Michelle Simmons AO (b. 1967), 2018 Australian of the Year, is a pioneer in atomic electronics and quantum computing. Born in London, she obtained a double degree in physics and chemistry and a PhD in physics from Durham University. As a postdoctoral Research Fellow in quantum electronics at the Cavendish Laboratory in Cambridge, she gained international recognition for her work on the discovery of the '0.7 feature' and in the development of 'hole transistors'. In 1999 she was awarded an Australian Research Council QEII Fellowship and emigrated to Australia, where she is Director of the Centre of Excellence for Quantum Computation and Communication Technology, and Scientia Professor of Physics at the University of New South Wales. Simmons has pioneered unique technologies internationally to build electronic devices in silicon at the atomic scale, including the world's smallest transistor. As founder of Silicon Quantum Computing Pty Ltd, her team is at the forefront of developing a silicon-based quantum computer. Her honours include the Australian Academy of Science's Pawsey Medal (2005) and Thomas Ranken Lyle Medal (2015), the NSW Scientist of the Year (2011), the Australian Museum's CSIRO Eureka Prize for Leadership in Science (2015), and the US Foresight Institute Feynman Prize in Nanotechnology for her work in 'the new field of atomic-electronics, which she created' (2016). She has been recognised by the American Computer Museum as a pioneer in quantum computing, is Editor-in-Chief of Nature Quantum Information and was named the 2017 L'ORÉAL-UNESCO Asia-Pacific Laureate in the Physical Sciences. Simmons strongly encourages girls to pursue careers in science and technology and is a prominent advocate for the promotion of women to leadership roles at local and international levels.
