This presentation explores technologies arising out of quantum information science potentially on the brink of transitioning from laboratory research to commercial application. It examines where quantum technology developed by academia, government and industry might create genuine advances across computing, cryptography, and communications, particularly in domains including information security, machine learning/AI, materials science, pharmaceuticals, financial services, and logistics.

The presentation grounds its discussion in concrete developments through a case study in post-quantum cryptography. It also surveys how Australia, the US, the EU, and India are beginning to address quantum technologies in their regulatory frameworks.

The central thread is practical: what can be learned from governing previous waves of emerging technology? By examining the experience of governance approaches related to AI, nanotechnology, and biotechnology, the presentation aims to provide insights that might help navigate quantum’s regulatory challenges more effectively as the field matures.

About the Speaker:

Dr. Kayleen Manwaring has research interests primarily in the intersection of sociotechnical change and private and commercial law, with particular focus on consumer protection, critical infrastructure regulation, contract law, intellectual property, and corporations law. She researches extensively on the Internet of Things, quantum technologies, cyber security, AI and insurance, the right to repair, critical infrastructure technologies, and online contracting, and has published widely in these fields. Her work has been cited by the OECD, the World Economic Forum, Australian and NSW Law Reform Commissions, the Australian Human Rights Commission, and the United States Department of Commerce National Telecommunications and Information Administration. Over the years her research has been funded by the Cyber Security Cooperative Research Centre, the UNSW Allens Hub for Technology, Law & Innovation, and the International Association of Privacy Professionals.

Kayleen is an Associate Professor in the School of Private and Commercial Law at UNSW’s Faculty of Law & Justice, where she is also Faculty Director of Undergraduate Studies (Law) and serves on UNSW’s Academic Board. She is currently the Chinese University of Hong Kong Visiting Fellow (2025), and has previously been a Singapore Management University Yong Pung How School of Law Visiting Scholar (2024) and the UNSW Allens Hub Senior Research Fellow (2022-2023). She has also been a visiting academic at the King’s College London and the University of Zurich.

Prior to academia, Kayleen spent many years as a commercial lawyer and knowledge manager in Sydney and London with firms including Blake Dawson (now Ashurst), AMP, Freehills (now Herbert Smith Freehills), and SJ Berwin (later King & Wood Mallesons), specializing in technology acquisition and licensing, intellectual property, and commercial contracts.