UNSW Sydney and Diraq]

Back when I was a student, the typical personality you would get is someone who is research-focused, stubborn person who keeps pushing through all the difficulties. While now that quantum technologies are very obviously going to happen and going to go ahead, you have the doers coming, really, really smart people who want to go in and play with the new toy.

Dr Marika Kieferova: [University of Technology Sydney and Google Quantum AI]

What is true for most roles, that it is important to work within a larger field, communicate well, and also it is almost expected to be able to cope.

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[Screen reads, Entry into quantum.]

In the past, most quantum experts came from the field of physics. But as the quantum computing technology matures, we expect more engineers and quantum computing scientists, to learn quantum while they are still studying at the universities.

Dr Alistair Milne: [Senior Scientist in Quantum Sensing, Q-CTRL]

There's a lot more sideways movement in people's careers. So, people with relevant skills in software engineering or statistics or chemistry are easily able to upskill to work in quantum technology companies.

[Screen reads, What does your average day look like?]

Amanda Seedhouse: [Student, UNSW Sydney]

In a day of my work, because I work as a theoretical quantum physicist, I typically spend the day trying to figure out models. Specifically, I look at quantum computing systems.

Dr Andre Saraiva: [UNSW Sydney and Diraq]

I'm a quantum theorist. So, my typical workday revolves a lot around interpreting and understanding what's happening in the lab and suggesting new directions.

Dr Zixin Huang: [Macquarie University]

Dreaming up some new theory, solving equations, writing papers, and sometimes I have a chat with my collaborators on the other side of the planet. Being an academic, I have a lot of freedom in what I do.

So basically, I get up every morning, I get to choose the problem I want to solve. I can travel the world, and I get to meet some of the most intelligent and kind people that you could possibly imagine.

[Screen reads, Sydney as a quantum hub.]

[Music, soft ambient.]

A/Prof Christopher Ferrie: [University of Technology Sydney]

What excites me about Sydney as a hub for quantum technology is the collaboration between industry and universities. So, we have over 100 quantum experts that span multinational organisations, start-ups.

Dr Marika Kieferova: [University of Technology Sydney and Google Quantum AI]

We also have Sydney Quantum Academy that brings all the academics together.

A/Prof Ivan Kassal: [The University of Sydney]

So, we are punching well above our weight. And at Sydney, we are able to have a critical mass of 4 different universities, each of which has really strong teams in quantum computing.

Ritika Bazzad: [Student, University of Techology Sydney]

All these universities are investing a lot of their time, effort, and money into this research field.

Dr Maja Cassidy: [UNSW Sydney]

Because of this amazing academic environment, a number of companies have invested in the Sydney area, to take advantage of the skills that are emerging out of these universities.

[Screen reads, Be inspired by quantum.]

Jacinta May: [Student, The University of Sydney]

My inspiration for quantum came when I was 15 years old. I went to a UNSW Quantum Open Day. And there was this one demonstration that blew my mind. It was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen in my life, and that wonder has stuck with me.

So, I chose physics at university and went into quantum computing that way.

Amanda Seedhouse: [Student, UNSW Sydney]

So, I was inspired to study quantum because of my undergraduate thesis project and one of the summer projects I did during my university studies. And it turned out to be modelling quantum systems to actually create lasers.

I love studying quantum because one, it's very fun learning new things all the time, and also, it's interesting to see that how very small systems can have very complicated ways to behave.

Prof Andrea Morello; [UNSW Sydney]

What I love the most about working in quantum technologies, is the educational side of it.

A/Prof Ivan Kassal: [The University of Sydney]

If you're a high school teacher who would like to bring some of these stories about these new technologies into your classroom, I'd encourage you to contact the Sydney Quantum Academy.

Dr Andre Saraiva: [UNSW Sydney and Diraq]

I think, the first thing is to inspire people about technology. People who are inspired about technology and about pushing the boundaries, will naturally be drawn to quantum technology.

Amanda Seedhouse: [Student, UNSW Sydney]

Bring in some exciting experiments that you can do and then the class has to figure out, oh, why is this thing happening? It's interesting to see how some of the students might come up with different ideas as to why this strange thing is happening and inspire them to think creatively, which I think is a key part of being a scientist or an engineer.

Prof Peter Turner: [CEO, Sydney Quantum Academy]

I think, it helped when I was a high school student that I had a physics teacher point out that if you study physics, you're basically a small fraction of the population competing for a large fraction of career opportunities down the road. I think that's even more true now.

Dr Zixin Huang: [Macquarie University]

The advice I would give to high school students who are thinking about pursuing a career in STEM is that you want to explore the field as in science in general as much as you could.

Jacinta May: [Student, The University of Sydney]

What you need to do is just figure out which parts of quantum you like, because the entire realm of quantum is so vast, that there are many, many different specialties.

Amanda Seedhouse: [Student, UNSW Sydney]

Don't be afraid to talk to someone you know in quantum or try and reach out and find someone in quantum, because they might have some projects you could do even at the high school level, or at least guide you into the pathway that's right for you.

Ritika Bazzad: [Student, University of Techology Sydney]

It's always good to ask questions, never be afraid, and people are always there to help you.

Jacinta May: [Student, The University of Sydney]

Prospective quantum students, if they're wanting to do quantum research, you should be looking at definitely physics in university, and you should be picking specialisations in your course work of quantum physics subjects, quantum mechanics-related subjects, mathematics.

You need to do a lot of mathematics. More than that, though, I would say look around you for volunteer opportunities in research labs.

All researchers are looking for highly enthusiastic people. It doesn't matter that you know nothing. Accept the fact you know nothing and be prepared to learn everything.

Prof Gavin Brennen: [Macquarie University and BTQ]:

At the undergraduate level, there are some undergraduate summer vacation scholarships. And some of these involve working with companies.

[Screen reads, The Quantum Terminal.]

The Sydney Quantum Academy is also here to help teachers answer that question. So, we run outreach events on career paths and those kinds of things.

Dr Marika Kieferova: [University of Technology Sydney and Google Quantum AI]

I took internships myself, and I couldn’t recommend it more. For me, it was an immensely rewarding experience, and it is a fantastic field to be part of.

[Music, bright.]

[Screen reads, Sydney Quantum Academy, and an image of the website. Screen reads, Visit sydneyquantum.org]

[End of transcript]