The UK arm of Q-CTRL, a quantum software company, based in London and working on quantum navigation sensors that need no GPS and on software that makes quantum computers more reliable.
Q-CTRL builds software that makes quantum technology work more reliably. Quantum devices, such as quantum computers and quantum sensors, are very sensitive to noise, so small disturbances cause errors. Q-CTRL's quantum control software tries to reduce those errors so that the devices can do something useful. Its products include Boulder Opal, control software for people working with quantum hardware, and Black Opal, a learning platform for quantum computing. It also develops what it calls software-defined quantum sensors, including navigation tools that could give a position when GPS is jammed or unavailable. This entry is about its UK operation.
Q-CTRL began at the University of Sydney as the first spin-off from its Quantum Science Group. Professor Michael Biercuk, who led the Quantum Control Laboratory there, is its founder and chief executive. When it launched, he said the aim was to become "the trusted provider of quantum control solutions for all quantum technologies". In its own words the company wants to make quantum technology useful. That origin matters for UK students because the company is an Australian-founded business that decided to build a UK presence.
In May 2023 Q-CTRL announced new offices in London and Berlin. The announcement tied the UK office to the AUKUS partnership between Australia, the UK and the US, which includes quantum technology, and to its work on GPS-free navigation. It said the UK team would work on research, strategic technology development and technical product development, work with defence and civilian users of sensors, and support the UK finance sector as it explores quantum computing. It also said it already had a commercial relationship with the National Quantum Computing Centre. The announcement did not give an address or the size of the London team.
At the time of the announcement the company had more than 90 staff across product, research, engineering and operations. We could not find a description of life inside the company beyond that. The launch coverage describes a team of physicists and engineers working in a fast-moving field, and a founder who moved from academic research to running a company. The UK team is part of a global firm, so UK staff are likely to work with colleagues in Australia, the United States and Germany.
People at a quantum software and sensing company include quantum physicists, control theorists, software engineers who write the tools customers use, applied scientists who model sensors and navigation systems, hardware engineers who test them, and product, sales and operations staff. Maths, physics, computing and engineering are all good starting points. Q-CTRL's website lists its current vacancies.
Website: q-ctrl.com
PURPOSE helps school and university students explore 62 sectors and over 1,000 entry-level careers in the UK, then connects them directly with employers.
Explore PURPOSE