David Lucas is co-leader, with Prof Andrew Steane, of the Oxford ion trap quantum computing research group that has realised a full set of one- and two-qubit operations with world-leading performance far surpassing fault-tolerance thresholds. He has a wide range of expertise in experimental quantum physics, including precision measurements, cold atoms and trapped ions. He leads Oxford’s participation in several European and US projects, including the management committee of the EU COST IOTA. They are primarily an experimental group, testing and developing ideas in quantum computing using laser-manipulated trapped ions. They are also involved in some theoretical activity, concerned mainly with quantum fault-tolerant methods and quantum error correction.