Prof. Ian Walmsley

Professor Ian Walmsley CBE FRS has been appointed Director of the Oxford Quantum Institute at Oxford University. The institute brings together Oxford University’s world-leading expertise in quantum science and technology, facilitating collaboration between research groups from a broad range of disciplines. The Institute’s mission is to ensure Oxford remains at the forefront of both developing new understanding of the quantum worlds and realising new applications of quantum technologies to global challenges.

Professor Walmsley is currently Provost at Imperial College London and Professor of Experimental Physics. Professor Walmsley was previously at Oxford where he was Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research and Innovation and held the Hooke Professorship of Experimental Physics; while at Oxford, he also led the national Networked Quantum Information Technologies (NQIT) hub and co-founded ORCA Computing, a spin-out based on patents from the hub.

He is an expert in quantum photonics applied to information sciences, and his research in optical science and engineering has ranged from ultrafast optics, including the invention of the SPIDER technique for ultrashort pulse characterisation, to quantum simulation, including the first experimental demonstration of Boson Sampling. He was awarded a CBE in 2024 for services to science and quantum technologies.