Michael Forrester Email & Phone Number

Kingsley, Gb

I lead the company's technology development and innovation strategy, ensuring we remain at the forefront of quantum technology and applied physics. My role involves overseeing R&D, guiding technical business, and driving the company's vision for cutting-edge solutions with practical, real-world applications.Key Responsibilities & Achievements:✔ Technology Leadership: Oversee the development of advanced solutions in quantum technologies, acoustics, metamaterials, and RF/THz devices, addressing complex problem spaces with practical applications across multiple industries.✔ Strategic Direction: Define and execute the company’s R&D roadmap, focusing on practical applications that span diverse fields of applied physics, targeting emerging technologies that are sustainable and results driven in sectors such as education, defence, and materials science.✔ Team Building & Mentorship: Work with multi-disciplinary teams across industry and academia, fostering innovation and collaboration while ensuring projects are delivered to the highest standards.✔ Business Development & Partnerships: Engage with industry partners and clients, translating complex scientific concepts into commercially viable solutions. Foster collaborations to drive innovation.✔ Program Success: We won a place in the prestigious Southampton Catalyst Programme, an accelerator designed to help early-stage science and technology businesses thrive.✔ Industry Recognition: Nominated for the SetSquared Deep Tech Award, recognising QuJiT's pioneering work in the field of quantum technologies and our potential for high-impact innovation.✔ Innovation in Manufacturing: Establish scalable, high-efficiency manufacturing processes, with an emphasis on reducing size, weight, power consumption, and cost.✔ Consulting Services: Provide expert consultancy to organisations seeking to leverage technology solutions for competitive advantage, offering guidance on everything from R&D strategy to product development.

In this role I established Quantum Communications programmes, providing team leadership, and road-mapping for generation after next quantum technologies within the defence and security domain. In parallel work I won and delivered grants on acoustic multifunctional materials, directly writable electronics, RF antenna arrays, additive manufacturing, and micro-manufacturing.

I led the development of a facility for advanced manufacturing of micro and nano devices, culminating in the emergence of the QinetiQ Metamaterials and Quantum Devices Centre for which I was director and laboratory manager. Notable grants won were the DASA Metasurface Phase 1 (2018-2019) and follow on Phase 2 works (2019 -2020): “Rapid deployment or large scale manufacturing of N layered metasurfaces through kinetic spray deposition and lasing”, and “Large area broadband adaptive metasurfaces composed of N layered materials”, respectively. Teams were trained in the advanced technologies to ensure suitably qualified and experienced personnel for development of reconfigurable metasurfaces. The titles of all these works are in the public domain. I also worked as Technical Lead for QinetiQ in the EPSRC/QinetiQ funded programme “Software defined materials for dynamic control of electromagnetic waves (ANIMATE)” for three years. On ANIMATE I was industrial PhD supervisor to two students: one working on automated laboratories and the other on RF quantum technologies. I also worked on underwater and airborne acoustics solutions.During this time I was appointed as a QinetiQ Fellow. The QinetiQ Fellows’ Scheme recognises accomplished technical, scientific, and engineering leaders. “Awarded to Michael Forrester for outstanding achievements and innovations in nanotechnologies, 2D materials, ultrasonics and acoustics, biophysics, manufacturing, novel materials, RF and THz devices”.

Lectured “Superconductivity and Nanoscience”, “Quantum Physics”, “Electromagnetics”, “Low Temperature Physics”, “Classical Mechanics”, “Foundation Physics”, “Internet of Things”. Carried out research into quantum computing, neuromorphic computing, ultrasonics, nanomagnetism, 2D materials. Was awarded an Erwin Schrӧdinger prize for best presentation at BioNanoMed, Krems 2010 for work on using quantum technologies for stimulating cancer cell death. Also, won an EPSRC funded KTA Fellowship for Enterprise to develop nanomechanical devices. Experimental, analytical, and numerical work demonstrated shear wave-reconversion phenomena in small and large arrays of nanoparticles in ultrasonic fields. Many-body physics of coupled nanomagnets was studied for up to many thousands of interacting particles. Quantum entanglement measures were examined in detail alongside qubit and qudit designs based on superconducting Josephson devices and quantum dots. Nuclear Magnetic Resonance quantum computers were investigated theoretically, and analytical methods developed for studies of coupled qubits. I was the first to discuss spontaneous currents and π-rings in the context of quantum metamaterials. Quantum algorithms were explored (e.g., Shor’s and Grover’s) and implementations using quantum gates investigated theoretically. I ran a “Quantum computer” discussion group and tutored large groups of students in a weekly drop-in session covering everything from classical mechanics to quantum mechanics. I discovered experimentally synchronisation phenomena in diffusive flames and invented “fire metamaterials”. In other work, the self-assembly of glutamine was linked to the emergence of certain skin markers and underlying tumorigenesis. In this period of time many subjects were studied giving a broad depth of experience and understanding of advanced materials including quantum materials such as graphene and dichalcogenides.