Quantum network expert will help create a sustainable and secure quantum future at UCalgary

Exploring unknowns with computer coding and big screens, Dr. Bill Munro loves the unpredictability of his research. Working at the intersection of quantum information theory, quantum networks and the system-level design of scalable quantum technologies, he never knows what he will discover. 

“I actually like the unexpected — if it’s standard, AI can do it. I try to do something different, something that people haven’t thought of before,” says Munro, DPhil.

After a career spanning academia and industry across Australia, Europe and Asia, Munro will add a fourth continent to his CV when he joins the University of Calgary’s Faculty of Science as the Eddie Goldenberg Research Chair of Canada in Scalable Quantum Network Infrastructure. The Chair is part of a new Government of Canada initiative to recruit world-leading researchers to Canada.

“Professor Munro’s arrival at the University of Calgary is a game-changing moment for our quantum ecosystem, which is already on an incredible trajectory,” says Dr. Robert I. Thompson, PhD, deputy vice-president (research). “His expertise in quantum-network architecture and in developing frameworks for new technologies will be an asset to Canada and will profoundly advance the objectives of Canada’s National Quantum Strategy.”

Munro sees being described simply as a physicist as too restrictive for work spanning chemistry, physics, engineering and high-performance computing — from fundamental quantum mechanics through to practical cybersecurity.

“Are you saying that if you’re not a physicist, you can’t contribute to quantum science? No. Everyone can have good ideas,” he says. “If we’re going to work across disciplines, we need to remove the boundaries that create silos.”

Industrial experience shaped a practical approach to quantum technologies

For nearly 25 years, Munro worked in industrial research, beginning at Hewlett-Packard in the United Kingdom. There, he helped demonstrate quantum key distribution (QKD) — a method for securely distributing cryptographic keys — using working mobile-phone circuit-board prototypes. Some commercial phones now contain chips that use quantum processes to generate random numbers, although these are distinct from complete QKD systems.

He then moved to NTT in Japan, where he began by turning abstract ideas for quantum random-number generators into practical devices. High-quality randomness underpins cryptography and is also used in simulation, finance and gaming. 

“An early question was: can we build a practical quantum random-number generator that is simple, small and fast? If you want a random number, you do not want to wait minutes for it,” Munro says. “We built a complete system in which the time from pressing the button to receiving the result was less than one-third of a second.”

Munro later became director of NTT’s Theoretical Quantum Physics Research Centre, where he contributed to Japan’s national quantum communication research strategy and helped establish collaborative, cross-disciplinary research teams — an approach that continues today.

Munro’s commitment to teaching was an important reason for his return to academia: he wanted to help train the next generation for careers spanning both research and industry. “Industry cannot get enough qualified people with the right mindset, while universities have traditionally trained many people primarily for academic careers.”

He joined the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology as a professor in the Quantum Engineering and Design Unit, where he has trained students and postdoctoral researchers for success in both academia and industry.

Munro’s work has helped establish quantum-network architecture as a distinct systems-level discipline. He is one of relatively few researchers working from foundational theory through to deployment-oriented system design.

“Professor Bill Munro is a leader with vision. His work has helped shape the global quantum landscape, and we are thrilled to welcome him to the Faculty of Science,” says Science dean Dr. Kristin Baetz, PhD. “His theoretical, systems-level and applied expertise will accelerate our research and innovation, helping us continue to Get Science Done by advancing Canada's growing quantum economy." 

Building the Quantum Internet of Things

As the Eddie Goldenberg Research Chair of Canada in Scalable Quantum Network Infrastructure, Munro’s research program will design the architecture for a secure quantum internet and a quantum Internet of Things connecting diversified devices, including quantum computers, clocks and sensors. This infrastructure could support applications across health care, energy, finance, telecommunications and entertainment.

“Quantum networking is more than a complex system; it brings together devices with very different functions and requirements,” he says. “The challenge is to connect these pieces and develop a road map from today’s laboratory systems to technologies used across the economy. It is not a simple project, but if we do not address it now, we may make design choices that limit us in the future.”

His research will develop the architectures, protocols and design principles needed for scalable, secure and resource-efficient quantum networks. This systems-level work will help move quantum technologies from laboratory demonstrations toward broad use across the economy.

“Quantum networks can provide new security capabilities, but their performance also depends critically on latency,” Munro says. “In everyday internet use, a difference between one microsecond and one millisecond may not matter to the user. In a quantum network, however, that factor of 1,000 can radically change the memory, hardware and other resources required.”

Munro’s work will be supported by UCalgary’s robust quantum ecosystem, which includes Quantum City, the Institute for Quantum Science and Technology, and Quantum Horizons Alberta. It will also benefit from the national Quantum Co-laboratory, a partnership with the University of British Columbia, the Université de Sherbrooke and the University of Waterloo that shares infrastructure, expertise and training programs.

“UCalgary is bringing together a distinctive group of researchers, and its quantum community is growing rapidly,” says Munro. “I am excited to help further develop this ecosystem at such a young and dynamic institution.”