Strategic Quantum Technology for Business Leaders

Dr. Russell Manfield is a Lecturer and Entrepreneur-in-Residence at the University of Queensland Business School. With an engineering background and a PhD from UQ, he brings extensive experience from the mining, telecommunications, and technology sectors to his academic role. Dr. Manfield's research and teaching focus on entrepreneurship, innovation strategies, and emerging technologies, particularly in quantum systems. He is an Associate Investigator for the ARC Centre of Excellence for Engineered Quantum Systems (EQUS) and has developed online courses on corporate innovation, service innovation culture, and innovation strategies for quantum technologies. His teaching portfolio includes courses on entrepreneurship, innovation, and strategy, with a particular emphasis on design thinking and sustainable value creation in emerging economies and fast-evolving technology domains. Dr. Manfield is actively involved in supervising PhD and Master's students in areas such as entrepreneurial orientation, business model innovations, and female entrepreneurship efficacy. He also leads workshops on entrepreneurial pathways for research commercialization, demonstrating his commitment to bridging academic research with practical business applications.

Andrew G. White is a distinguished Professor of Physics at the University of Queensland, where he has served since 1999 and currently leads the Quantum Technology Laboratory, which he established. As Director of the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Engineered Quantum Systems (EQUS), he oversees an Australia-wide research effort involving more than 250 scientists dedicated to building quantum machines for practical applications. His academic journey began in a Queensland dairy town, leading to studies at the University of Queensland, followed by a PhD in quantum physics completed between the Australian National University and the University of Konstanz in Germany, and postdoctoral work at Los Alamos National Laboratory. White's research spans quantum foundations, quantum optics, and quantum information science, with significant contributions to quantum logic gates, quantum simulation, and quantum metrology. His achievements have earned him numerous accolades, including fellowship in the Australian Academy of Science, the American Physical Society, and Optica, as well as an Australian Laureate Fellowship. With over 29,000 citations to his published works, White has made fundamental contributions to various aspects of quantum technology, from developing optical vortices to creating quantum entanglement sources and implementing quantum computing protocols. His current work focuses on exploring and exploiting quantum behaviors, particularly entanglement, for engineering new technologies and scientific applications.

Ashlee Caddell is a PhD student and research assistant at the University of Queensland, specializing in particle dark matter physics with a particular focus on potential interactions between dark matter and Standard Model particles. Her research work involves developing methods for dark matter detection using atomic phenomena and studying electron-recoil ionization factors for dark matter direct detection in various noble gases. As a physics tutor at the University of Queensland, she contributes to undergraduate education while pursuing her research interests. Her academic contributions include publications on neutrino interactions and dark matter detection techniques, demonstrating her commitment to advancing our understanding of fundamental particle physics and dark matter detection methods.