Monash Report Highlights Workforce Needs
Australia is gearing up for a quantum-ready future, as outlined in a new report by Monash University researchers, released on 27th May. The report emphasises the need for a diverse workforce, extending beyond physicists and engineers, to fully harness quantum technologies.
The Quantum Future Workforce report recommends flexible education pathways, cross-sector upskilling, and enhanced collaboration across research, industry, and government. These steps aim to build a robust quantum workforce in Australia.
Associate Professor Leah Heiss, the lead author of the report, explained the collaborative approach, stating, “The workshop brought researchers, engineers, entrepreneurs, policymakers and industry representatives into the same room to work through possible quantum futures together.”
Recommendations to Build a Quantum Workforce
The report, developed by Monash University’s Emerging Technologies Research Lab, offers 12 recommendations. These include building a multidisciplinary workforce, improving public awareness, supporting start-ups, strengthening manufacturing, and engaging policymakers.
Professor Sarah Pink, co-author and Director of the Emerging Technologies Research Lab, highlighted the demand for a hybrid workforce, noting, “Building a quantum-ready future will depend on creating a workforce with the ability to translate between disciplines, collaborate across sectors and connect technical innovation with real-world applications.”
The report’s findings underscore the importance of flexible education paths, including short courses and professional conversion programmes. It also calls for earlier engagement with educational institutions to foster foundational quantum literacy.
Monash University plans to further research quantum energy futures, partnering with the Monash Energy Institute and Quantum Australia. This initiative aims to explore how quantum technologies can support a resilient energy system.
The research explored how quantum technologies could shape future critical sectors, including wearable health monitoring through quantum sensing, quantum-resistant cybersecurity systems, secure quantum communications networks, low-energy quantum materials, and quantum-enabled infrastructure supporting transport, utilities, and city systems.
The study involved a co-design workshop with 26 stakeholders from quantum technology-related fields and drew on ethnographic interviews and documentary research. This collaborative effort was key to imagining future workforce and societal needs.
Australia’s quantum future will require a multidisciplinary ‘quantum-ready’ workforce extending beyond physicists and software engineers. The recommendations are built on insights from a co-design workshop that brought together 26 quantum technology-related stakeholders, and ethnographic interviews.
Last updated: 29 June 2026, 11:59 am
