Known applications of quantum computing range from cracking cryptographic codes to designing new medicines. However, its full potential is far from completely explored, and developing new quantum algorithms remains a difficult task.

During this £1million project, entitled ‘New insights in quantum algorithms and complexity’, Dr Montanaro's research will address this challenge by designing new algorithms and protocols for quantum computers, and developing general principles that determine for which problems a quantum advantage is possible. Dr Montanaro will work in collaboration with partners including MIT and the University of Technology, Sydney, and also with the Centre for Quantum Photonics at Bristol. Collaborating with this world-leading experimental group will enable the development of real implementations of algorithms designed during the project.

Dr Montanaro is a member of the Algorithms team within the Intelligent Systems Laboratory, and his Fellowship is the third of these highly competitive awards to be won by this team in recent years. He is also a member of the cross-departmental Quantum Computation and Information group, an internationally leading group responsible for many foundational developments in the field of quantum information.