Month: October 2025

Launching the 2025 Connect Initiative: Building Bridges Across Quantum and Life Sciences

Posted on by Rebecca Hobden

In a Centre as ambitious and interdisciplinary as QUBIC, collaboration isn’t just encouraged—it’s essential. The Connect Initiative is our flagship program designed to support researchers in building meaningful, hands-on collaborations across disciplines, institutions, and borders.

It’s about more than travel or internships. It’s about creating the conditions for researchers in quantum science and the life sciences to work together in ways that are thoughtful, productive, and sometimes unexpected.

Why Connect Matters

Quantum biotechnology is a frontier field. It brings together expertise from quantum physics, bioscience, and beyond—and that kind of interdisciplinarity takes time, trust, and shared experience. The Connect Initiative helps make that possible by supporting researchers to:

  • Spend time in unfamiliar lab environments
  • Learn new scientific approaches and techniques
  • Build collaborations that wouldn’t happen through remote meetings alone

What Connect Made Possible in 2024

Earlier this year, three researchers shared how Connect helped them pursue projects that expanded their research and built new connections across the Centre:

  • Dr Marita Rodriguez (UQ) visited labs in Wollongong and Melbourne to explore how authorship and credit are negotiated in interdisciplinary teams. Her work offers practical insights into how recognition is shared—and how we can support fairer collaboration, especially for early-career researchers.
  • Dr Sergey Kruk (UTS) travelled to UQ and UoM to bring nanophotonics into biological sensing and quantum measurement. His collaborations showed how photonics can enhance the tools we use in bioscience and quantum sensing—making measurements more sensitive and precise.
  • Dr Benjamin Carey (UQ) worked with researchers at UOW to build a chip-scale platform for measuring muscle-cell contraction. His project bridges quantum optics and live-cell biology, opening new possibilities for studying neuromuscular function at the single-cell level.

These projects reflect the kind of work Connect is designed to support—collaborative, cross-disciplinary, and deeply relevant to QUBIC’s mission.

What’s Available in 2025

The 2025 Connect Initiative is now open to Centre members. This year’s program includes:

  • Internships with industry and government
  • Travel support for international collaboration
  • Exchange placements embedding quantum researchers in bioscience labs—and vice versa

Each stream is designed to broaden your perspective, deepen your expertise, and strengthen the Centre’s interdisciplinary culture.

QUBIC welcomes Professor Muhammad Usman as a new Associate Investigator

Posted on by Rebecca Hobden

Professor Muhammad Usman, a leading expert in quantum computing at CSIRO, has joined QUBIC as an Associate Investigator. His appointment strengthens QUBIC’s mission to translate quantum science into real-world impact, particularly in health and sustainability.

At QUBIC, Professor Usman will contribute to the Queensland Quantum Decarbonisation Alliance (QDA), and collaborate across the Molecule Theme with Prof Alan Mark, Prof Haibo Yu and others, as well as the Brain Theme with Prof Warwick Bowen, Prof Lloyd Hollenberg, Prof Lezanne Ooi and others. His work focuses on developing quantum algorithms that can accelerate breakthroughs in medical imaging, early-stage diagnostics, and drug discovery, bridging the gap between academic research and industry applications.

“Quantum computing is one of the most exciting frontiers in science,” says Professor Usman. “It holds the promise to solve problems that are currently beyond the reach of classical computing, from curing diseases like cancer to discovering new materials for clean energy.”

Professor Usman’s team will work closely with QUBIC researchers to drive innovation, support talent development, and position Australia as a global leader in quantum-enabled health and biotechnology.

When he’s not designing quantum algorithms, Professor Usman enjoys experimenting in the kitchen. “As a theorist, I don’t have a physics lab, so I satisfy my experimental curiosity through cooking,” he says.

Global quantum leaders unite in Australia to drive a quantum transformation of the life sciences 

Posted on by Rebecca Hobden

Wollongong, NSW – 19–21 November 2025
Australia will be centre stage in the global quantum revolution this November, as leading researchers and experts from academia, industry and medicine from around the world gather for the inaugural qLIFE Conference – International Conference on Quantum Technologies and the Life Sciences. 

Quantum technologies are poised to transform the life sciences, from accelerated drug development to early detection of disease and improved agricultural productivity. 

Hosted by the ARC Centre of Excellence for Quantum Biotechnology (QUBIC), qLIFE is the first international conference series dedicated to the life sciences applications of quantum technologies. The event will be held at Novotel Wollyangah/Wollongong bringing together participants to explore the development of quantum tools tailored for life science applications, cultivate emerging talent, deepen our understanding of biological systems, and accelerate translation into real-world impact. 

qLIFE 2025 is a flagship event of the International Year of Quantum 2025, showcasing Australia’s leadership in quantum innovation and its growing impact on health, sustainability and biotechnology. 

“Quantum technologies allow us to see living systems at unprecedented detail,” says Professor Warwick Bowen, QUBIC Director. “They promise to revolutionise our understanding and treatment of diseases such as dementia, along with many other applications. qLIFE is about building the global, cross-disciplinary community needed to drive this transformation.” 

A world-class program
The conference features an exceptional line-up of speakers, including: 

  • Professor Sir Peter Knight (Imperial College London)
  • Professor Jennifer Dionne (Stanford University) 
  • Professor Miles Padgett (University of Glasgow) 
  • Professor Fedor Jelezko (Ulm University) 
  • Leaders from IBM, Google, Novo Nordisk Foundation, PsiQuantum, SandboxAQ, and innovators such as NVision Imaging Technologies, Calico Labs, FieldLine, and Insilico Medicine. 

The program includes:  

  • Public Lectures designed to engage the broader community in quantum technologies and the life science. 
  • Future Perspective Keynotes deep diving into the future of quantum technology for the life science, emerging directions, major opportunities, and disruptive developments 
  • Invited Presentations from international experts on quantum sensing, imaging, computing and diagnostics. 

Engaging the public in quantum innovation
As part of the conference and the International Year of Quantum 2025, qLIFE will feature a free public lecture designed to engage the broader community in the transformative potential of quantum technologies. The lecture will be delivered by Professor Jennifer Dionne (Stanford University), a global leader in quantum nanophotonics and biomedical imaging, and Professor Sir Peter Knight (Imperial College London), one of the world’s foremost quantum physicists.  

Their talks, aimed at the public, will explore how quantum technologies are reshaping our understanding of life and health – from unlocking the secrets of ocean ecosystems to revolutionising diagnostics, brain imaging, and the future of medicine. The event is hosted by the ARC Centre of Excellence in Quantum Biotechnology and sponsored by Quantum Australia. 

Event details
Public Lecture & Fireside Chat: Quantum Technologies for Life & Health
Tuesday 18 November 2025 | 6–8pm AEDT
UOW Science Space, Innovation Campus, Wollongong
This is a free event. Register here. 

Bringing quantum to life
Quantum sensing and computing are unlocking new frontiers in drug discovery, biomedical imaging, neuroscience and clean energy. Global investment in quantum technologies has already exceeded $55 billion, with the market projected to reach $106 billion by 2040. Life sciences are emerging as one of the most promising application areas, with quantum computing alone estimated to create $200–$500 billion in value by 2035, particularly through breakthroughs in drug discovery, diagnostics, and molecular simulation. 

qLIFE aims to accelerate these breakthroughs by fostering cross-disciplinary collaboration and nurturing emerging talent. 

Media contact
connect.qubic@uq.edu.au

A Century Ago Quantum Mechanics Reshaped Physics. Today, it’s Revolutionising Medicine – One Diamond at a Time

Posted on by Rebecca Hobden

A/Prof David Simpson’s July Public Lecture explores how diamond quantum sensing is transforming our understanding of the human body.

As part of the University of Melbourne’s prestigious July Lectures in Physics, a tradition since 1968, Associate Professor David Simpson delivered a compelling talk on Quantum Biotechnology and Quantum Sensing. This lecture was a highlight of the 2025 series, held in celebration of the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology (IYQ 2025), marking 100 years since the birth of quantum mechanics.

In his talk, A/Prof Simpson explored how diamond-based quantum sensors are revolutionising medical technologies. From decoding magnetic signals in brain tissue to detecting iron imbalances in the body, these technologies are not only illuminating biology in new ways, but they’re also laying the groundwork for next-generation medical diagnostics and therapies.

 “Diamond materials are leading a new quantum sensing revolution that is transforming our understanding of the human body,” Simpson explains. “What was once confined to the lab are now becoming the clinical tools of tomorrow.”

This work is part of a broader national effort led by QUBIC, which brings together a multi-disciplinary team of physicists, biologists, chemists, neuroscientists and social scientists to harness quantum technologies for real-world biomedical impact. QUBIC is at the forefront of developing quantum tools to study living systems, with applications ranging from understanding neurodegenerative diseases to cancer detection.

Watch now: Quantum Sensing: The diamond age of quantum biotechnology

The July Lectures in Physics are presented by the University of Melbourne School of Physics. They are a series of free public lectures exploring physics: from the most fundamental questions to its influence in society.