In medieval Europe, kings wore diamonds to absorb the gemstone’s purported powers of strength and invincibility. Today, researchers are seeking to harness those same storied powers to fuel quantum computing’s next leap.
Among those researchers: Harini Hapuarachichi, a computational physicist and postdoctoral research fellow at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT)—and one of Computing’s Top 30 Early Career Professionals for 2024.
In the following Q&A, Hapuarachichi discusses her groundbreaking research and other career highlights, including
How the dawning “quantum 2.0” era may bring quantum technologies—including new computing and communications paradigms—that profoundly impact our daily lives
How she’s modeling and simulating quantum systems to help find ways to improve their ability to serve as building blocks of these emerging technologies
Her approach to pitching complicated concepts—and how it earned her a runner-up spot in Quantum Australia 2024’s pitch competition.
How her theoretical NV-plasmonics research shows potential to significantly enhance and control the nanoscale signals of diamond-based quantum systems by coupling them with plasmonic nanoparticles
What most impressed her when she met Nobel laureates in physics, including Donna Strickland and Barry Barish
You were awarded the Vice-Chancellor’s Postdoctoral Fellowship at RMIT University in 2024. Can you share the focus of your current research and how this fellowship supports it?
... continue reading