Andreas Winter starts as a Humboldt professor for quantum informatics in Cologne

Andreas Winter starts as a Humboldt professor for quantum informatics in Cologne

On May 5, 2025, Andreas Winter, a renowned quantum informatist, was awarded a Humboldt professorship by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. This award represents one of the highest -in -course research prices in Germany, peppered with a funding volume of five million euros. On April 1, 2025, Winter competed for "Quantum Information and Computing" at the University of Cologne and thus marked the eighth Humboldt professorship that the university received. His goal is to closely link computer science with the latest developments in quantum information and to build an international center for quantum information theory.

The quantum information deals with information that is subject to the laws of quantum mechanics. In contrast to classic information based on bits (0 and 1), quantum information use so -called quBITs, which can be simultaneously existing in overlays of these conditions. This opens up new possibilities in both information processing and communication. Andreas Winter is considered a leading researcher in this area and has made decisive contributions to quanta -Shannon theory in the past two decades, examining the physical limits of information storage, transmission and processing, as well as on Humboldt-foundation.de is emphasized.

interdisciplinary approaches and curricula

The University of Cologne plans to expand computer science as a full-fledged department within its mathematical and scientific faculty. Particular attention is paid to the quantum informatics, which acts as an interface between physics and computer science and should play a key role in research on data science and artificial intelligence. Winter's appointment is underpinned by the planned close cooperation with the ML4Q Excellence Cluster "Matter and Light for Quantum Information" in order to further drive interdisciplinary approaches.

Andreas Winter began his academic career with a degree in mathematics in Constance and Berlin and received his doctorate in 1999 at the University of Bielefeld. Previously, he was a professor at the University of Bristol and the University Autònoma de Barcelona and received numerous awards, including the Humboldt Research Award 2022 and the Hans Fischer Senior Fellowship at the Technical University of Munich. His work and projects were also funded by an ERC Advanced Grant.

quantum research in an international context

The importance of quantum research is also underlined by the upcoming opening event for the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology (IYQ), which takes place on January 14, 2025 at the Humboldt University in Berlin. Nobel laureate Wolfgang Ketterle will give a lecture on the social value of quantum sciences, while a panel discussion discusses the course for the next 100 years of quantum physics. At this university, over ten working groups in the field of quantum physics and quantum technologies are researching what Berlin is supposed to establish an international center for these technologies, as in hu-berlin.de In summary, the appointment of Andreas Winter to Cologne reflects both the growing importance of quantum information and the commitment of German institutions to occupy management positions in this promising discipline. Winter's expertise will be an integral part of the further development of interdisciplinary research approaches that focus strongly on the bridge between computer science and physics.