Michelle Simmons

Michelle Simmons
Michelle Yvonne Simmons (born 14 July 1967) is an Australian quantum physicist, recognised internationally as the creator of 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.
Between 1985 and 1988 she undertook her undergraduate degree at Trevelyan CollegeDurham University, where she studied physics and chemistry of materials.
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.
Career and research
From 1992 to 1998 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.
In 1999, she was awarded an Australian Research Council (ARC) QEII Fellowship and went to Australia, conducting research for four years under this fellowship. She was a founding member of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Quantum Computer Technology, and remains director of the centre.
She has held several other positions over the course of her career, including:
2000: Director, Atomic Fabrication Facility, UNSW
2000: Manager, Atomic Fabrication and Crystal Growth Program, Centre for Quantum Computer Technology, School of Physics, UNSW
2003: Chair, New South Wales Branch, Australian Institute of Physics
2003: Member, C8 Commission, International Union of Pure and Applied Physics
2003: Australian Representative for Nanotechnology, International Union for Vacuum Science, Technique and Applications
2005: Member, Expert Advisory Committee for Physics, Chemistry and Geosciences, Australian Research Council
2007: Associate editor, IEEE Journal of Nanotechnology
2007: Chair, National Committee for Physics, Australian Academy of Science
Simmons is Scientia Professor of Quantum Physics in the Faculty of Science at the University of New South Wales.
Achievements
Simmons is well-known internationally for creating the field of atomic electronics, 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.
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 and the narrowest conducting doped wires in silicon.
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.
She has also filed 44 patents and delivered over 250 invited and plenary presentations at international conferences.
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.
She gave the Australia Day address for New South Wales in 2017, in which she spoke about the importance of setting high expectations for students.
Simmons delivered the 2023 Boyer Lecture in four parts, titled The Atomic Revolution.
Recognition and awards
1999: Australian Research Council QEII Fellowship
2004: Australian Research Council Federation Fellowship
2005: Australian Academy of Science's Pawsey Medal
2006: Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science (FAA)
2009: Australian Research Council Federation Fellowship
2011: NSW Scientist of the Year (named by the NSW Government Office of the Chief Scientist & Engineer)
2013: Australian Laureate Fellowship, Australian Research Council
2013: Royal Society of New South Wales Walter Burfitt Prize
2014: Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
2015: Thomas Ranken Lyle Medal
2015: Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (FTSE)
2015: Feynman Prize in Nanotechnology, Foresight Institute, for the abrication of single-atom transistors
2015: Eureka Prize for Leadership in Science, CSIRO
2017: George R. Stibitz Computing Pioneer Award, American Computer Museum
2017: L'Oréal-UNESCO Awards for Women in Science Asia-Pacific Laureate
2017: Profiled in a short documentary on France24 TV
2018: Australian of the Year, for her work in quantum physics
2018: Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS)
2019: Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) as part of the 2019 Queen's Birthday Honours
2020: Chair, Division of Quantum Information, American Physical Society
2021: Fellow, American Physical Society
2022: Royal Society Bakerian Medal
2023: Prime Minister's Prize for Science
, Simmons was an elected trustee of Sydney Grammar School.
Personal life and views
Simmons has resided in Australia since 1999, taking citizenship in 2007.
She is married to Thomas Barlow, a novelist and business analyst. They have three children. 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".
Her heroes in science are Michael Faraday and Nobel Laureate John Bardeen.
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".
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.
References
1967 births
Living people
Australian physicists
Quantum physicists
Australian nanotechnologists
British nanotechnologists
Academic staff of the University of New South Wales
Fellows of the Australian Academy of Science
Fellows of the Royal Society of New South Wales
Fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
Australian women scientists
L'Oréal-UNESCO Awards for Women in Science laureates
21st-century British women scientists
Scientists of the Cavendish Laboratory
Australian of the Year Award winners
British emigrants to Australia
Fellows of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering
Fellows of the Royal Society
Female Fellows of the Royal Society
Australian Fellows of the Royal Society
Officers of the Order of Australia
Alumni of Trevelyan College, Durham
Alumni of St Aidan's College, Durham
Australian women academics
Fellows of the American Physical Society