The StMWK’s Young Talent Award created a true “Oscar” moment in the Herkulessaal at the Munich Residenz. Unlike the winners of the Bavarian Minister-President’s Hightech Prize, Germany’s most highly endowed technology award, and the Hightech Graduate Prizes, who were announced in advance, the recipient of the Young Talent Award was revealed by Science Minister Markus Blume only on the evening of the awards ceremony.
“And the winner is: Lukas Burgholzer from TUM.” With the development of open-source software for quantum computers, he is pursuing an inspiring vision: to make quantum computing so accessible that the technology operates in the background, yet its potential reaches everyone and benefits all. This makes him a perfect fit for Bavaria and the Munich Quantum Valley: the hottest quantum project in the country,” congratulated Science Minister Markus Blume. “For us in the Free State of Bavaria, one thing is clear: progress requires support – and people like Lukas Burgholzer and the two nominees, Anna Maria Oberländer and Saskia Schimmel. They all want to make a difference with their research!”
Quantum computers are considered one of the most disruptive technologies of the 21st century. While technological giants and start-ups worldwide are making astonishing strides at the hardware level, a critical gap threatens to emerge in software development. Without powerful design tools, compilers, and verification methods, however, we run the risk of being unable to use powerful quantum processors efficiently or correctly. This is precisely where Dr. Lukas Burgholzer’s research comes in. He applies established techniques from classical electronic design automation (EDA) to the quantum realm. The goal is to create scalable, efficient, and trustworthy software that covers the entire “stack” (i.e., the structure of all components) – from the algorithm to the physical machine. At the heart of his research are novel data structures and algorithms that solve fundamental problems in the classical simulation, compilation, and verification of quantum circuits. In addition, Lukas Burgholzer is committed to consistently translating all theoretical findings into professional open-source software. The Munich Quantum Toolkit (MQT), which he played a key role in developing and for which he was responsible for the architecture, is now a globally recognized standard.
The Young Scientist Award, endowed with 30,000 euros, honors visionary research with innovation potential. Selection criteria include the quality of the research, its innovation potential, the prospects for translating research results into practical applications, as well as the relevance and forward-looking nature of the results.
News adapted from the StMWK press release [German].