The Quantum Collective - Andrew Daley

The Quantum Collective - the people behind the science

Andrew Daley is Professor of Quantum Physics at the University of Oxford and leader of the QCS Hub's work package on Cold Atoms, but his path to the world of quantum computing was not always clear-cut. "When I was at school, I was interested in a lot of things," he recalls. "Science and the world around me had always interested me. But so had history and literature."

This breadth of interests initially led him to pursue law. "I went to Auckland University fully intending to study law and to become a lawyer," he explains. In New Zealand's university system, however, there's a flexibility that allows students to explore diverse subjects. "In the first year of a law degree in New Zealand it's typical that half of your subjects are law and half of them offer free choice from other parts of the university." This structure enabled Andrew to begin his law degree while simultaneously exploring his interest in physics. "I had really great physics lecturers and lab demonstrators in my first year at Auckland" he explains. "That made all the difference. I was so fascinated with the physics."

From Law to quantum physics: an unconventional journey

Andrew's love of physics led him to put his law degree on hold and focus exclusively on his scientific work. Subsequently his academic interests took him from New Zealand to Austria, where he spent eight years delving deeper into quantum optics and quantum information.

"I learned German. I had a theory background in quantum optics, but at the same time, again culturally as well as scientifically, that was where I really got my start in quantum simulation, and eventually in quantum information and quantum computing," Andrew shares.

Following this, his career took him to the United States as an assistant professor at the University of Pittsburgh, before he returned to Europe to join the University of Strathclyde. "That was where I really got a little bit more into the focus on quantum technologies," he says. "Strathclyde has a lot of things both in metrology and sensing and then quantum computing and simulation, and strong connections with industry. It really strongly, positively influenced my perspective," he explains, "on the links between what we can achieve by collaborating with industrial partners" as part of the wider quantum ecosystem.

Oxford and the future of quantum computing

Having recently moved to the University of Oxford, Andrew is excited about the opportunities and connections his new position brings. In particular Oxford is strong in many of the areas where quantum computing may find early users. With chemistry, materials and computer science, for example, sitting alongside engineering and physics, Andrew says that "this breadth was one of the points that particularly attracted me."

When asked about the discovery he'd most like to see in his lifetime, he focuses on the practical aspect of bringing quantum computing into widespread adoption.

"I would really like to see people find a straightforward framework that translates a series of really important problems at scale, even if they're in basic science, onto quantum hardware," he says. "I think to do that is going to require a major interdisciplinary effort. [...] I think it's something that is realistic to happen – and be transformative to computing within our lifetime. With many, many open questions I think it's going to be a really, really fun problem to try to solve."

The most interesting part of our job, and one of the most important things in advancing quantum computing, is really interacting with people from different backgrounds across the whole ecosystem

The power of collaboration

An emphasis on interdisciplinary collaboration is a recurring theme for Andrew, particularly when he discusses the benefits of being part of the QCS Hub.

"The most interesting part of our job, and one of the most important things in advancing quantum computing, is really interacting with people from different backgrounds across the whole ecosystem," he explains. "People like us who work on software and architectures, connecting to hardware people, and academia working together with industry."

For Andrew, the value of the Hub extends beyond just scientific advancement. "For me, it's the putting together of people to solve problems that we can't solve on our own. It's interesting just on the personal level, but absolutely necessary I think to make the biggest possible impact."

Day to day

An early riser, Andrew starts his day with a morning routine that sets the tone for his busy schedule. "I tend to be a morning person, so I get up quite early and try to have a cup of coffee, read the news and things like that," he shares.

His workday is a balance of research, collaboration, and administrative tasks. He tries to prioritize interaction with his research team, and support for individuals in his group. "When I'm in town, when I'm not travelling for meetings and things like that, this is something I try to focus on that's really important," he notes.

Outside of work, Andrew's passions are diverse. He's an avid sports fan, particularly enjoying rugby and cricket. Music plays a significant role in his life too. "I've always enjoyed playing music," Andrew says, mentioning his passion for playing the trumpet and his involvement in jazz big bands in various places he's lived.

New horizons

As he looks to the future, Andrew is excited about the potential of quantum computing and the collaborative efforts driving the field forward. "I'm involved in projects I'm really excited about at the moment because we're starting to work with people from chemistry and materials, on a level where we are really learning stuff about problems that we never realised existed before. We're having discussions with computational fluid dynamics people in a similar vein. That stuff is really exciting."

From considering law to becoming a quantum physics professor leading cutting-edge research, Andrew's journey illustrates the varied paths that can lead to scientific breakthroughs. His work at the Hub, and passion for interdisciplinary collaboration, continue to push the state of the art in quantum computing, promising exciting developments in the years to come.