Breaking Boundaries in Innovation

Quantum computers are poised to transform how we solve humanity’s biggest challenges, performing calculations that would overwhelm the fastest traditional computers.

The challenge now lies in scaling them up so they can handle complicated real-world computations, rather than isolated mathematical problems.

If this is achieved, we could usher in the next scientific industrial revolution, says Prof Gao Weibo, Chair of NTU’s School of Electrical & Electronic Engineering.

“While it’s possible to build a quantum computer now, it doesn’t mean it can be immediately useful. We still need a lot of engineering effort for that,” adds Prof Gao, who is also a professor at NTU’s School of Physical & Mathematical Sciences.

He explains that while fundamental science research can lead to scientific discoveries, engineering research makes them practical. “A combination of science and engineering is important for the development of quantum science and technology.”

He strives to realise this at the NTU node of Singapore’s Centre for Quantum Technologies, where he brings together expertise from the University’s College of Engineering, College of Computing & Data Science, and School of Physical & Mathematical Sciences.

With 20 years of experience in quantum information sciences, Prof Gao also contributes to the field of quantum materials. For example, he has published research on using much thinner materials to produce linked pairs of photons that could potentially serve as quantum bits – the basic units that allow quantum computers to perform complex calculations.

Another of his breakthroughs sheds light on a hard-to-measure, invisible property of materials that influences how their electrons move and respond. Called the quantum metric, it affects how easily electrons travel through a material, similar to how the smoothness and steepness of a road affect how vehicles on it move.

Prof Gao’s team detected the quantum metric directly in a real material for the first time. The findings, published in Nature, have implications for developing novel quantum materials for sensors, transducers and energy-harvesting devices.

His accomplishments have not gone unnoticed. In 2017, he won Singapore’s Young Scientist Award at the President’s Science & Technology Awards, Singapore’s top accolades for research and innovation. A year later, he was named an Asia Pacific Innovator Under 35 by MIT Technology Review.

In 2024, Prof Gao was awarded an inaugural endowed professorship by Germany’s non-profit Dieter Schwarz Foundation, which is also funding the Quantum Sovereignty & Resilience programme that he leads at NTU’s School of Electrical & Electronic Engineering.

Under the programme, he studies how quantum technologies can strengthen encryption and protect Internet-connected devices from hacking in a future where quantum computers could swiftly break current digital security measures.

“The professorship is a recognition of our work at NTU and provides us resources to recruit young talent to help move our research forward,” he says. “Small wonders in quantum devices can have a huge impact. We invite more young talent to explore this wonderland with us.”

The article appeared first in NTU's research & innovation magazine Pushing Frontiers (issue #26, May 2026).