Quantum Science and Technology Hub
The first quantum revolution brought a completely new understanding of the physics behind everything we observe and the nature itself of our universe.
Phenomena like quantum superposition (the ability of a particle to be in two states at the same time), entanglement between two particles (the ability to instantaneously change the state of one particle by measuring its entangled counterpart, even at large distances) and quantum interference (in which particles interfere as waves) have been puzzling scientists around the world ever since – including Einstein.
With the advent of the second quantum revolution, these counterintuitive quantum phenomena have continued to trigger a global development of quantum technologies, with the capability of providing strategic benefits to the security, health and wellbeing of our society.
There's a rising global demand for faster computing power, more secure communication protocols, and high-precision metrological schemes for use in medical, environmental, and engineering settings, and this is stimulating a parallel demand for highly-skilled, knowledgable and capable quantum scientists, engineers, and AI, computing and biomedical experts.
And it's this need – along with the necessity to find industrial partners to take the growing quantum technological revolution forward – which has led to the creation of the Quantum Science and Technology Hub (QSTH), under the direction of Dr. Vincenzo Tamma.
The QSTH connects the University's core quantum science and technology staff with experts in related departments across the University – such as artificial intelligence (AI), biomedical engineering, medicine, computing, environmental science and gravitation – and with external collaborators on four continents.
Through the QSTH, we're working to achieve a deeper understanding of quantum science, to develop novel quantum technologies, and to boost the industrial use of quantum technologies at the crossover between different disciplines.
QSTH Founding Director
Dr. Vincenzo Tamma, University of Portsmouth, PO1 3QL vincenzo.tamma@port.ac.uk | +442392 842452
University QSTH Advisory Board
- Djamel Ait-Boudaoud, Executive Dean of the Faculty of Technology
- Gordon Blunn, Theme Professor (Health and Wellbeing)
- Jim Briggs, Professor of Informatics and Associate Dean (Research)
- Adrian Hopgood, Theme Professor (Future and Emerging Technologies)
- David Hutchinson, Innovation and Impact Development Manager
- Peter Lee, Theme Professor (Security and Risk)
- Djamila Ouelhadj, Professor of Operational Research
- Daniel Thomas, Professor of Astrophysics, Head of the School of Mathematics and Physics
The QSTH aims to
- Develop high-precision quantum sensors for medical and environmental applications, remote sensing, infrastructure planning and development (e.g. railway transport, autonomous cars), high precision navigation, testing fundamental laws in the universe
- Develop a new generation of quantum simulators for medical and environmental applications
- Secure long distance quantum communication
- Develop superfast quantum computing devices
- Explore the interface between AI, data-intensive science and quantum physics techniques to benchmark quantum technologies and quantum machine learning for next generation quantum processors
- Further the study of quantum phenomena within the fields of quantum optics, matter waves, atom interferometry and the interface between quantum physics and gravity.
QSTH members (by School)
School of Mathematics and Physics
- Michal Gnacik, Senior lecturer in Mathematics
- Dylan Jones, Director of Centre for Operational Research and Logistics
- Jaewoo Joo, Senior Lecturer in Physics
- Esmaeil Namvar, Teaching Fellow in Physics
- Djamila Ouelhadj, Professor of Operational Research
- Vincenzo Tamma, QSTH Director and Reader in Physics
- Daniel Thomas, Head of School and Professor of Astrophysics
- Ittay Weiss, Senior lecturer in Mathematics
- Dr. Chris Dewdney, Research Fellow in Foundations of Quantum Physics
Institute of Cosmology and Gravitation
- David Bacon, Professor of Cosmology
- Andrew Lundgren, Reader in Gravitational Wave Physics
- Vincenzo Tamma, QSTH Director and Reader in Physics
- Daniel Thomas, Professor of Astrophysics
- David Wands, Professor of Cosmology
School of Computing
- Dr Janka Chlebikova, Senior lecturer in Computer Science
- Alexander Gegov, Reader in Computational Intelligence
School of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences
- Gordon Blunn, Professor of Bioengineering
- Marta Roldo, Senior lecturer in Pharmaceutics
School of the Environment Geography and Geosciences
- Phil Benson, Reader in Rock Physics
- Mohammad Hoque, Senior lecturer in Hydrogeology
School of Mechanical and Design Engineering
- Gianluca Tozzi, Reader in Bioengineering
School of Creative Technologies
- Hui Yu, Professor of Visual Computing
International collaborators
- Prof. Xiao-Hui Bao, University of Science and Technology of China
- Prof. Paolo Facchi, University of Bari, Italy
- Dr. Eran Ginossar, Department of Physics, University of Surrey, UK
- Prof. Elizabeth Goldschmidt, University of Illinois, US
- Prof. Mohammad Hafezi, University of Maryland College Park, U.S
- Dr. Yonatan Israel, Physics Department, Stanford University, California, USA
- Prof. Kurt Jacobs, U.S. Army Research Laboratory
- Prof. Hyunseok Jeong, Department of Physics, Seoul National University, S. Korea
- Prof. Michał Karpiński, University of Warsaw, Poland
- Prof. Jaewan Kim, Korea Institute for Advanced Study, South Korea
- Prof. Yoon-Ho Kim, Pohang University of Science and Technology, South Korea
- Dr. Shingo Kono, Riken, Center for Emergent Matter Science, Japan
- Prof. Jinhyoung Lee, Department of Physics, Hanyang University, South Korea
- Dr. Peter Leek, Department of Physics, University of Oxford, UK
- Prof. Alberto Marino, University of Oklahoma, US
- Dr. William Munro, Nippon Telegraph & Telephone Basic Research Labs, Japan
- Prof. Frank Narducci, Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, U.S
- Prof. Kae Nemoto, National Institute of Informatics, Japan
- Dr. Daniel Oi, Department of Physics, University of Strathclyde, UK
- Prof. Janwei Pan, University of Science and Technology of China
- Prof. Ernst Rasel, Leibniz University, Hannover, Germany
- Prof. Terry Rudolph, Department of Physics, Imperial College London, UK
- Prof. Wolfgang P. Schleich, University of Ulm, Germany
- Prof. Yanhua Shih, University of Maryland, Baltimore
- Prof. Tim Spiller, Department of Physics, University of York, UK
- Prof. Andrew White, University of Queensland, Australia
Work with us
Prospective PhD students are welcome to contact QSTH anytime and to look at projects advertised in our Physics postgraduate research pages.
Further schemes available for post-doctoral prospective applicants keen to join the QSTH – including Royal Society, Leverhulme Trust, EU Marie Curie Fellowships.
We're also very keen to welcome anytime at our QSTH visiting scientist interested in joint collaborations.
Funding
The QSTH has secured funding for quantum sensing technologies from the US Department of Defence and is also currently engaging with UK funding agencies and institutions.
Partnerships and links
We have links with a range of business and organisations in industry, and with other government and academic institutions, including:
- Defence Science and Technology Laboratory
- Erasmus partnerships with the University of Bari and the University of Palermo
- HPE
- IBM
- Nabla Ventures and its portfolio companies in quantum technologies – including QLM Technology, Nu Quantum
- Quantum Engineering Center for Doctoral Training at the University of Bristol
- Quantum Technology Enterprise Centre (QTEC) at the University of Bristol
Strategic alignment
The work of the centre engages with the University's overall Strategy and with four of the University's Research Themes – Future & Emerging Technologies; Health & Wellbeing; Security & Risk, and Sustainability & Environment. Our work also aligns with the UK Government's Industrial Strategy [PDF] – in which Quantum Technology plays a major role – and responds to the predicted growth of the worldwide quantum technology market ($13.3B investment predicted by 2023).
The work of the QSTH overlaps with many of the University's research areas of expertise – including the two areas listed below within our Physics research.
Press coverage and news
- Invited Physics Viewpoint: Vincenzo Tamma, 3D Collimation of Matter Waves, Physics 14, 119 (2021)
- Major quantum computational breakthrough is shaking up physics and maths – The Conversation's most-read article for August 2020, by Dr Ittay Weiss
- Quantum distributed metrology – reducing measurement noise now in reach (November 2019)
- Stretched photons recover lost interference Physic.Org (October, 2019)
- Photonic Zoom’ research could lead to Quantum information and sensing technologies (November 2018)
- Multiphoton interference observed beyond coherence time Physic.Org (Jan, 2018)
- Using thermal light sources to take accurate distance measurements Physic.Org (June, 2017)
Recent news and events
- Public lecture on What is Quantum Technology? by Prof. Peter Knight –
Organised by the School of Maths and Physics and the Portsmouth District Physics Society, chaired by Dr. Vincenzo Tamma - Public lecture on "Quantum entanglement and the nature of reality" by Prof. Vedral from Oxford University
9 October 2019 – organised by the School of Maths and Physics and the Portsmouth District Physics Society, chaired by Dr. Vincenzo Tamma - Portsmouth Workshop Series: The Quantum Industry
19–22 November 2019 – Facilitated by Dr. Andrew Collins, Enterprise Developer for the Quantum Technology Enterprise Centre (QTEC) -
International Workshop on High-Precision Quantum Sensing
14–17 September 2021 – organised in collaboration with the Institute of Cosmology and Gravitation (ICG) and the School of Mathematics and Physics
In February 2019, we also hosted a cross-theme course on Quantum Metrology – featuring invited speaker Dr. Antonella De Pasquale from Scuola Normale Superiore, Pisa – and an international cross-theme workshop on Quantum Sensing Technologies at the University in March 2019.
