Prof. Dr. Markus Müller is the new Director of the Institute for Theoretical Nanoelectronics (PGI-2)
10 March 2026
Prof. Dr. Markus Müller has taken over the leadership of the Institute for Theoretical Nanoelectronics (PGI-2) with retrospective effect from 1st January 2026, having already served as Acting Director since August 2025. He has now been officially appointed Director of PGI-2, succeeding Prof. Dr. David DiVincenzo, who led the institute with great dedication and success for the last 14 years, and retired in August 2025.
Prof. Dr. Markus Müller is an internationally renowned expert in the field of theoretical quantum physics. After completing his degree in physics at the University of Konstanz, he obtained his doctorate at the University of Innsbruck and the Institute for Quantum Optics and Quantum Information (IQOQI) with his thesis on many-body quantum simulation with Rydberg atoms and ions. This was followed by a postdoctoral research position at the Complutense University of Madrid and academic posts at Swansea University in the United Kingdom, where he was appointed professor in 2018. Since 2019, Prof. Müller has been Professor of Theoretical Quantum Technology at RWTH Aachen University and at Forschungszentrum Jülich, where he is making significant contributions to the development of quantum technologies. On 1st January 2026, in parallel with his leadership role at PGI-2, he took up a W3 professorship in the theory of scalable quantum information processing at RWTH Aachen University.
Future scalable quantum computing offers the potential to efficiently solve problems from a wide range of scientific fields as well as to provide practical applications that exceed the computing power of even the most powerful classical computers. However, today's quantum processors are severely limited in terms of reliable computing power, as unavoidable error processes prevent them from executing longer quantum algorithms without faults occurring. “In order to tap into the true potential of quantum computing for useful applications, a key focus of our future work at PGI-2 will therefore be on the theoretical development of new concepts for scalable quantum error correction and their integration into various physical platforms,” explains Prof. Müller. “We are very much looking forward to pursuing these initiatives on a long-term and collaborative basis, both with our colleagues at Forschungszentrum Jülich, in particular at other Peter Grünberg institutes and as part of the Jülich Quantum Computing Alliance (JUQCA), and within strong networks and research alliances comprising leading national and international academic and industrial partners.”
With his extensive expertise, Prof. Müller will continue to develop research at PGI-2 in new strategic directions. We look forward to his scientific contributions and wish him every success in his new role!