Andrew Briggs

Professor Andrew Briggs is a faculty member in the Department of Materials at the University of Oxford. His research focuses on quantum technologies, nanomaterials, and advanced imaging techniques like acoustic and scanning tunneling microscopy. He pioneered studies on carbon nanotubes, electronic properties of nanostructures, and quantum computing architectures. His work bridges foundational questions in quantum physics with applied innovations in low-energy information technologies.

Briggs has led major UK quantum initiatives, including the £270M Quantum Technologies investment through his direction of the Quantum Information Processing Interdisciplinary Collaboration. He invented graphene nanogap fabrication for genome sequencing and devised experiments testing the Leggett-Garg inequality. His book The Penultimate Curiosity (Oxford UP, 2016) explores quantum foundations and inter-disciplinary implications, endorsed by leading figures in science and theology.

Briggs uses high-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and real-time growth visualization to study oxide surfaces and semiconductor growth dynamics. His patented methods enable atomic-scale insights into materials like UO₂, NiO, and graphene. Current work includes hardware-in-the-loop simulations for quantum component testing and spin-based quantum information storage.