Michelle Simmons Explained

Michelle Simmons
Birth Name:Michelle Yvonne Simmons
Birth Date:1967 7, df=yes
Birth Place:London, United Kingdom
Fields:Quantum physics
Alma Mater:Durham University (PhD)
Workplaces:University of Cambridge
University of New South Wales
Sydney Grammar School
Thesis Title:The characterisation of CdTe-based epitaxial solar cell structures fabricated by MOVPE
Thesis Url:http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/1498/1/1498.pdf
Thesis Year:1992
Doctoral Advisor:Andrew W. Brinkman
Spouse:Thomas Barlow
Children:1 daughter; 2 sons

Michelle Yvonne Simmons (born 14 July 1967) is an Australian quantum physicist, recognised for her foundational contributions[1] to the field of atomic electronics.

She is founding director of the Australian Research Council's Centre of Excellence for Quantum Computation & Communication Technology, and is Scientia Professor of Quantum Physics in the Faculty of Science at the University of New South Wales.

She has twice been an Australian Research Council Federation Fellow, and is an Australian Research Council Laureate Fellow. In January 2018, Simmons was named Australian of the Year for her work and dedication to quantum information science, and in June 2019, she was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia in the Queen's Birthday Honours in recognition of her "distinguished service to science education as a leader in quantum and atomic electronics, and as a role model".

Early life and education

Michelle Yvonne Simmons was born on 14 July 1967 in London, to a mother who worked as a bank manager[2] and a father who worked as a policeman.[3] Simmons grew up in South-East London with an older brother.[4]

Between 1985 and 1988 she undertook her undergraduate degree at Trevelyan College, Durham University, where she studied physics and chemistry of materials.[5]

As a postgraduate at St Aidan's College, Durham she was awarded a PhD in 1992 for her thesis "The characterisation of CdTe-based epitaxial solar cell structures fabricated by MOVPE", with research supervised by Andrew W. Brinkman.[6]

Career and research

From 1992 to 1998[3] Simmons worked as a research fellow in quantum electronics with Michael Pepper at the Cavendish Laboratory in the UK, where she gained an international reputation for her work in the discovery of the 0.7 feature and the development of 'hole' transistors.[7]

In 1999, she was awarded an Australian Research Council (ARC) QEII Fellowship and went to Australia, conducting research for four years under this fellowship.[3] She was a founding member of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Quantum Computer Technology, and remains director of the centre.[8]

She has held several other positions over the course of her career, including:[3]

Simmons is Scientia Professor of Quantum Physics in the Faculty of Science at the University of New South Wales.[9]

Achievements

Simmons is well-known internationally for creating the field of atomic electronics,[10] that is, building electronic devices at the atomic scale. Her research team at ARC created the first precision single atom transistor and the narrowest conducting wires in silicon, among other achievements.[8]

Since 2000 she has established a large research group dedicated to the fabrication of atomic scale devices in silicon and germanium using the atomic precision of scanning tunnelling microscopy. Her research group is the only group worldwide that can create atomically precise devices in silicon—they were also the first team in the world to develop a working "perfect" single-atom transistor[11] and the narrowest conducting doped wires in silicon.[12]

Publications and other activities

Simmons has published over 400 peer-reviewed journal papers, amassing over 9,000 citations, written five book chapters, and published a book on nanotechnology.[13]

She has also filed 44 patents and delivered over 250 invited and plenary presentations at international conferences.[8]

She is the inaugural editor-in-chief of npj Quantum Information, an academic journal publishing articles in the emerging field of quantum information science launched in 2015.[14] [15]

She gave the Australia Day address for New South Wales in 2017,[16] [17] in which she spoke about the importance of setting high expectations for students.[18]

Simmons delivered the 2023 Boyer Lecture in four parts, titled The Atomic Revolution.[19]

Recognition and awards

, Simmons was an elected trustee of Sydney Grammar School.[41]

Personal life and views

Simmons has resided in Australia since 1999, taking citizenship in 2007.[42] She is married to Thomas Barlow, formerly, a Financial Times columnist[43] and a Fellow of MIT and Balliol College, Oxford,[44] now a novelist and business analyst. They have three children.[45] She says she enjoys "planning expeditions and keeping fit. But the thing that brings me the most joy is my funny husband and three adorable children".[10]

Her heroes in science are Michael Faraday and Nobel Laureate John Bardeen.[10]

Views on education

In her 2017 Australia Day address, Simmons criticised the lowering of standards in physics education in the HSC (Higher School Certificate) curriculum, in which an effort has been made to make physics more appealing to girls by substituting mathematical problem-solving with qualitative responses, remarking that the curriculum had a "feminised nature".[18]

When Simmons was made Australian of the Year in 2018, she spoke about the importance of not being defined by other people's expectations of you. She said, "Don't live your life according to what other people think. Go out there and do what you really want to do". She is passionate about encouraging girls to pursue a career in science and technology. "Seeing women in leadership roles and competing internationally is important. It gives them the sense that anything is possible", she said.[46]

Notes and References

  1. News: Dargan . James . Michelle Simmons, 2018 Australian of the Year, Wins PM's Top Science Prize for Pioneering Quantum Computing in Atomic Electronics . 7 November 2023 . The Quantum Insider . 19 October 2023.
  2. Web site: Biography of Michelle Simmons . IEEE Quantum Week 2020 . 7 November 2023 . 12 October 2020.
  3. Web site: Simmons, Michelle Yvonne (1967–). 22 October 2023. Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation. 8 June 2022.
  4. Web site: Simmons . Michelle . Quantum Revolution . . 7 November 2023.
  5. Class Notes . Dunelm . 2019 . 5 . 33.
  6. PhD. Durham University. The characterisation of CdTe-based epitaxial solar cell structures fabricated by MOVPE. Michelle Yvonne. Simmons. 1992. . Etheses.dur.ac.uk. 53532609.
  7. Thomas . K. J. . Nicholls . J. T. . Simmons . M. Y. . Pepper . M. . Mace . D. R. . Ritchie . D. A. . Possible Spin Polarization in a One-Dimensional Electron Gas . Physical Review Letters. American Physical Society (APS). 77 . 1 . 1996-07-01 . 0031-9007 . 10.1103/physrevlett.77.135 . 135–138. 10061790 . cond-mat/9606004 . 1996PhRvL..77..135T . 8903637 .
  8. Web site: Quantum Computing . Centre for Quantum Computation & Communication Technology . . 25 October 2023.
  9. Web site: Scientia Professor Michelle Yvonne Simmons . UNSW Research . 25 October 2023.
  10. Web site: Quantum physicist - Michelle Simmons. ABC Science. 28 February 2012 . 25 October 2023.
  11. Fuechsle . Martin . Miwa . Jill A. . Mahapatra . Suddhasatta . Ryu . Hoon . Lee . Sunhee . Warschkow . Oliver . Hollenberg . Lloyd C. L. . Klimeck . Gerhard . Simmons . Michelle Y. . A single-atom transistor . Nature Nanotechnology. Springer Science+Business Media. 7 . 4 . 2012-02-19 . 1748-3387 . 10.1038/nnano.2012.21 . 242–246. 22343383 . 2012NatNa...7..242F . 14952278 .
  12. (5 January 2012). "Narrowest conducting wires in silicon ever made show the same current capability as copper". phys.org. Retrieved 16 August 2014.
  13. https://research.unsw.edu.au/people/scientia-professor-michelle-yvonne-simmons/publications "Select Publications"
  14. Web site: Christopher Pyne launches Nature partner in quantum computing . . 2014-11-05 . 2017-06-05 . Ross, John . subscription.
  15. Smith . Deborah . 2015-10-27 . Inaugural articles from first Nature Partner Journal in Australia published . Sydney . University of New South Wales. 25 October 2023.
  16. Web site: 2017 speaker: Professor Michelle Y. Simmons. NSW Department of Premier and Cabinet . Australiaday.com.au. 10 June 2018.
  17. Web site: Your stories: 2018 Australian of the Year, Professor Michelle Simmons (interview). March 2018. UniSuper. https://web.archive.org/web/20180308042719/https://www.unisuper.com.au/grow-your-super/women-and-super/michelle-simmons. 8 March 2018. live. 8 March 2018.
  18. News: Australia Day Address orator Michelle Simmons horrified at 'feminised' physics curriculum. Storm. Mark. 24 January 2017. The Sydney Morning Herald. 14 December 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20171214124253/http://www.smh.com.au/technology/sci-tech/australia-day-address-orator-michelle-simmons-horrified-at-feminised-physics-curriculum-20170124-gtxoi2.html. 14 December 2017. live.
  19. Web site: Professor Michelle Simmons explores "The Atomic Revolution" in her first Boyer Lecture. 22 October 2023. 18 October 2023. Radio National.
  20. http://www.sciencearchive.org.au/awards/awards/pawsey.html Pawsey medal
  21. http://www.science.org.au/node/44578 Professor Michelle Simmons
  22. Web site: Honour Roll – NSW Chief Scientist & Engineer. Office of the NSW Chief Scientist & Engineer. 2019-06-12.
  23. Web site: Scientia Professor Michelle Yvonne Simmons. UNSW Research. 2019-06-12.
  24. Web site: Walter Burfitt Prize. Royal Society of New South Wales. 2019-06-12.
  25. Web site: Academy Home. https://archive.today/20140814023055/https://www.amacad.org/content/system/search.aspx?s=michelle+simmons. dead. 14 August 2014. American Academy of Arts and Sciences. 10 June 2018.
  26. https://www.atse.org.au/content/publications/media-releases/2015/women-prominent-among-new-atse-fellows.aspx 2015 Fellows: Women again prominent among new ATSE Fellows
  27. Web site: 2015 Foresight Institute Feynman Prize. 2016-05-23. Foresight Institute. 2016-06-02.
  28. Web site: Michelle Simmons: a quantum queen. Finkel. Elizabeth. 2016-09-26. Cosmos Magazine. en. 2018-05-08.
  29. Web site: 2015 CSIRO Eureka Prize for Leadership in Science . . 26 August 2015 . 25 October 2023.
  30. Web site: Announcement of Laureates of 2017 L'Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science Awards : United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. Unesco.org. 10 June 2018.
  31. 2017-05-08 . British physicist Michelle Simmons, the 'quantum queen' . Television production . en . 2017-06-14 . Paris . France24 TV.
  32. News: Australian of the Year awards: Quantum physicist Michelle Yvonne Simmons receives 2018 honour . Elise . Pianegonda . staff . ABC News . 25 January 2018 . 25 January 2018.
  33. Web site: Distinguished scientists elected as Fellows and Foreign Members of the Royal Society . The Royal Society. 9 May 2018. 10 May 2018 .
  34. Web site: Michelle Simmons. Royal Society. 10 June 2018.
  35. Web site: 'Extraordinary' Australians honoured in annual Queen's Birthday ceremonies. Bungard. Matt. 2019-06-09. The Sydney Morning Herald. en. 2019-06-09.
  36. Web site: Professor Michelle Yvonne SIMMONS. Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. 2019-06-12.
  37. Web site: APS Fellow Archive. 2021-10-15. American Physical Society.
  38. Web site: 2021-08-24. The Royal Society awards Michelle Simmons the prestigious Bakerian Medal. 2021-09-08. UNSW Newsroom.
  39. News: Lu . Donna . 2023-10-16 . Quantum physicist Michelle Simmons awarded PM's top science prize for computing work . The Guardian. 2023-10-17.
  40. Web site: Erna Hamburger Award 2023 . 2024-01-11 . EPFL . en-US.
  41. Web site: Trustees. Sydney Grammar School. 5 February 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20171121201733/http://www.sydgram.nsw.edu.au/college-street/about-grammar/welcome/trustees . 21 November 2017 . dead . dmy-all .
  42. News: Quantum physicist Michelle Simmons named 2018 Australian of the Year. 2018-01-25. The Sydney Morning Herald. 2019-06-12.
  43. Book: Barlow . Thomas . A Theory of Nothing . September 2016 . Ivory League Publishing . 978-0-9924159-3-8 . 7 November 2023 . en.
  44. News: Thomas Barlow . 7 November 2023 . Kirkus Reviews . en.
  45. News: Guillat. Richard. Star of the sub-atomic. 1 February 2018. The Weekend Australian. 15-16 April 2017.
  46. News: Australian of the Year revealed. news.com.au. 2018-06-12.

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