Ignacio Cirac

Ignacio Cirac is one of the world’s leading authorities in the field of quantum information theory and a founder of the “second quantum revolution”. In the 1990s, together with Peter Zoller, he devised the way to build a quantum computer, thus launching the domain of quantum computing and a new era in information and communications technologies. He began his training at the Complutense University of Madrid, after which he was a tenured lecturer at the University of Castilla-La Mancha. During this period, he had a long and fruitful visit to the University of Colorado, where he worked with Peter Zoller, and this led to his appointment as professor of Theoretical Physics at the University of Innsbruck. In 2001, he joined the Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics in Garching (Munich), as head of the theoretical division. In 2002 he also became honorary professor at the Technical University of Munich. His theoretical studies have opened up new avenues of experimental research in such diverse areas as materials science, high energy physics, quantum chemistry, and cryptography. In recognition of the importance of his work, he has received prestigious international awards, among them the Wolf Prize, the Prince of Asturias Award, and the Max Planck Medal. One of the most frequently cited authors in his field, he is a member of the most eminent scientific societies, and has received honorary doctorates from universities around the world. Moreover, throughout his career, he has always worked to popularise physics among the general public.