CiQ 2026 Schedule

Your career journey after graduation will be unique—a path shaped by your academic background, skills, interests, and the needs of the job market. As a physics graduate or postgraduate, you’ll find a wide range of opportunities open to you. Physics expertise is highly valued on other fields such as healthcare, engineering, data science, and green energy too. If you have expertise in quantum science, you are uniquely placed to make an impact in both academia and industry. According to the State of Quantum 2024 report, 33 countries now have national quantum initiatives, which means the demand for a skilled quantum workforce is growing rapidly.Physics skills have always been valued by many industries, even in those not traditionally associated with the physical sciences, like finance. The physics know-how is considered an advantage, as is the ability to creatively solve complex problems. In this talk, I’ll share my own career journey, as a physicist who is pursuing a career in scientific publishing as well as the non-conventional career journeys of some highly successful physicists, and discuss the current market landscape for physics expertise.

This session will explore the importance of diversity and inclusion in building a resilient and innovative quantum workforce. Drawing on the work of Girls in Quantum, it highlights existing barriers to participation in quantum science and technology and discusses practical, community-driven approaches to widening access across gender, geography, and background. The session reflects on why inclusive workforce development is critical for the long-term success of the quantum ecosystem and aims to connect with attendees at all stages of their academic and professional careers.

It is well known that integrated quantum photonics was invented here in Bristol, but how did it happen? I will discuss a short history of quantum photonics during my time as a PhD student in Bristol. I will then take you on my career journey, from my time in the Centre for Ultrahigh Bandwidth Devices for Optical Systems at the University of Sydney, through to my time in the Centre for Cold Matter at Imperial College London, and then finally my return to Bristol as a permanent academic and now Director of QET Labs. Throughout the talk, I hope to give you a flavour of what it is like working in academia.

This panel focuses on how quantum ideas move from the lab to the market. The panel explores different routes to commercial success and shares practical lessons on turning research into real-world impact.

Caribbean Cuisine by Leon's Den

At Sparrow Quantum we produce nothing more and nothing less than one single particle of light, exactly when you need it. This challenging feat is the result of decades of research in light-matter interaction and photonic engineering and is readily compatible with multiple applications within photonic quantum information processing. In this talk we will take a brief look at the field of photonic quantum technologies and how they can benefit from high quality single-photon sources. We explain how these sources are created, and how you can help us make them even better by joining the Sparrow flock.

This talk will highlight research-adjacent roles in the quantum industry, including my own journey from physics research to quantum education and outreach. Come along if you want to learn about opportunities beyond research that still sit within the research and innovation ecosystem.

PsiQuantum’s mission is to build the first useful quantum computers—machines capable of delivering the breakthroughs the field has long promised. Since our founding in 2016, our singular focus has been to build and deploy million-qubit, fault-tolerant quantum systems. In this talk we’ll take a look at the company’s journey so far, I’ll share a little about my journey and how I ended up where I am today, and cover how you can start and progress your own journey in the field of quantum technologies.

From academic pathways to roles in industry and startups, the panel will offer practical insights, personal experiences, and advice for anyone curious about building a career in quantum technologies.

This talk will cover Siloton's work in applying photonic integrated circuits working at the single-photon level to eye care. We'll cover what we're doing, how we got there, and the impact the work will have on care in the UK and beyond.

What does it mean to be a quantum computing company focussed on applications?  What sort of problems/applications do we work on? How do we go about it? What does the work involve? When will the world be using quantum computing applications?  The talk will seek to answer these questions and more.