Accelerate growth

Our vision is to build Australia’s quantum economy. Collaborating with academia, industry and government, SQA will harness Sydney’s collective quantum expertise to develop diverse talent and a globally recognised quantum ecosystem.

Specifically, we:

  • Develop

    future quantum leaders, specialists and entrepreneurs through education and training

  • Partner

    to understand the industry’s and the community’s evolving needs

  • Attract

    global talent and investment

  • Promote

    the responsible development and use of quantum technologies

Peter Turner

Chief Executive Officer

In addition to his role as CEO of the Sydney Quantum Academy, Professor Turner holds an Honorary Professorship in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, Macquarie University, and is a member of the Macquarie University Research Centre for Quantum Engineering.

Active in the quantum information field for nearly 20 years, Professor Turner completed his MSc and PhD in Physics at the University of Toronto, followed by an Alberta Ingenuity Fellowship at the Institute for Quantum Information Science at the University of Calgary, and an Assistant Professorship in Physics at the University of Tokyo.

As Director of the Quantum Engineering Centre for Doctoral Training at the University of Bristol, Professor Turner established arguably the world's first program aimed directly at preparing graduates for the nascent quantum technology industry. In addition to delivering novel graduate training, during his directorship he also oversaw engagement with government and industry partners.

Professor Turner has an extensive research track record with over AUD$15.5 million awarded in competitive funding from the UK, US, Japan and Canada.

Our Management Team

Governance

The Executive Board provides strategic oversight and direction for the SQA's activities. The board comprises the SQA CEO, an independent chair, and two representatives from each partner university - a senior executive (or delegate) and a quantum researcher. Current members are:

 

NameUniversity
Prof Stephen BartlettThe University of Sydney
Prof Brian BoyleIndependent Chair
Prof Michael BremnerUniversity of Technology Sydney
Prof Gavin BrennenMacquarie University
Prof Judith Dawes Macquarie University
Prof Andrew DzurakUniversity of New South Wales
Dr Katja Digweed Independent member
Prof Louise SharpeThe University of Sydney
Prof Penny MartensUniversity of New South Wales
Dr Susan PondIndependent member
Prof Peter TurnerSQA CEO
Prof Glenn WightwickUniversity of Technology Sydney

The External Advisory Board provides advice, expertise and insights to support the SQA to develop and achieve its strategic objectives.  Current members are:

NamePosition
Mr Bill BarteeManaging Director and Partner, Main Sequence Ventures
Mr Michael BrettWorldwide Business Development for Quantum Computing, Amazon Web Services
Prof Hugh Durrant-WhyteNSW Chief Scientist & Engineer, New South Wales Government
Prof Bronwyn Fox CSIRO Chief Scientist
Dr Hanhee PaikSenior Research Scientist, IBM Quantum
Dr Hartmut NevenHead of Quantum Computing, Google
Dr Naomi NickersonSr. Director, Quantum Architecture, PsiQuantum
Dr Vikram SharmaChief Executive Officer, Quintessence Labs
Dr Krysta SvoreGeneral Manager of Quantum Software, Microsoft
Mr Robert HunjetDSTG Program Leader- Artificial Intelligence, Department of Defence

The Technical Advisory Committee advises the SQA CEO on the strategic direction of the SQA with reference to the quantum ecosystem and the priorities and capabilities of the partner universities. Three members from each partner university are nominated to the committee. Current members are:

NameUniversity
Dr John BartholomewThe University of Sydney
A/Prof Dominic BerryMacquarie University
Prof Susan CoppersmithUNSW Sydney
Dr Xanthe CrootThe University of Sydney
Prof Andrew DohertyThe University of Sydney
A/Prof Alexei GilchristMacquarie University
Dr Zixin HuangMacquarie University
Dr Marika KieferovaUniversity of Technology Sydney
Dr Harley ScammellUniversity of Technology Sydney
Prof Andrea Morello UNSW Sydney
Dr Jarryd PlaUNSW Sydney
A/Prof Youming QiaoUniversity of Technology Sydney

Image courtesy of the University of Sydney.