PeopleofSuperintelligence

Researcher

Barry C. Sanders

Also known as Barry Cyril Sanders

Barry Sanders is a physicist whose work connects machine learning with quantum measurement and control. He studied physics at the University of Calgary and Imperial College London, joined Macquarie University in 1991, and returned to Calgary in 2003. His work includes autonomous machine learning for quantum measurement, reinforcement learning for quantum control, and quantum machine learning for data science. He received the City of Calgary International Achievement Award in 2022 and was appointed Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Palmes académiques of France in 2025. As of October 2026, he is Professor of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Calgary and Scientific Director of Quantum City.

Now at
Quantum City and Centre for International Governance Innovation
Works
693
Citations
22,696
h-index
74
Badges

Publication numbers from OpenAlex, as of 22 October 2026.

Timeline

  1. 1984–1985

    A BSc and diploma

    He earns a BSc at the University of Calgary in 1984 and a Diploma of Imperial College in 1985.

  2. 1987

    A physics PhD

    He completes a PhD in physics at Imperial College London in 1987, supervised by Professor Sir Peter Knight.

  3. 1991–2003

    From Macquarie to Calgary

    After postdoctoral research at the Australian National University, the University of Queensland and the University of Waikato, he joins Macquarie University's faculty in 1991 and moves to Calgary in 2003.

  4. 2010–2018

    Machine learning for quantum control

    With Alexander Hentschel, he publishes the 2010 paper Machine Learning for Precise Quantum Measurement; the method generates adaptive feedback schemes for quantum measurement and outperforms the best known adaptive scheme for interferometric phase estimation. At the APS March Meeting in 2018, he presents reinforcement learning for quantum control, which searches for control settings through trial and experience.

  5. 2022

    A Calgary achievement award

    He receives the City of Calgary International Achievement Award in 2022.

  6. 2023

    Quantum computing for data science

    He posts a perspective on quantum computing for data science in 2023, covering hardware, algorithms and the potential for quantum machine learning.

  7. 2025

    A French academic honour

    France appoints him Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Palmes académiques in 2025.

  8. As of October 2026

    Professor and Quantum City director

    As of October 2026, he is Professor of Physics and Astronomy and Scientific Director of Quantum City at the University of Calgary. He is also a Senior Fellow at the Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI).

Career

  1. Since 2003University of CalgaryProfessor of Physics and Astronomy
  2. NowQuantum CityScientific Director
  3. NowCentre for International Governance InnovationSenior Fellow
  4. 2019–2023Raman Research Institute
  5. 2016–2020California Institute of Technology
  6. 2014–2023CIFAR
  7. 2013–2023University of Science and Technology of China
  8. 2001–2004Stanford University
  9. 1991–2003Macquarie UniversityFaculty member
  10. 1990–1991University of WaikatoPostdoctoral researcher
  11. 1989–1990University of QueenslandPostdoctoral researcher
  12. Australian National UniversityPostdoctoral researcher

Education

  1. 1987Imperial College LondonPhD
  2. 1985Imperial College LondonDiploma
  3. 1984University of CalgaryBSc

From the biography and OpenAlex affiliations (the years of papers that list the organization), so some years are approximate.

  1. 20% of people at companies who shape AI also hold a university role, led by Google and Stanford UniversityIncludes Stanford University. We estimate that 539 of the 6,766 people with a known current organization (8%) hold both a university role and a company role, including 20% of people at companies and 13% of people at universities.
  2. More people shaping AI studied at Massachusetts Institute of Technology than at any other institutionIncludes University of Calgary. We estimate where the people shaping AI studied and where their careers led. Massachusetts Institute of Technology leads with 467 former students, including 291 recorded doctorates.
  3. The company share of AI researchers’ top papers was 31% in 2020–2024 and 8% in 1970–1974Includes University of Calgary. We estimate where the people shaping AI worked when their most-cited papers appeared: the company share was 31% in 2020–2024 and 8% in 1970–1974, and Google led all organizations in 2020–2024.
  4. 84% of people shaping AI with recorded undergraduate and doctoral schools changed institutions for their doctorateIncludes University of Calgary. 84% of people shaping AI with recorded undergraduate and doctoral schools changed institutions for their doctorate. Across 2,116 people with both an undergraduate degree and a doctorate recorded, we trace which undergraduate schools feed which doctoral programs, how often students stay at the same school, and how paths differ by birth-country region.

Colleagues

People with dated positions at the same organization in the same years.

Sources and credits

Photo: We have no published photo of Barry C. Sanders yet. Send us a free-licensed photo.

  1. ISPIA People Barry Sanders | Institute for Security, Privacy and Information Assurance | University of Calgary ispia.ucalgary.ca. Checked 20 October 2026.
  2. Barry Cyril Sanders | UCalgary Profiles | University of Calgary profiles.ucalgary.ca. Checked 20 October 2026.
  3. Machine Learning for Precise Quantum Measurement | Physical Review Letters journals.aps.org. Checked 20 October 2026.
  4. Reinforcement Learning for Quantum Control - APS March Meeting 2018 meetings-archive.aps.org. Checked 20 October 2026.
  5. Quantum computing for data science arxiv.org. Checked 20 October 2026.