The event will bring together leading voices from established and emerging frontiers of innovation to compare the promise of mature platforms such as silicon photonics with newer quantum optical technologies built on entanglement, superposition and coherence.
The debate is designed to engage academics, students, and the wider public in an open, forward-looking conversation about where the next wave of technological impact may come from.
- Monday, 26 January 2026, 2.00pm - 5.00pm
- The Wave, University of Sheffield (Lecture Theatre 3)
Register via Eventbrite (places are limited) we encourage attendees from all disciplines including Engineering, Bioscience and Health.
Speakers and format: The debate features two main speakers representing distinct perspectives:
- Sir Peter Knight FRS — speaking on Quantum Technologies
- Professor Graham Reed FRS, FREng — representing Silicon Photonics
The session will be chaired and moderated by Professor Oleksandr Kyriienko, Director of the Sheffield Quantum Centre, with other panelists joining as invited lecturers at the SQC Winter School.
Designed to be lively and interactive, the programme includes opening statements, a moderated exchange, an audience-facing “team round,” and extensive floor contributions and Q&A:
- 14:00 – 14:10 Welcome and introduction
- 14:10 – 15:00 Opening statements (with immediate audience questions)
- 15:00 – 15:15 Moderated exchange (“crossfire” format)
- 15:15 – 15:45 Break (coffee and informal discussion)
- 15:45 – 16:20 Team round: panel joins the debate
- 16:20 – 17:00 Floor contributions and audience questions
- 17:00 – 17:20 Consensus, reflection and closing remarks
Part of a wider week of quantum and photonics activity in Sheffield: The public debate takes place the day before the SQC Winter School (27–28 January 2026), creating an opportunity for visitors and the University community to connect scientific ideas with broader questions of strategy, investment, and societal impact.
About the Sheffield Quantum Centre: The Sheffield Quantum Centre unites expertise across disciplines at the University of Sheffield, spanning quantum photonics, quantum materials, and quantum algorithms, with a focus on advancing technologies that can deliver real-world impact in computation, sensing, and networking.