Hamiltonian Simulation with Near-term Quantum Hardware' and this is the lay summary:

'My PhD project looks for potential uses of near-term quantum devices. Large, error corrected quantum computers are still many years away but small, noisy quantum processors have already been developed by companies like Google and IBM. The most well-known quantum algorithms, such as Schor's algorithm for finding the prime factors of some integer, cannot be run on such devices for problem instances which cannot be computed with a classical computer. The question then arises, can these near-term devices accomplish something a classical computer cannot? My project specifically examines whether these devices can be useful for simulating other quantum systems. In particular, I look at simulating many-body quantum systems just outside the realm of classical simulations. Simulating a system of quantum particles is a challenging problem for classical computers as the number of parameters that must be manipulated grows exponentially as the number of particles increases. It is known that a large, error corrected quantum computer could accomplish this efficiently and there are also approaches to this task that involve specifically engineering devices to mimic the behaviour of the quantum system we wish to simulate. My project looks at combining these approaches in order to develop schemes to achieve this on near-term devices.'

The impact of the centre will come through the people it trains, and will have several forms.

First, most importantly, impact will come from their research. Through their training, the students will have not only skills to control and exploit quantum physics in new ways, but also the background in device engineering and information science to bring these ideas to implementation. As rounded scientists they will be ready to think out of the box in an industrial environment, or to make mature choices of research problem in an academic one. Our commercial and governmental partners tell us how important these skills are in the growing number of people they are hiring in the field of quantum technologies; in the longer term we expect our graduates to be prominent in the development of new technologies and their application to communication, information processing, and measurement science in leading university and government laboratories as well as in commercial research and development. In the shorter term we expect them to be involved in doctoral research of the highest international impact.

Second, impact will come from the students' communication and outreach skills. We aim to create a generation of researchers who fully appreciate the importance of communicating their work. Through the training in scientific writing offered by our project partners Nature Publishing Group and the opportunities for public engagement offered by UCL's central London location and work of its Public Engagement Unit we will equip our graduates to communicate both to their professional peers and to the broader public. We hope they will play their part in making quantum concepts part of the common currency of ideas in the twenty-first century.

Finally, impact will flow from the students' approach to enterprise and technology transfer. From the outset they will be encouraged to think about the value of intellectual property, the opportunity it provides and the fundraising needed to support research and development. This approach will be reinforced by the bespoke training offered by project partners DFJ Esprit Venture Capital. As students with this mindset come to play a prominent part in university and commercial laboratories their common background will help to break down the traditional barriers between these sectors and deliver the promise of quantum technologies for the benefit of the UK and world economies.