Australian of the Year: Michelle Simmons’ hard-headed science and eye on equality

An advocate of hard-headed science has earned a nomination as this newspaper’s Australian of the Year.

University of NSW quantum physicist Michelle Simmons. ‘When you’re tackling hard problems it takes time and effort.’ Picture: Britta Campion.

Becoming a leader in the male-dominated world of physics is a big accomplishment for any woman. Michelle Simmons is a leader in quantum computing, a field so unfathomable it won Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau plaudits for just being able to explain it.

While she has a knack for making complex science comprehensible, it was her plea not to dumb science down that resonated. In an Australia Day address last year, she attacked attempts to “feminise’’ high school physics by replacing maths formulas with essays.

“I didn’t do it to grab attention,” the British-born professor said. “I was raising an issue I was worried about. Students felt they were ill-equipped to go on with university, and that got my antenna up. I’m glad it’s had a positive impact. People have talked to me about changing the NSW curriculum and bringing maths back in.”

Hard maths is crucial in her field. Governments around the world, along with technology heavyweights such as Microsoft and Google, are vying to build processors with powers far beyond today’s most advanced supercomputers. The ARC Centre of Excellence for Quantum Computation and Communication Technology, which Professor Simmons directs, is a world leader in efforts to build such devices in silicon — one of several approaches in which Australian researchers are at the head of the field.

2017 Australian of the Year

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Her group has developed the world’s smallest transistor, performed the first calculation involving quantum computer bits encased in silicon, and wired up the basic components of an industrially friendly quantum computer — a feat Physics World magazine listed among its top 10 breakthroughs of 2015.

Her accolades include election to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and being made editor of a journal in the prestigious Nature stable. Her championing of women in science has earned her perhaps most recognition here.

This and her advocacy of hard-headed science make her a contender for this newspaper’s Australian of the Year.

Readers are encouraged to make a nomination for Australian of the Year by filling out the form here, or sending an email to [e-mail].