PeopleofSuperintelligence

Researcher

Peter L. Knight

Also known as P. L. Knight, Peter Knight, Sir Peter Knight, Peter Leonard Knight

Sir Peter Knight is a British physicist at Imperial College London whose research covers the nonclassical properties of light and the theoretical underpinnings of quantum computing. After a Sussex doctorate and research years in Joe Eberly's group at Rochester and Stanford, he moved to Imperial in 1979, became professor in 1988 and served as Deputy Rector for research until 2010. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1999, served as 2004 President of the Optical Society of America, and was knighted in 2005. In 2019, the Institution of Engineering and Technology awarded him its Faraday Medal for his part in the UK National Quantum Technologies Programme. He is Chair of the UK National Quantum Technology Programme Strategy Advisory Board, chairs the Quantum Metrology Institute at the National Physical Laboratory, and spoke at Cambridge Tech Week's Quantum & Artificial Intelligence session in September 2026.

Now at
Imperial College London, UK National Quantum Technology Programme Strategy Advisory Board and National Physical Laboratory
Badges

Timeline

  1. 1972–1983

    Postdoc with Joe Eberly

    After his doctorate at Sussex, he joins Joe Eberly's group as a research associate at the University of Rochester and at Stanford and SLAC from 1972 to 1974. Fellowships follow at Sussex in 1974 and at Royal Holloway in 1976, then an SERC Advanced Fellowship from 1978 that he transfers to Imperial College in 1979.

  2. 1983–1988

    Professor at Imperial College

    He is lecturer at Imperial College from 1983, reader from 1987 and professor from 1988. His publications include Concepts of quantum optics (1983).

  3. 1998–1999

    Elected Fellow of the Royal Society

    In 1998, he publishes a Reviews of Modern Physics article with M.B. Plenio on the quantum-jump approach to dissipative dynamics in quantum optics. He is elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1999. His research covers the nonclassical properties of light and the theoretical underpinnings of quantum computing, and he is the first to predict that atoms in intense laser fields radiate waves corresponding to high harmonics.

  4. 2001–2010

    Deputy Rector for research

    He heads Imperial's Physics Department from 2001 to 2005 and is Principal of the Faculty of Natural Sciences until 2008. He retires in September 2010 as Deputy Rector (Research), responsible for the college's research strategy, and chairs the Ministry of Defence's Defence Scientific Advisory Council until December 2010.

  5. 2004–2005

    OSA president and a knighthood

    In 2004, he is President of the Optical Society of America, the first non-US based person in the role. He is knighted in the Queen's 2005 Birthday Honours for his work in optical physics.

  6. 2010–2013

    Royal Medal and IOP presidency

    He wins the Royal Society's Royal Medal in 2010. In October 2010, he becomes principal of the Kavli Royal Society International Centre at Chicheley Hall, and from 2011 to 2013 he is President of the Institute of Physics.

  7. 2019

    IET Faraday Medal for quantum engineering

    In 2019, he receives the Institution of Engineering and Technology's Faraday Medal for outstanding contribution in the field of quantum engineering, a medal that recognizes his role in conceiving, designing and delivering the National Quantum Technologies Programme. He also receives the Herbert Walther Award in 2019 for his contribution to quantum information science.

  8. As of October 2026

    Quantum strategy board chair

    He chairs the UK National Quantum Technology Programme Strategy Advisory Board and the Quantum Metrology Institute at the National Physical Laboratory, and is Senior Research Investigator at Imperial College. In September 2026, he speaks at Cambridge Tech Week's Quantum & Artificial Intelligence session, saying the UK must help quantum firms turn scientific strengths into commercial growth and pointing to quantum networks, navigation and timing, medical imaging and infrastructure sensing.

Career

  1. Since 1979Imperial College LondonHead of Physics Department, Lecturer
  2. NowUK National Quantum Technology Programme Strategy Advisory BoardChair
  3. NowNational Physical LaboratoryChair
  4. 2011–2013Chinese Academy of SciencesPresident
  5. Until 2010Government of the United KingdomChair of the Defence Scientific Advisory Council
  6. From 2010Kavli Royal Society International CentrePrincipal
  7. From 1976Royal Holloway University of LondonFellow
  8. 1972–1974University of RochesterResearch Associate
  9. 1972–1974Stanford UniversityResearch Associate

From the biography.

  1. The median h-index is 48 at universities and 14 at frontier AI labsIncludes Imperial College London. The median h-index is 48 at universities and 14 at frontier AI labs. We compare publishing careers, recent citations, dual appointments and job moves across 2,420 university researchers and 308 frontier-lab researchers.
  2. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology trained or employed 44 of the 187 AI major-prize winners, more than any other universityIncludes Imperial College London. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology trained or employed 44 of the 187 AI major-prize winners, more than any other university. We compare doctorate and 5+ year employment links, career timing and current workplaces for 187 major-prize and 1,111 best-paper winners.
  3. 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.
  4. More people shaping AI studied at Massachusetts Institute of Technology than at any other institutionIncludes Imperial College London. 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.

Colleagues

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

Sources and credits

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  1. Knight | About | Imperial College London profiles.imperial.ac.uk. Checked 22 October 2026.
  2. Peter Knight (physicist) - Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org. Checked 22 October 2026.
  3. Sir Peter Knight FRS | Royal Society Fellow royalsociety.org. Checked 22 October 2026.
  4. Sir Peter Knight - London Tech Week londontechweek.com. Checked 22 October 2026.
  5. UK Must Help Quantum Firms Turn Scientific Strengths Into Commercial Growth, Quantum Program Adviser Says yicaiglobal.com. Checked 22 October 2026.