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Dr Sally Shrapnel is an internationally recognised interdisciplinary scientist whose research spans quantum physics, artificial intelligence, digital medicine, and philosophy. With a unique career trajectory bridging clinical medicine and cutting-edge quantum technologies, Dr Shrapnel is committed to solving foundational and applied problems that cross traditional disciplinary boundaries.

A registered medical practitioner and Fellow of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, she brings over two decades of clinical experience in Tasmania, Queensland, and the UK. After earning an MSc in Bioengineering from Imperial College London, she pursued a PhD in Quantum Artificial Intelligence—focusing on quantum causal inference—which launched her second career as a quantum physicist.

Currently, Dr Shrapnel is Associate Professor of Physics at The University of Queensland and Deputy Director of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Engineered Quantum Systems (EQUS). Her research addresses two fundamental questions:

• What does quantum theory reveal about the nature of reality?
• Can quantum resources be harnessed to design faster, more efficient AI algorithms?

These inquiries drive her leading contributions in Quantum Foundations and Quantum Machine Learning, where she develops novel theoretical frameworks and algorithms that aim to unlock the quantum advantage in emerging technologies. As Program Lead for Quantum Technologies for Health at the Queensland Digital Health Centre, Dr Shrapnel is also preparing the state’s healthcare ecosystem for the next technological revolution—bringing quantum tools into real-world applications in health and medicine.

A passionate advocate for interdisciplinary research, Dr Shrapnel continues to publish widely across quantum physics, computer science, digital health, and the philosophy of science. Her work exemplifies the power of rigorous, cross-disciplinary thinking to address some of the most profound and practical challenges of our time.

Dr Walters has published on Cavendish, Shakespeare, and Renaissance women in relation to science, philosophy, gender, sexuality and political thought. She welcomes research proposals relating to these topics.

She is author of Margaret Cavendish: Gender, Science and Politics (Cambridge University Press, hardback 2014, paperback 2017) and is editor of The Blazing World and other Writings, Oxford World's Classics (Oxford University Press, 2025). She is also co-editor of Margaret Cavendish: An Interdisciplinary Perspective (Cambridge University Press, 2022), which won Co-Honorable Mention for the 2022 Collaborative Project Award from the Society for the Study of Early Modern Women and Gender. Dr Walters is also one of the joint editors of the Restoration section of the Palgrave Encyclopedia of Early Modern Women's Writing.

She is currently co-editing Cavendish and Milton, which is under contract with Oxford University Press and Cavendish's Philosophy of Literature, which is under contract with Routledge.

Dr Walters is also Deputy Chair of the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee for the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences (HASS).

She obtained her doctorate and masters degree from the University of Edinburgh, Scotland and her BA from the University of California Santa Cruz. Previously, she was a postdoctoral research fellow at Ghent University, Belgium. She has also held academic positions in England, America, and Scotland and was a visiting professor at Université Catholique de Lille, France. Between studies, she worked in Tokyo, Japan.

In 2016 she won a Teaching and Innovation Award from Liverpool Hope University, UK and has served on the Education Committee for Shakespeare North, a world-class Jacobean replican theatre in England.

Currently, she serves on the Editorial Board of ANQ: A Quarterly Journal of Short Articles, Notes and Reviews, Anthem Press, and was President of the International Margaret Cavendish Society. She is the founder and managing editor of Margaret Cavendish: A Multidisciplinary Journal.

Books

Lisa Walters. Margaret Cavendish: Gender, Science and Politics (Cambridge University Press, hardback 2014, paperback 2017)

Lisa Walters and Brandie Siegfried, eds. Margaret Cavendish: An Interdisciplinary Perspective (Cambridge University Press, 2022).

Lisa Walters, ed. The Blazing World and other Writings, Oxford World's Classics (Oxford University Press, 2025)

Suzanne Trill, Natasha Simonova, and Lisa Walters, eds. "Restoration."Palgrave Encyclopedia of Early Modern Women's Writing (Palgrave 2020-2025).

Ann Coiro, Lara Dodds, and Lisa Walters, eds. Cavendish and Milton (under contract with Oxford University Press), under contract.