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News, Technology

Monash University, Fujitsu and CSIRO unite to advance Australia’s quantum research capability

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The collaboration between Monash, Australia’s largest university, leading Japanese information technology company Fujitsu, and Australia’s national science agency CSIRO will strengthen Australia’s quantum computing capability by advancing quantum research, expanding training opportunities and accelerating the translation of new discoveries into practical applications.

Quantum computing could help solve some of the world’s most complex challenges by enabling faster and more powerful analysis of scientific problems than is possible with conventional computing. It will be central to critical areas of research, including cybersecurity, healthcare, decarbonisation and climate science.

The collaboration supports the newly signed Memorandum of Cooperation between Australia and Japan on quantum science, technology and innovation, reflecting the growing strategic importance of quantum technologies to both countries.

(L to R) Japan’s Minister in Charge of Economic Security Kimi Onoda, Dr Anthony Chesman (CSIRO), Mr Jungo Okai (Fujitsu), Petra Andren (Quantum Australia) and Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research) Professor John Carroll (Monash University).

Monash University will lead the establishment of a shared quantum research and education facility and coordinate collaborative training activities, creating opportunities for researchers and PhD candidates to work with Fujitsu and CSIRO on projects that advance quantum computing research and result in meaningful impact.

Monash University Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research and Enterprise) and Senior Vice-President Professor Robyn Ward said the collaboration would strengthen Australia’s ability to translate quantum research into technologies that benefit society.

“Quantum technologies have the potential to transform the way we unlock solutions to some of the world’s most pressing issues, and building capability in this field will require deep collaboration between universities, industry and government,” Professor Ward said.

“This partnership brings together world-leading research expertise, advanced industry capability and opportunities to train the next generation of quantum researchers and innovators.

“Monash is proud to play a leading role in strengthening Australia’s quantum ecosystem – developing talent, enabling international collaboration and ensuring our research has a meaningful pathway from the lab to the real world.”

The collaboration’s research program will be based at Monash University’s Faculty of Information Technology.

Monash’s Faculty of Information Technology Dean Professor Ian Burnett welcomed the initiative and said the Faculty was excited to build on its deep expertise across AI, cybersecurity and advanced computing.

“This collaboration will bring our various multidisciplinary technology research strengths together in quantum computing, creating new opportunities for our researchers and students to contribute to advances in quantum algorithms, software and machine learning while working alongside leading experts from industry and Australia’s national science agency,” Professor Burnett said.

CSIRO Technology Director Dr Katja Digweed said this innovative collaboration can help accelerate the development of advanced quantum computing technologies in Australia.

“Connecting deep scientific capability with the right software and algorithms can bring quantum computing  closer to practical use in areas like cybersecurity, health, and climate science,” Dr Digweed said.

“Together we can build the skills, infrastructure and partnerships across research and industry, and between Australia and Japan.”

Fujitsu in Oceania CEO Peter Grassi said by bringing together Fujitsu’s leading quantum technologies, Monash University’s research excellence and CSIRO’s applied science expertise, new opportunities will be created to accelerate innovation, develop future talent and translate quantum breakthroughs into real-world outcomes.

“As a company with deep Japanese heritage and over half a century supporting organisations in Australia, Fujitsu is uniquely positioned to help connect the strengths of both countries’ quantum ecosystems,” Mr Grassi said.

“This collaboration will deepen research and innovation links between Australia and Japan while expanding access to advanced quantum technologies and expertise to help solve society’s most complex challenges.”

This article is a media release from Monash University. Read the original media release here.

Highlight, Innovation, News, Technology

Look out for valleytronics: Monash chip could shape next-gen quantum technologies

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A Monash University team has combined advanced materials and nanotechnology to solve a major challenge in an emerging field known as valleytronics.

Valleytronics explores new ways of processing information using quantum properties of materials, with potential applications in computing, data processing and communications.

The team has created a system that generates light signals, precisely guides them, and converts them into electrical signals. This is all within a compact, chip-based device.

Lead author of the study, Dr Chi Li says the research overcomes a key limitation that has held the field back for years.

“Until now, we could generate or detect these signals, but not do everything in one integrated device,” Dr Li says. “What we’ve built is a complete on-chip system that can create, route and read this information with very high precision.”

The device combines ultra-thin materials, only a few atoms thick, with specially designed nanostructures that control light.

Using light can deliver much higher speeds, greater bandwidth, and lower energy use. That means there’s high potential for applications in quantum computing, advanced imaging and future communication systems.

Importantly, the system works at room temperature, unlike many quantum technologies that require extremely cold conditions to operate.

“This is an important step toward technologies that use light instead of electricity to process information,” says senior author Dr Haoran Ren, ARC Future Fellow and leader of the Monash NanoMeta Group.

This work helps bridge the gap between experimental physics and practical technology, positioning Australia as a player in valleytronics.

Read the study, an international collaboration, published in Nature Photonics.

Image (above): An artist’s illustration of Monash’s photonic valleytronic chip. Credit: Chi Li.

Careers, Environment, Profiles, Society

Leading sustainable design

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With bachelor degrees in civil engineering and science and a PhD in environmental sociology, Dr Briony Rogers is uniquely placed for her present research role. She’s tackling the technical and social challenges required to make our urban water systems more sustainable and resilient to the impacts of climate change, a growing population and increasing urbanisation.

As a civil engineer, Rogers spent five years working for private infrastructure services consultancy GHD where she was responsible for civil engineering design and project management on a range of water infrastructure projects both in Australia and Vietnam. She was passionate about sustainability, but recalls that by the time designs landed on her desk, most of the big decisions influencing sustainability and resilience had already been made.
Rogers decided to take on doctoral research at Monash University and investigate processes of social change in relation to sustainable infrastructure and technology. “I drew on my technical understanding, but with the recognition that to implement new approaches, social systems would have to change as well,” she says.

Now, as a Research Fellow for the Monash University Water for Liveability Centre and the CRC for Water Sensitive Cities, Rogers works with key stakeholders to design strategies and new methods to build the “social capital” required to transform the way we plan, design and manage our urban water systems. Rogers’ interdisciplinary background means she can act as a bridge between various stakeholders, from engineers and ecologists to landscape architects, as well as organisations such as local councils, state government departments and private enterprise.

The big picture goal, Rogers says, is to transition to “water sensitive cities”, in which decentralised, low energy technologies are integrated with centralised networks to build resilience in the face of an unpredictable future. This requires thinking outside the square, she adds, and recognising that water infrastructure “is not just a pipe underground”, but a valuable part of the urban landscape, providing benefits that can enhance the liveability of a city. She gives an example of green cities that are irrigated using harvested stormwater to reduce extreme heat during heatwaves.

“We’ve been building our water systems in large-scale, centralised modes for a couple of hundred years, so it is very difficult to change our approach,” Rogers says. “That’s partly why this type of research is so important – to understand what is locking us into traditional systems, so we can overcome those barriers to support innovation not just in rhetoric, but in practice.”

Rogers was this year selected by the International Social Science Council to be one of 20 early-career World Social Science Fellows in the area of sustainable urbanisation.

– Gemma Chilton