The final quarter of 2025 (September to December) has been an exceptional one for the Quantum Science Group (QSG). From securing highly competitive grants, high-impact publications, media appearances and student successes, this edition of Good News celebrates the leadership, talent and momentum of our community.
The following QSG members were awarded ARC Discovery Project grants in the latest Scheme Round (2026 Round 1):
Dr Laura Manenti, Dr Xanthe Croot and Prof Andrew Doherty, for their project “Mitigating Ionising Radiation Errors in Superconducting Quantum Computers”
Dr Ting Rei Tan and Dr Robert Wolf, for their project “Error-corrected quantum metrology for ultra-sensitive force sensing”
You can read more about their winning projects here.
Dr John Bartholomew was invited to speak at the Bradfield Oration about the opportunity quantum presents for Australia (view the live blog coverage here); featured in an article in the Daily Telegraph and in an article in the Border Mail; and had his radio debut on ABC Radio Mornings in November.
Prof Andrew Doherty, Prof Stephen Bartlett, Dr John Bartholomew, Dr Xanthe Croot, and Dr Ting Rei Tan were named Chief Investigators in the new ARC Centre of Excellence for Quantum Computer Performance and Integration. This Centre of Excellence will be led by UNSW but have a large node at Sydney. Securing ARC funding was a team effort, but a special mention goes to Prof Andrew Doherty, Deputy Director (Research Excellence), who spearheaded the successful bid.
Prof David Reilly was appointed Chief Investigator for the new ARC Centre of Excellence in Mathematics for Quantum Era Security and Trust (MathQuEST), to be headquartered at the University of Sydney.
Dr Cyril Laplane was awarded CAPEX funding to purchase a “High-Resolution and Compact Optical Spectrometer for Advanced Quantum, Astro-, and Nano-Photonics Research”; as was Dr Ting Rei Tan for his project on “Agile Control System for Quantum Simulation of Chemical Dynamics”.
Dr Ting Rei Tan was named the Sydney Nano – Research Member of the Year.
And finally, congratulations to long-time QSG collaborator Prof Thomas Ohki, who was appointed Professor of Practice in Quantum Technology at the School of Physics.
With so much momentum across our faculty and research staff, it’s equally inspiring to see our students making their mark. Last quarter brought a wave of impressive achievements from the next generation of quantum researchers, reflecting both their talent and the strength of the mentorship within our community.
PhD student Rebecca Radebold’s project Qubridge won the Audience Choice Award in Blackbird Foundry’s Cohort 5.
Rebecca and PhD student Edward Zhang (QNL) were awarded Sydney Nano Student Ambassador Scholarships and appeared alongside PhD student Prachi Nagal (QCL) in a Daily Telegraph article.
PhD student Xanda Kolesnikow et al’s paper Protected phase gate for the $0$-$\pi$ qubit using its internal modes was accepted by PRX Quantum.
PhD student Maverick Millican et al’s paper Engineering continuous-variable entanglement in mechanical oscillators with optimal control was accepted by Physical Review Letters.
Congratulations to the following students whose Honours degrees were conferred:
- Nihar Makadia (QCL)
- Jason Wang (QCL)
- Luke Murray (QNL)
And to the following PhD candidates in the Theory Group, who were awarded their Doctoral degrees:
- Nouedyn Baspin
- Nicholas Fazio
- Evan Hockings
- Sam Smith
- Edgar Tanuarta
- Felix Thomsen
The last quarter brought new faces and heartfelt farewells as several members embarked on exciting next steps in their careers.
We welcomed:
- Dr Timo Hillmann, Postdoctoral Research Associate, QTG.
- Visiting masters student, Matteo Maury, who is undertaking an internship with Dr Ting Rei Tan in the Quantum Control Laboratory.
We farewelled:
- Dr Seok Hyung Lee, Postdoctoral Research Associate, QTG.
- QTG PhD student, Nicholas Fazio, who has taken up a position at Yaqumo Inc. in Japan.
- QTG PhD students: Felix Thomsen, Nicholas Fazio, Sam Smith, Evan Hockings and Edgar Tanuarta – all of whom have joined the team at spin-off Iceberg Quantum
- QIL Hons student, Maria Nicolae, who has recently commenced a role at spin-off Q-Ctrl.
- Research Assistant, Amelie Skelton, QTG.
With such a successful quarter behind us, the QSG community is entering 2026 with strong momentum and a clear sense of what’s possible. With major initiatives underway and new opportunities emerging, the year ahead promises to be an exciting one for the Quantum Science Group.