READING, UK, June 20th 2024 -- OQC, a global leader in quantum computing solutions and spin-out from Oxford University’s Department of Physics, today announced the appointment of Dr Peter Leek as Chief Scientific Officer. Leek, the visionary behind OQC’s core technology, will lead the company’s scientific research operations and spearhead its global research programmes.

Dr. Leek has been instrumental in shaping OQC’s scientific foundation since its inception in 2017, serving as a scientific advisor to the company alongside his continuing academic research at the University of Oxford. His pioneering work in quantum computing, particularly with superconducting qubits, has positioned OQC at the forefront of the industry. This appointment comes at a pivotal moment as OQC embarks on its next stage of growth and focuses on advancing its core technology toward the era of universal fault tolerant quantum computation.

CEO Gerald Mullally commented, “As OQC continues to grow and we progress on our journey, it is an exciting time to see Peter take on the new role of Chief Scientific Officer. His deep expertise and vision have been fundamental to our success, and his leadership will be crucial as we continue to build on our core IP and drive scientific excellence forward.”

Dr. Leek, an active researcher, is a pioneer in the field of quantum computing, particularly known for his contributions to superconducting quantum circuits. With a PhD from the University of Cambridge, and postdoctoral research experience from ETH Zurich in the science of circuit QED, he has led his own research group at the University of Oxford since 2012, where OQC’s core IP was first developed.. The new Chief Scientific Officer is also a co-investigator in the UK’s national quantum computing research hub, where he continues to play a prominent role in the national programme.

“Taking on the role of Chief Scientific Officer at OQC is both an honour and an exciting opportunity,” said Dr. Peter Leek. “The OQC team is full of talent and I am excited to work with them to continue to advance our research and innovation in quantum computing. Together, we will build on our strong foundation and drive the next wave of technological breakthroughs.”

The core IP developed by Leek has underpinned OQC achieving the world-first integration of a quantum computer into a colocation data centre and delivering Europe’s first Quantum Compute-as-a-Service platform. The company’s research department has continued to make notable contributions to the progression of the technology, including electron-beam annealing of Josephson junctions offers precise control over qubit frequencies post-fabrication, and developing a hardware efficient error-detection method laying the foundation to implement quantum error correction in next-generation quantum computers.