Semiconductors and Quantum: How can the UK drive forward these technologies together?

Laura Foster

Associate Director - Technology and Innovation, techUK

Laura is techUK’s Head of Programme for Technology and Innovation.

She supports the application and expansion of emerging technologies across business, including Geospatial Data, Quantum Computing, AR/VR/XR and Edge technologies.

Before joining techUK, Laura worked internationally in London, Singapore and across the United States as a conference researcher and producer covering enterprise adoption of emerging technologies. This included being part of the strategic team at London Tech Week.

Laura has a degree in History (BA Hons) from Durham University, focussing on regional social history. Outside of work she loves reading, travelling and supporting rugby team St. Helens, where she is from.

Marco Ghibaudi

Vice President of Engineering, Riverlane

Marco is an expert in delivering deep-tech prototypes and products. He holds a joint CERN/SSSUP PhD in Innovative Technologies and he specialises on highly constrained systems. Marco innovation track-record comprises the first smart-city testbed in Europe, a key component in large-scale optical networks, the CERN largest electronics upgrade and the first commercial wireless VR Headset.

From small scale software solutions to multi-million units per year hardware chips, Marco has always focused on quality, reliability and time to market. Marco brings Industry best-practices into Research and ingenuity into Development.

Robert Lamb

Chief Research and Technology Officer, Leonardo

Robert is the Chief Research and Technology Officer for Electronics Division at Leonardo. He began his research career in 1986 at MOD investigating optical phase conjugation in high power solid state lasers. In 1996 he initiated research into single photon counting lidar for remote sensing.

In 1999 he won a three-year MOD research fellowship to investigate the use of ultrashort pulse supercontiuum lasers for remote sensing with atmospheric filamentation, during which, he transferred to QinetiQ and was appointed a QinetiQ Fellow in 2006. He moved to Selex (now Leonardo) to head its Future Systems Group and was subsequently appointed CTO for EO systems where he led applied research in novel laser techniques, lidar, photonics, computational image processing, additive manufacturing and quantum technology. He has established close collaborations with academia, especially in quantum sensing and neuromorphic processing, supporting several PhD students and linking academic research to Leonardo’s development programmes.

In 2021 he was appointed CRTO to oversee emerging and strategic academic research for Leonardo, linking it to government strategies for semiconductors, quantum technologies and navigation & timing. He has now initiated research into the use of quantum information processing for sensor network optimisation and integrated photonics for beam switching, modulation, optical data processing and free space optical communications.

Robert is a Fellow of the Institute of Physics, an Honorary Professor of Physics at Heriot-Watt University and the UK industry representative on NATO’s Sensors and Electronics Technology Panel. He was recently appointed VP(Business) at the Institute of Physics and continues to promote the importance of physics R&D to the UK economy. 
 

Richard Duffy

Senior Policy Advisor , Department for Science, Innovation and Technology

Richard is Head of Innovation Policy in the Semiconductor Unit at the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT). He was one of the authors of the UK’s National Semiconductor Strategy and leads the Department’s work to support semiconductor research, innovation and start up growth as well as it’s approach to engaging the UK and global semiconductor industry. This has included working with Silicon Valley accelerator Silicon Catalyst to establish the ChipStart UK semiconductor startup incubator and setting up the UK’s Semiconductor Advisory Panel to enable the UK government to collaborate with industry on development and delivery of semiconductor policy.

Euan Allen

CTO and Co-founder, Siloton Limited

Euan is CTO and co-founder of Siloton, a company providing better access to imaging technology used to care for the 300+ million people with retinal disease worldwide.

He has spent over a decade at the forefront of research and development of photonic semiconductor devices for quantum and low-light applications in the areas of sensing, computing, and communications. He has a PhD in Quantum Engineering, is a previous Doctoral Prize and Royal Academy of Engineering Research Fellow, and in 2023 was awarded the Institute of Physics Clifford Paterson Medal.

In 2020, Euan co-founded Siloton which uses photonic semiconductor chips to measure single photons reflected from the retina to help diagnose and monitor disease. Late last year, Siloton became the first company in the world to have directly imaged a human retina with a semiconductor device.

Diego A. Quiñones

Innovation Lead - Quantum Technologies , Innovate UK

Diego is an Innovation Lead in quantum technologies for the Commercialising Quantum Technologies challenge. He joined Innovate UK four years ago, working since to support the delivery of the commercial objectives of the National Quantum Technologies Programme. As part of the challenge, he has managed a portfolio of over £273m that has been allocated 230 business-led projects involving over 190 unique organisations across the UK.

With a PhD in Quantum Information, Diego was a lecturer at the University of Bath before becoming part of UKRI. Using his technical background and wide experience in communicating quantum sciences, he engages with a wide variety of stakeholders in the quantum tech sector, from academia, industry and government, to foster collaboration, inform policy making and shape future quantum strategy.