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Airdate: Boyer Lecture 2023

2018 Australian of the Year to speak on the “space race of the computing era" in ABC lectures in October.

2018 Australian of the Year Professor Michelle Simmons will deliver the 2023 Boyer Lecture series screening on ABC next month.

Professor Simmons’ series of four lectures with the overarching theme, The Atomic Revolution, will explore quantum physics, manufacturing at the atomic scale, women in science, and why Australia is perfectly positioned to build the world’s first error corrected quantum computer

​Professor Simmons believes we are in the midst of the “space race of the computing era.” Along with her team, she is aiming to build a quantum computer capable of solving complex problems – that would otherwise take thousands of years – in minutes. Such a computer has the potential to revolutionise drug design, weather forecasting, self-driving vehicles, artificial intelligence and more.

ABC Chair Ita Buttrose said: “I am delighted that Professor Simmons will deliver this year’s Boyer lectures. She is an inspirational scientific leader and will discuss the revolution in atomic-scale manufacturing that is underway here in Australia, and the implications for building an Australian quantum computer.”

The Boyer Lecture series, named after former ABC Chairman Sir Richard Boyer, is a series of lectures from a prominent Australian invited to express their thoughts on major social, cultural, scientific or political issues.

Professor Simmons is the CEO of Silicon Quantum Computing and the Director at the Centre of Excellence for Quantum Computation and Communication Technology at the University of New South Wales. She was the inaugural Editor-in-Chief of Nature Quantum Information.

​Professor Simmons is a pioneer in atomic electronics and a global leader in quantum computing. Her achievements include developing the world’s first single-atom transistor, the world’s narrowest conducting wires, the ability to encode and read information on single atoms and the world ‘s first integrated circuit made with atomic precision.

The first lecture will screen live on ABC and iview on Thursday 19 October at 8pm.

One Response

  1. Congratulations Professor Michelle Simmons for your extraordinary lecture, that we listened to with huge interest tonight. You spoke so well – without a note in your hands – but instead we heard such inspiring and exciting words – indeed a product of an astoundingly intelligent mind. Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge. I hope that every Australian gets right behind your ground-breaking project. You are an amazing woman and human being and we are lucky to have you in our world.

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