** Project: Practical self-correcting quantum memories
This project aims to construct practical `self-correcting quantum memories’ (SCQM), which are designed to serve as a type of hard drive for quantum computers. An ideal quantum hard drive is a system into which a quantum state can be encoded, left for an arbitrarily long time without any active control, and then efficiently decoded to recover the initial state. A SCQM aims to approach this ideal behaviour. It should be a physically reasonable system that can reliably store encoded quantum information for a time that grows with the system size, while being weakly coupled to a thermal bath. The theoretical study of SCQM has been a constant source of surprise and challenge for over two decades, and recently there has been a breakthrough in the mathematical foundations of SCQMs. It’s now the perfect time to translate these theoretical ideas into practice.
This project will be conducted in partnership with Sygaldry, a US-based company developing quantum-accelerated AI servers.
This project would suit This project is ideal for candidates with a strong background and interest in theoretical quantum physics and mathematics.
Project supervisor Prof Stephen Bartlett, Dr Dominic Williamson
Details of the Scholarship
The scholarship is for up to 4 years of full time study and includes:
• Student stipend: A$42,754 per annum (2026 rate, indexed annually)
• Substantive engagement with our industry partners as a core component of the PhD
• Access to an industry-ready skills training program
• Entry to the SQA PhD Experience Program events and workshops.
Eligibility Requirements
Scholarships are open to domestic and international applicants.
• Domestic students include Australian citizens, permanent residents, New Zealand citizens, or persons entitled to remain in Australia without limitation.
• International students must hold, or be able to obtain, a valid visa for the duration of the scholarship.
Applicants must:
• Hold or be eligible for admission to a full time PhD program at an FLiQC partner university
• Have a PhD offer of admission before an FLiQC scholarship can be awarded
• Have the support of the proposed project supervisor prior to applying
• Not hold another primary PhD stipend scholarship (e.g. RTP or equivalent)
