Quantum information scientist Andreas Winter moves to Cologne after being awarded an Alexander von Humboldt Professorship

Professor Dr. Andreas Winter of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (Spain) has been honored by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation with the “Alexander von Humboldt Professorship – International Award for Research in Germany.” He is in appointment negotiations with the University of Cologne for the W3 Professorship in Quantum Information and Computation, for which the university nominated him.

Rector Professor Dr. Joybrato Mukherjee commented, “Together with its research partners in the Rhineland, the University of Cologne is among the top locations for quantum information research. Our leading position would be further and sustainably strengthened by recruiting Professor Winter.”

Andreas Winter has conducted groundbreaking foundational research in the field of quantum information. His work primarily centers on quantum Shannon theory, which explores the ultimate physical limits of storing, transmitting, and processing information. Winter’s research bridges information theory with physics and computer science, inspiring advancements that range from concrete physical applications to fundamental mathematics.

The expansion of computer science into a fully-fledged department within the Faculty of Natural Sciences is currently one of the University of Cologne’s most important strategic goals. Quantum information, with an emphasis on data science and artificial intelligence, will form an interdisciplinary domain between physics and computer science. Andreas Winter is expected to lead the new Chair of Quantum Information and Quantum Computation and contribute to integrating computer science with the latest developments in quantum technology. Close collaboration with the Cluster of Excellence ML4Q is also planned.

The Alexander von Humboldt Professorship is Germany’s most highly endowed research prize, awarded to internationally leading researchers from abroad across all disciplines. Funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research, the award provides up to €5 million in funding, enabling the recipient to pursue groundbreaking research at a German university for the first five years of the professorship. If negotiations are successfully concluded, Professor Winter would become the eighth Humboldt Professor at the University of Cologne.

Andreas Winter studied mathematics in Konstanz and Berlin, completing his PhD at Bielefeld University in 1999. He then moved to the University of Bristol (UK), where he was appointed Professor of the “Physics of Information” in 2006. In 2012, he joined the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. His projects have been supported by an ERC Advanced Grant from the European Research Council, and in 2022, he received both a Humboldt Research Award and the Hans Fischer Senior Fellowship from the Technical University of Munich.