Quantenphysik und Gravitation – vom Dilemma zum Experiment
MCQST Distinguished Lecturer Award
The MCQST Distinguished Lecturer prize acknowledges scientific achievements in the field of quantum science and technology, as well as a high commitment to communicate recent developments in their respective fields to a broader public.
Each year, MCQST awards up to two scientists with this distinction. Our Distinguished Lecturers will offer three different presentations during their visit to MCQST, each specially targeted to a different audience: a talk for the public interested in scientific discoveries and developments, a Colloquium for the local scientific community, as well as a more specialized seminar for researchers working in the same field.
Get inspired
Upon their visiting MCQST, we sit down with our distinguished lecturers for an in-depth interview about their career paths, inspirations, motivations for research, what drives them, key breakthroughs, and current projects. We invite you to browse through these interviews and get inspired by the passion and curiosity that fuel these remarkable scientists.
Christopher Monroe
2026 Distinguished Lecturer
Prof. Christopher Monroe is awarded MCQST Distinguished Lecturer for 2026. Monroe is the Gilhuly Family Presidential Distinguished Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Physics at Duke University. He is also the Co-Founder and Chief Scientist of IonQ, Inc., the first public quantum computing company.
Upcoming Talks
- Public Talk: Quantum Computers for the Future (and for Cocktail Parties) | 17 June 2026 at the Deutsche Museum
- Colloquium: Quantum Computing in Academia and Industry | 18 June 2026 at MPQ
- Specialized seminar: Quantum Networks with Atomic Memories | 19 June 2026 at MPQ
Markus Aspelmeyer
2025 Distinguished Lecturer
Prof. Markus Aspelmeyer of University of Vienna and Scientific Director at the Institute for Quantum Optics and Quantum Information (IQOQI) is awarded MCQST Distinguished Lecturer for 2025.
- Interview on the MCQST blog: "Springboards into the Quantum Realm"
- Watch the public talk on YouTube: "Quantenphysik und Gravitation – vom Dilemma zum Experiment"
Philip Kim
2024 Distinguished Lecturer
Prof. Philip Kim of Harvard University is awarded MCQST Distinguished Lecturer for 2024.
- Interview on the MCQST blog: "I am sure there are many more surprises waiting to be discovered."
- Watch the public talk on YouTube: "Physics in Flatland: Searching for New Quantum Materials for Emerging Technologies."
Andreas Wallraff
2023 Distinguished Lecturer
Prof. Andreas Wallraff of ETH Zurich is awarded MCQST Distinguished Lecturer for 2023. The prize acknowledges Prof. Wallraff's scientific achievements in the field of quantum science and technology, as well as his commitment to communicate recent developments to a broader public.
The award ceremony took place during the public talk event on 12 June 2023 at the Kuntlerhaus, München.
- Interview on the MCQST blog: "This perseverance is what distinguishes our group"
- Watch the public talk on YouTube: "Quantencomputer. Wer, wie, was, wieso, weshalb, warum?"
Mikhail Lukin
2022 Distinguished Lecturer
Prof. Mikhail Lukin of Harvard University was awarded MCQST Distinguished Lecturer for 2022. The award ceremony took place during the public talk event on 16 May 2022 at the Literaturhaus.
- Interview on the MCQST blog: "Entering a New Quantum World"
- Watch the public talk on YouTube: "New Frontier of Quantum Science and Engineering"
Dorit Aharonov
2021 Distinguished Lecturer
Prof. Dorit Aharonov of the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at the Hebrew University, Jerusalem was honoured as MCQST Distinguished Lecturer in 2021. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the colloquium took place online, with the public talk and specialized seminar being rescheduled to take place in Munich, in early 2024.
Pascale Senellart
2020 Distinguished Lecturer
Prof. Pascale Senellart of the Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology was honoured as MCQST Distinguished Lecturer in 2020. However, due to the Covid-19 Pandemic, her talks all took place in 2021. The award ceremony took place during the public talk event on 18 November 2021 at the Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften.
- Interview on the MCQST blog: "I have to do quantum physics"
- Watch the public talk on YouTube: "Photons: The Quantum Link"
John Preskill
2019 Distinguished Lecturer
John Preskill, Richard P. Feynman Professor of Theoretical Physics at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) and Director of the Institute for Quantum Information and Matter (IQIM), is awarded as Distinguished Lecturer by MCQST. The prize is acknowledging John Preskill’s scientific achievements in the field of quantum information theory as well as his engagement to communicate recent developments in quantum science and technology to a broader public.
The award ceremony took place during the event on 7 October 2019 at Deutsches Museum.
- Interview on the MCQST blog: Interview with John Preskill
- Watch the public talk on YouTube: "Quantum Computing and the Entanglement Frontier"