Physics and Engineering experts awarded £2.5 million to support development of positioning, navigation, and timing technologies at a new Quantum Hub

The new UK Hub for Quantum Enabled Position, Navigation and Timing (QePNT) at the University of Glasgow is one of five quantum hubs that have together received £106 million funding from the UKRI Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC).

QePNT received £21.9 million in total funding, with approximately £2.5 million awarded to the Departments of Physics and Civil and Environmental Engineering at Imperial.

These hubs will ensure the UK benefits from the potential of quantum technologies, affecting areas such as healthcare, infrastructure, national security, and clean energy, with practical uses aiding peoples’ everyday lives.

A cross-disciplinary collaboration

Leading Imperial’s research contribution are Dr Joseph Cotter (Advanced Research Fellow, Department of Physics) and Professor Washington Ochieng, CBE EBS FREng (Head of Department, Civil and Environmental Engineering).

Dr Cotter is an expert in quantum sensors, having previously developed a ‘quantum compass’. As part of this award, his team will be developing high performance inertial sensors, which have applications in aerospace, agriculture, maritime, and other critical national infrastructure. Dr Cotter will also co-lead a programme to foster the UK’s future experts and leaders in quantum technology  , as well as aid external engagements and outreach.  

Professor Ochieng brings world-leading expertise in position, navigation, and timing (PNT) systems. He is recognised internationally for his work on the  design of the European Union’s GALILEO and EGNOS space-based PNT systems, and their terrestrial augmentations and backups. His team will manage modelling and simulation activities to ensure that the infrastructure and systems developed are resilient in the real-world situations experienced across sectors such as emergency response, defence, and aerospace. The infrastructure will be tested in specialist facilities at the Department of Civil and Environmental  Engineering.

Professor Ochieng said: “This award is testament to the relevant cross-disciplinary and synergistic world-leading expertise and facilities at Imperial. Our two Departments (Physics and Civil and Environmental Engineering) together will be undertaking fundamental and applied research needed to not only improve the accuracy, integrity, continuity, and availability of PNT, but also create a very high resilient quantum-enabled system-of-systems with ubiquitous capability to underpin existing, and unlock new, applications. This work is crucial to the future success of the new QePNT Hub.”

Quantum Potentials

QePNT aims to develop quantum technologies which will be key for national security and critical infrastructure. These technologies have a range of exciting applications, such as:

• improving the positioning systems on aircraft to negate any GPS jamming,
• upgrading the positioning systems in unmanned water vehicles, and
• helping improve pathfinding systems in roads, railways, and underground.

Dr Cotter said: “Now more than ever we rely on positioning instruments to help us navigate and move in the world. Exploiting quantum effects to deliver improved accuracy for future navigation system has huge potential to improve the robustness, reliability, and efficiency of positioning systems for maritime, mass transit, and aviation.”

Research for QePNT is expected to commence by December 2024.