Meet Professor Roger Colbeck

Professor Colbeck explains: "From an early age I had a fascination with numbers and patterns, and enjoyed mathematics throughout school for its logical reasoning and usefulness across science. I remember being fascinated by zooming in on the Mandelbrot set - a famous mathematical shape - where infinite structure is hidden in a simple equation. What subsequently pushed me into the field I'm in came in part from reading popular science books and learning about Bell's Theorem - one of the most striking examples where quantum mechanics destroys intuition.

"My main focus of work at the moment is on a form of cryptography that is provably secure without the need to trust the devices used to implement it. This task, which may initially sound impossible, is a key application of entanglement - the phenomenon where quantum particles become linked in ways that defy classical explanation. Although experimentally difficult to implement at present, in the long term this could become an important technology, and I'm working on new protocols and theoretical techniques to make this more practical.

"The UK Government has put out a set of ambitious Quantum Strategy Missions, one of which is to deploy the world's most advanced quantum network at scale, pioneering the future quantum internet. Through the Integrated Quantum Networks Hub - a multi-million pound national project - we are taking the first steps towards this, implementing quantum networks of various scales, from regional networks over fibre to international connections via satellite.

"Quantum Information is about utilising the properties of quantum systems for information processing tasks. As a theorist, I develop and use mathematical techniques to probe these questions, requiring an understanding of the underlying physics, and also bringing in tools and ideas from computer science. Parts of my work have involved carrying across ideas from fundamental physics into information theory, developing them, and then exploiting the consequences to enhance our understanding of physics. For instance, thinking about security proofs for quantum cryptography led us to formulate new uncertainty relations - statements about the kind of correlations quantum theory allows.

"I think there is a common image of a mathematician as someone who works alone, going into a mathematical hibernation to prove a deep theorem. But for the majority it is a much more social activity, where progress is made by brainstorming with others, and ideas are best communicated through talks and discussions. People also often think of mathematicians as the opposite of creative but it is a very creative discipline. It's just that it can be harder to convey that creativity to non-specialists."