University College London is launching the David Potter Institute for Quantum Information and Spacetime, backed by an £8 million gift from the David and Elaine Potter Foundation. The interdisciplinary research center will investigate whether spacetime is governed by quantum theory through a combination of theoretical physics and quantum sensing experiments.
A foundational question that has challenged physicists for more than a century is moving from theoretical debate into experimental testing.
Bridging Quantum Mechanics and Gravity at UCL
Based within UCL’s Faculty of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, the David Potter Institute for Quantum Information and Spacetime unites scientists across quantum information theory, gravity, and high-energy physics. The institute aims to resolve how quantum mechanics, which describes nature’s smallest building blocks, can be reconciled with gravity and its description of spacetime.
While scientists have advanced both fields independently, the question of whether spacetime is fundamentally quantum remains unresolved. Many physicists argue that Einstein’s theory of gravity must be modified, or quantized, to fit within quantum theory. However, Professor Jonathan Oppenheim and colleagues are pursuing another possibility: that spacetime remains classical and is not governed by quantum mechanics.
“Quantum gravity research has historically been pure blackboard physics,” says Oppenheim, who will co-direct the institute. “We are now in the position of being able to design and build towards experiments that could settle a question that generations of physicists have struggled with.”
Jonathan Oppenheim, co-direct the institute
Quantum Sensors and Nanosphere Experiments
The newly funded institute will combine theoretical work with experimental approaches designed to distinguish between competing accounts of gravity. Researchers plan to develop quantum sensors capable of measuring exceptionally small forces with high precision, building on experimental methods already trialed at UCL.
One planned experiment uses an interferometer to levitate nanospheres. The setup aims to place a small mass into a quantum superposition—existing almost as if it were in two places simultaneously—before measuring how gravity affects it. Under this experimental framework, quantum spacetime should allow gravity to entangle two particles, linking their behavior in a way classical physics cannot explain. If spacetime is classical, that entanglement should not occur.
Healthcare Collaboration and Spin-Out Technologies
Beyond fundamental physics, the institute expects its sensing research to impact other industries. Institute researchers will collaborate directly with the Quantum Biomedical Sensing Research Hub (known as Q-BIOMED), which is led by UCL and the University of Cambridge. This partnership will explore sensing technology for healthcare settings, potentially enabling more sensitive detection of cells, molecules, and biological processes to improve early disease diagnosis and treatment. UCL also plans for the institute to support the development of spin-out technologies derived from its research.
The academic program will host students, visiting researchers, and workshops while providing training in both theoretical and experimental physics. Participants will draw from UCL departments including Mathematics, Computer Science, Philosophy, and Science & Technology Studies.
A Philanthropic Legacy in Computing and Science
The £8 million gift continues the scientific and philanthropic work of Dr David Potter CBE, who died in June 2026. Potter studied Natural Sciences at Trinity College, Cambridge, completed a doctorate in mathematical physics at Imperial College London, and taught physics at the University of London and the University of California before leaving academia.
In 1980, Potter founded Psion, which developed The Organiser—described as the first handheld computer for personal use. In 1998, he led the creation of Symbian Limited in partnership with Nokia, Ericsson, Motorola, and Matsushita.
The David and Elaine Potter Foundation, established in 1999, supports projects promoting reason, education, and civil society. Elaine Potter noted that the new institute extends that mission into fundamental inquiry.
“This gift reflects the Foundation’s long-standing commitment to advancing knowledge and supporting ambitious, long-term research,” said Elaine Potter, co- founder of the David and Elaine Potter Foundation. “The new Potter Institute is a vehicle through which we can help provide the academic freedom to pursue big ideas, the impact of which may shape the future in ways we cannot yet predict.”
Elaine Potter, co- founder of the David and Elaine Potter Foundation
Professors Jonathan Oppenheim and Sougato Bose will co-direct the institute, while Professor Peter Barker will lead its experimental program.
