Dr John Bartholomew says Australia is a global leader in the field of quantum technology and on the brink of potentially the biggest information technology leap the world has ever seen.
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Nicola Bailey
Former Corowan, Dr John Bartholomew works at the forefront of quantum technology, solving complex problems too difficult for classical computers.
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Since starting the quantum integration laboratory at Sydney University, Dr Bartholomew has helped establish Australia as a global leader in the field.
He and his group of PhD students and researchers are building technology that allows quantum computers to share information allowing the scientific world a greater understanding of quantum mechanics.
For the uninitiated, Quantum mechanics is the branch of physics that describes the behaviour of matter and energy at the smallest scales, such as atoms and subatomic particles.
And according to Dr Bartholomew, the most important thing to understand is that a quantum computer is not simply the next generation of phone or computer technology that’s faster or more powerful, it’s potentially the biggest information technology leap the world has ever seen.
“This is a fundamentally new technology that uses the strange and counter-intuitive effects you see when you zoom in on our world to the level of single atoms and electrons,” he said.
“Even though the world of quantum mechanics at this scale is strange and hard to understand, we now understand it well enough to control and engineer it to build technologies, including computing and communication.
“For the technology we use today we have the internet, which is an amazingly powerful way to share information between computers.
“In quantum technology we don't have that yet, so we’re working on the components you need to share that quantum information.
“International companies are setting up operations in Australia to work with home grown talent and utilise the expertise and skill we have here.”
Dr Bartholomew is excited by the prospect of training the next generation of Australian science and technology leaders at Sydney University.
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adam taylor
Born in Albury and raised in Corowa until he was 13, Dr Bartholomew went to Corowa Public School and did two years at Corowa High School before his family moved to Canberra.
He studied at the Australian National University, and after completing a PhD spent four-and-a-half years living and working overseas, including a year in Paris and three-and-a-half years as a researcher at the California Institute of Technology in America.
“I enjoyed living in Corowa; it's a very close-knit community,” he said.
“Mum and Dad were the Presbyterian ministers there, so I always remember going to the shops where they had lots of conversations with people.
“I had a lot of supportive, almost surrogate grandparents and family members in Corowa who were great friends to the family; it was sad to leave.”
Although he doesn’t visit as much as he’d like, he says it’s been great to show his young daughter where he grew up.
Dr Bartholomew says anything that is sufficiently advanced in terms of technology comes with risks, but doesn’t see any Terminators in our future.
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Nicola Bailey
Now based in Sydney, Dr Bartholomew is involved in a new, Australia-wide research centre called the Centre for Quantum Computing Performance and Integration.
From his work at the centre, he suggests the really transformational and large-scale quantum systems are likely to emerge in the next decade.
“We're working hard to make sure those systems are as efficient and powerful as possible, as well as ensuring Australia continues to lead the world in this type of technology,” he said.
“If we do our job right, we'll have large scale systems solving challenges we can't imagine solving at the moment.”
“If we do our job right, we'll have large scale systems solving challenges we can't imagine solving at the moment.”
Dr Bartholomew is optimistic about technology advancement and is hopeful the interface between humans and computers continues to allow development without getting into unrealistic science fiction scenarios.
He said while AI has been transformational and continues to impact and change the way we do things, he’s hoping quantum computing will make that look like a small change in terms of the capability it will unlock.
“I'm excited to see what benefits that could bring,” Dr Bartholomew said.
“It's a privilege to work with people who are aiming to transform how we think about computing and computer technology and train the next generation of Australian science and technology leaders.
“The opportunity to come into work every day knowing you might see something in the lab no one has ever seen is an exciting prospect.”
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