Projects on Offer
Here are the current projects on offer, now accepting candidate applications. This scholarship round runs from 26 August 2026 – 8 October 2026.
Applications will be processed through Sydney Quantum Academy. Prepare ahead by reading Application Guidelines and Conditions of the Award.
We strongly encourage you to contact project supervisors before submitting your application. Early conversations can help you learn more about the project and demonstrate your interest.
Click on a supervisor’s name below to email them directly.
Project: Integrating Nuclear Spins with Quantum Dots in Silicon
Research Team
- Academic Supervisors: Dr Danielle Holmes & Scientia Prof. Andrea Morello (University of New South Wales)
- Industry Partner Supervisor: A/Prof. Henry Yang, Diraq.
Project Description
The project seeks to develop a quantum computer device where the nuclear spin of a donor atom in silicon is integrated with a gate-defined quantum dot. This type of device will represent the unit cell of a scalable quantum processor, which combines the exceptional coherence and gate fidelity of nuclear spins with the addressability and manufacturability of semiconductor quantum dots. The ultimate objective is to build a fault-tolerant, error-corrected silicon quantum computer with local logical encoding in the nuclear spin of donor atoms, and electrons in quantum dots providing medium-range interactions between logical qubits. The project will be conducted in partnership with Diraq Pty. Ltd., which is developing scalable quantum dot devices in silicon. The project is experimental in nature, and will involve the design, fabrication and operation of advanced silicon quantum devices.
This project would suit: Candidates with a strong background and interest in quantum engineering and quantum physics.
Project: Quantum Algorithms for Exact Exponential-Time Combinatorial Optimisation
Research Team
- Academic Supervisor: A/Prof. Troy Lee (University of Technology Sydney)
- Industry Partner Supervisor: Dr Ben Travaglione, Defence Science and Technology Group
Project Description
This project investigates exact quantum algorithms for NP-hard combinatorial optimisation problems, with the goal of improving the worst-case exponential running time. A representative target is Maximum Independent Set: given a graph G n vertices, find the largest set of vertices with no edges between them.
The best published classical algorithm for Maximum Independent Set runs in time 1.1996^n (up to polynomial factors), while the best published quantum algorithm achieves expected running time proportional to 1.1488^n, which is an improvement in the base of the exponential base but still far from the kind of square-root quantum speedups seen in unstructured search.
A major open direction is whether one can obtain a super-quadratic quantum speedup for exact, worst-case Maximum Independent Set, or for closely related problems such as Minimum Vertex Cover. The project will explore new quantum algorithmic ideas and analyses–e.g., quantum-accelerated branching/backtracking and or quantum divide and conquer–to push the best-known worst-case bounds.
This project would suit: Students with a strong background in mathematics and/or theoretical computer science, prior quantum computing knowledge is welcome but not required. The research will be conducted in collaboration with the Australia Defence Science and Technology Group. Due to project requirements, the position is open only to citizens of AUKUS countries (Australia, United Kingdom, United States).
Project: Practical Self-Correcting Quantum Memories
Research Team
- Academic Supervisors: Prof. Stephen Bartlett & Dr Dominic Williamson (The University of Sydney)
- Partner Organisation: Sygaldry
Project Description
This project aims to construct practical “self-correcting quantum memories” (SCQMs), 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 SCQMs 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 is 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: Candidates with a strong background and interest in theoretical quantum physics and mathematics.
