International Year of Quantum Science and Technology - Annual Report 2025

20 June, 2026

Aotearoa New Zealand was the first place in the world to commemorate the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology (IYQ). We kicked off the public celebrations for IYQ with the MacDiarmid Institute public lecture on 15 January: 'A Century of Quantum Mechanics: How 100 years of Quantum Mechanics changed our perspective on reality.'

University of Illinois theoretical physicist Professor Gordon Baym spoke about his part in the history of the world's most successful and mysterious description of reality, drawing on his expertise in condensed matter, the physics of elementary particles and the formation of neutron stars in supernova explosions. His fellow University of Illinois colleague Professor Smitha Vishveshwara described how advances in quantum physics have required imaginative leaps, and in turn have inspired creative works.

The public lecture took place as part of the ICAM Week of Science 2025 (convened by the Institute in Pōneke Wellington, 13-17 January). The ICAM (Institute for Complex and Adaptive Matter) conference was organised by various Institute members including Associate Investigator Dr William Holmes-Hewett and Principal Investigator Professor Michele Governale, and brought together an exceptional group of scientists from across the globe to discuss emergent behaviours at the frontiers of soft matter and quantum materials.

Various Institute members were part of the Aotearoa steering committee for the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology, and were involved in curating the website and some public events. Also, in honour of the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology, we pulled together a few of our Sci Fi / Sci Fact podcast episodes that relate to quantum science and technology.

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