Quantum Technology Fellowship for leading University researcher
Published: 28 September 2015
Professor Douglas Paul has been announced as one of a series of leading researchers who will share in a £12 million investment from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC).
The University of Glasgow’s Professor Douglas Paul has been announced as one of a series of leading researchers who will share in a £12 million investment from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC).
The Quantum Technologies Fellowships are funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and will support both the individuals and their teams to help realise the country’s potential.
Part of the £270 million National Quantum Technology Programme, the Fellowships are aimed at Early and Established career stage academics whose research focuses on the direct exploitation of quantum phenomena, such as superposition or entanglement, to address the challenges of translation of quantum science through technology to eventual application.
The five-year fellowship will allow Professor Paul, currently Director of the School of Engineering's James Watt Nanofabrication Centre, to transition away from full-time leadership of the centre and dedicate more time to working for the benefit of the UK’s quantum technology industries.
Professor Paul’s project will develop practical quantum technology for the accurate measurement of electrical currents and to develop high sensitivity detectors for gases such as carbon dioxide, methane (the gas used to heat homes) and carbon dioxide.
Professor Paul said: “I’m pleased and proud to have received the Quantum Technology Fellowship from EPSRC.
“The key to ensuring quantum technology’s seamless integration into industry is to focus on the immense benefits which it can bring to a wide range of industries, allowing the creation of faster, cheaper and more powerful components. The University of Glasgow’s leadership of QuantIC and close relationship with the other UK quantum technology hubs puts us in the ideal position to foster closer and more productive relationships between academia and industry for the benefit of the UK economy.
“I’m looking forward to the opportunities this fellowship will create in this very exciting area of research and development.”
Professor Philip Nelson, EPSRC’s Chief Executive, said: “These Fellowships are a key part of the UK’s national programme for Quantum Technologies; they will allow our current and future research leaders in the field to research, discover and innovate. They will push the quantum technologies agenda forward, make new collaborations both to source wider research expertise to overcome technical barriers, and to engage with the industry partners who will potentially utilise these technologies.”
Minister for Universities and Science, Jo Johnson said: “The UK has some of the world’s leading academic talent in the field of Quantum Technology research. It is science that tests us all to comprehend but developments in this area promise real world benefits that can affect technologies from healthcare to communications and finance to defence. Investing in those at the forefront of this revolution will put the country in pole position in the future.”
Quantum Technologies use the properties of quantum physics to gain a functionality or performance which is otherwise unattainable. They promise future dramatic changes in the technological capabilities in several key areas, including secure communications, metrology, sensor technologies, simulation and computation.
The fellowships complement the other components of the national programme and EPSRC investments in Quantum Technology Hubs and Centres for Doctoral Training. The fellows will develop potentially transformative research that contributes to the development of novel quantum technologies, which is not being undertaken in the existing hubs.
Media enquiries: ross.barker@glasgow.ac.uk / 0141 330 8593
First published: 28 September 2015
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