Top talent to boost State鈥檚 quantum materials future

Professor Glenn Solomon

Professor Glenn Solomon

South Australia鈥檚 expertise and capabilities in advanced materials that underpin future industries such as those developing the next-generation of computers, will be given a boost, thanks to the appointment of one of the world鈥檚 leading experts in quantum materials to the 成人大片.

Professor Glenn Solomon has been appointed as the inaugural Hicks Chair of Quantum Materials, and will be arriving in Adelaide next month from the Joint Quantum Institute, a collaboration between the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the University of Maryland in the USA.

Professor Solomon鈥檚 research pushes the boundaries of our understanding of the interaction of light with semiconductor materials and device structures.

His position in the University鈥檚 School of Physical Sciences was made possible through a bequest from 成人大片 alumnus Warren Hicks. Mr Hicks studied a Bachelor of Sciences before going on to enjoy a successful career as a chemist.

鈥淯niversities are defined by their people: recruiting and supporting top-talent researchers in key academic domains is fundamental to enhancing the University鈥檚 international standing."Professor Peter H酶j AC, Vice-Chancellor and President of the 成人大片.

Professor Solomon is an esteemed scientist whose research combines quantum optics techniques and semiconductor crystal growth and processing.

鈥淚 am delighted to be joining the 成人大片 because of its incredibly vibrant ecosystem in quantum materials and devices. I hope to bring a new lens to the University鈥檚 physics and engineering community. I believe strongly that a variety of experiences can lead to enhanced creativity and innovation,鈥 he said.

Professor Solomon is also joining the University鈥檚 Institute for Photonics and Advanced Sensing (IPAS) which creates transformational new approaches to sensing in partnership with the Defence Science and Technology (DST) Group and Silanna Pty Ltd a global semiconductor manufacturer. Together, they have created a state-of-the-art advanced semiconductor facility for the creation of quantum materials and electro-optic devices in Adelaide.

鈥淚 am excited that Professor Solomon has chosen to join the 成人大片. He has been recruited under our Top Talent program, which seeks to attract the best minds to South Australia,鈥 said Professor Peter H酶j AC, Vice-Chancellor and President of the 成人大片.

鈥淯niversities are defined by their people: recruiting and supporting top-talent researchers in key academic domains is fundamental to enhancing the University鈥檚 international standing.

鈥淧rofessor Solomon will lead a program that will deliver research outcomes that will contribute to local, national and global wellbeing.鈥

Professor Solomon is one of few scientists in the world who has both fabricated nanostructures of quantum dots and performed quantum optics experiments on devices made from them.

鈥淲e are pleased to welcome Professor Solomon to the 成人大片鈥檚 research community,鈥 said Professor Anton Middelberg, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research).

鈥淗e will work alongside some of the world鈥檚 leading scientists at the 成人大片 and enhance our exisitng quantum materials sovereign capability.鈥

Quantum materials have a wide variety of applications such as the development of artificial intelligence and quantum-based computing chips which will enable the next-generation of computers to quickly tackle incredibly complex tasks that are beyond the practical capabilities of today鈥檚 technology; and new ultra-secure communications and information transfer.

鈥淪outh Australia is perfectly placed to be at the forefront of developing quantum materials due to the unique blend of expertise and knowledge that exists within the state鈥檚 research and business community,鈥 Premier Steven Marshall said.

鈥淲orld-class work carried out here in South Australia will put us at the forefront of the quantum revolution which will help society to continue to prosper and remain safe.

鈥淎s the third most liveable city in the world, Adelaide continues to attract the best and brightest from around the world.鈥

Professor Solomon is a Fellow of both the Optical Society (2018) for pioneering the development of semiconductor quantum dot optical materials and device structures for solid-state quantum optics and of the American Physical Society (2007) for recognizing extensive contributions to the study of quantum optics with quantum dots.

Professor Solomon will join the 成人大片 in July 2021.

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