Q-CTRL Appoints Senior Academic Researcher Tom Stace As Principal Quantum Control Engineer

SYDNEY, Aug. 31, 2021 – Q-CTRL, a startup that applies the principles of control engineering to accelerate the development of quantum technology, today announced the appointment of Tom Stace, Ph.D. as a Principal Quantum Control Engineer, to advance the company’s position as the world’s leading provider of quantum control solutions.

Stace moves to Q-CTRL from a research career at the University of Queensland where he served as the Deputy Director of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Engineered Quantum Systems (EQUS), a consortium of five Australian universities building machines that leverage quantum physics. His research experience spans device physics for quantum computing, solid-state and atomic systems, quantum error correction, and quantum measurement and precision sensing.

“I’ve known and worked with Tom as a colleague for nearly 20 years and am absolutely thrilled to welcome him to Q-CTRL,” said CEO and Founder Professor Michael Biercuk. “Our ability to attract senior scientists of his caliber to advance our work speaks to the exceptional team and environment we have built.”

Stace completed his doctorate at the Cavendish Lab, University of Cambridge in the UK on quantum computing, followed by postdoctoral research at the Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics, also at Cambridge, and Queens' College, Cambridge. Since 2006, he has held various research fellowships and leadership roles in the ARC Centre, most recently a Future Fellowship (2015-2019).

“It is exciting to join a team with a global vision to develop new quantum technologies and businesses that will change the way the world operates,” said Stace. “There are tremendous opportunities to improve sensors and information processing in an impactful way that Q-CTRL has taken a leadership role in.”

“One of our company’s core values is to ‘be revered’ by building products, an ethos, and an environment that makes others aspire to work with us,” Biercuk said. “I don’t think we could ask for a greater vote of confidence than having Dr. Stace join our team.  He joins other exceptional researchers who see Q-CTRL as truly the best environment in the world to advance the field of quantum technology.”

Q-CTRL specializes in using control engineering to make quantum hardware useful in real-world settings - whether in data centers, on aircraft, or even in space. Its solutions have been validated to deliver 10-100X improvements in the performance of quantum hardware, including demonstrations on IBM quantum computers.

Q-CTRL recently expanded its operations to include building a new form of “software-defined” quantum sensors applicable in Earth observation, climate monitoring, and navigation.  Its quantum control infrastructure software for quantum sensing and quantum computing is broadly available in the market supporting customers in the private sector, national labs, and academia.

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