Vlatko Vedral (born 1971) is a

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n-born British physicist. He is best known for his contributions to

quantum information Quantum information is the information of the state of a quantum system. It is the basic entity of study in quantum information theory, and can be manipulated using quantum information processing techniques. Quantum information refers to both t ...

theory,

quantum mechanics Quantum mechanics is the fundamental physical Scientific theory, theory that describes the behavior of matter and of light; its unusual characteristics typically occur at and below the scale of atoms. Reprinted, Addison-Wesley, 1989, It is ...

, and

quantum entanglement Quantum entanglement is the phenomenon where the quantum state of each Subatomic particle, particle in a group cannot be described independently of the state of the others, even when the particles are separated by a large distance. The topic o ...

. He earned his

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, B.S., B.Sc., SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree that is awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Scienc ...

and

Doctor of Philosophy A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of Postgraduate education, graduate study and original resear ...

degrees from

Imperial College London Imperial College London, also known as Imperial, is a Public university, public research university in London, England. Its history began with Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Prince Albert, husband of Queen Victoria, who envisioned a Al ...

, where he graduated with a PhD in 1998. An active

researcher Research is creative and systematic work undertaken to increase the stock of knowledge. It involves the collection, organization, and analysis of evidence to increase understanding of a topic, characterized by a particular attentiveness to ...

, Vedral has over 500 published, regularly cited papers to his name. This output covers a broad range of topics within

quantum physics Quantum mechanics is the fundamental physical Scientific theory, theory that describes the behavior of matter and of light; its unusual characteristics typically occur at and below the scale of atoms. Reprinted, Addison-Wesley, 1989, It is ...

, including

quantum computing A quantum computer is a computer that exploits quantum mechanical phenomena. On small scales, physical matter exhibits properties of wave-particle duality, both particles and waves, and quantum computing takes advantage of this behavior using s ...

quantum cryptography Quantum cryptography is the science of exploiting quantum mechanical properties to perform cryptographic tasks. The best known example of quantum cryptography is quantum key distribution, which offers an information-theoretically secure soluti ...

, and

quantum thermodynamics Quantum thermodynamics is the study of the relations between two independent physical theories: thermodynamics and quantum mechanics. The two independent theories address the physical phenomena of light and matter. In 1905, Albert Einstein argued ...

. In recognition of his scholarly achievements, he was honoured with the

Royal Society Wolfson Research Merit Award The Royal Society Wolfson Fellowship, known as the Royal Society Wolfson Research Merit Award until 2020, is a 5 years fellowship awarded by the Royal Society since 2000. The scheme is described by the Royal Society as providing ''long-term flexib ...

in 2007. Throughout his career, Vedral has held a number of academic positions, including lectureships and readership at Imperial College London, a

professorship Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an academic rank at universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin as a 'person who professes'. Professors ...

at the

University of Leeds The University of Leeds is a public research university in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It was established in 1874 as the Yorkshire College of Science. In 1884, it merged with the Leeds School of Medicine (established 1831) and was renamed Y ...

, and visiting professorships at institutions worldwide, including Vienna, Singapore, and Beijing. Since 2009, Vedral has served as Professor of

Quantum Information Science Quantum information science is a field that combines the principles of quantum mechanics with information theory to study the processing, analysis, and transmission of information. It covers both theoretical and experimental aspects of quantum phys ...

in the

Department of Physics Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military *Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...

at the

University of Oxford The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the List of oldest un ...

. Additionally, he is a Governing Body

Fellow A fellow is a title and form of address for distinguished, learned, or skilled individuals in academia, medicine, research, and industry. The exact meaning of the term differs in each field. In learned society, learned or professional society, p ...

Wolfson College, Oxford Wolfson College () is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Wolfson is an all-graduate college, it prides itself on being one of the most international colleges at Oxford, with part ...

. In addition to his academic work, Vedral has made efforts to popularise and communicate complex scientific concepts to a broader audience. He frequently gives talks on quantum physics and its implications for society, as well as writing for mainstream journals and participating in vlogs, podcasts, and documentaries. Vedral has also written several textbooks and two popular science books, most notably Decoding Reality.

Early years and education

Vedral was born in

Belgrade Belgrade is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin, Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. T ...

, Serbia in 1971, the only son of two mathematics teachers. From a young age, he exhibited a keen interest in mathematics and philosophy. Vedral secured a place at the highly competitive

Mathematical Grammar School Mathematical Grammar School (, abbr. "MG" or "MGB"), is a special school for Intellectual giftedness, gifted and talented students of mathematics, physics and Informatics (academic field), informatics located in Belgrade, Serbia. The School has ...

(Matematička gimnazija) in Belgrade, renowned for its nurturing environment for gifted students in mathematics, physics, and informatics. It was during his time at this institution that Vedral's passion for physics was sparked, thanks to the tutelage of an inspirational teacher. After completing his secondary education, Vedral fulfilled his national service obligations in the Yugoslav Army at the age of 19. He reached the rank of a lieutenant army reserve officer. In 1991, seeking to further pursue his academic aspirations, he left Serbia for the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. Awarded a scholarship from

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a collegiate university, federal Public university, public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The ...

, Vedral embarked on his

undergraduate Undergraduate education is education conducted after secondary education and before postgraduate education, usually in a college or university. It typically includes all postsecondary programs up to the level of a bachelor's degree. For example, ...

studies in

theoretical physics Theoretical physics is a branch of physics that employs mathematical models and abstractions of physical objects and systems to rationalize, explain, and predict List of natural phenomena, natural phenomena. This is in contrast to experimental p ...

at Imperial College London. In 1998, Vedral completed his PhD, examining the quantum information theory of entanglement, under the guidance and mentorship of Sir Peter Leonard Knight FRS HonFInstP. Vedral's doctoral research laid the groundwork for his future contributions to the field of quantum physics.

Research and career

Following on from his PhD, Vedral was appointed Elsag-Bailey

postdoctoral A postdoctoral fellow, postdoctoral researcher, or simply postdoc, is a person professionally conducting research after the completion of their doctoral studies (typically a PhD). Postdocs most commonly, but not always, have a temporary acade ...

research fellow A research fellow is an academic research position at a university or a similar research institution, usually for academic staff or faculty members. A research fellow may act either as an independent investigator or under the supervision of a p ...

at Imperial College London in 1998, then he took on a research fellowship at

Merton College, Oxford Merton College (in full: The House or College of Scholars of Merton in the University of Oxford) is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Its foundation can be traced back to the 126 ...

. In 2000, he returned to Imperial College London as the Governor’s lecturer to start a quantum information science research group. Alongside this, he took on a senior lecturer role at

Keble College, Oxford Keble College () is one of the Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Its main buildings are on Parks Road, opposite the Oxford University Museum of Natural History, University Museum a ...

. Both positions he held until 2004. Prior to serving as the Centenary Professor of Quantum Information Science at the University of Leeds between 2004 and 2009, he was a Reader in Quantum Physics at Imperial College London. Between 2007 and 2022, Vedral was the principal investigator at the

Centre for Quantum Technologies The Centre for Quantum Technologies (CQT) in Singapore is a Research Centre of Excellence hosted by the National University of Singapore. The Centre brings together physicists, computer scientists and engineers to do basic research on quantum ph ...

(CQT) in Singapore, and also professor of physics at the

National University of Singapore The National University of Singapore (NUS) is a national university, national Public university, public research university in Singapore. It was officially established in 1980 by the merging of the University of Singapore and Nanyang University ...

(NUS). Vedral was a director of the

Oxford Martin School The Oxford Martin School is a research and policy unit based in the Social Sciences Division of the University of Oxford. It was founded in June 2005 as the James Martin 21st Century School and is located in the original building of the Indian ...

initiative on bio-inspired quantum technologies from 2013 until 2017. This was an interdisciplinary consortium leading a group of 15 Oxford-based academics in the direction of quantum

biomimetics Biomimetics or biomimicry is the emulation of the models, systems, and elements of nature for the purpose of solving complex human problems. The terms "biomimetics" and "biomimicry" are derived from (''bios''), life, and μίμησις (''mimes ...

. Since 2009, Vedral has served as professor of

quantum information science Quantum information science is a field that combines the principles of quantum mechanics with information theory to study the processing, analysis, and transmission of information. It covers both theoretical and experimental aspects of quantum phys ...

in the

at the

, concurrently holding the role of Governing Body

Bibliography and publications

Vedral's publications can all be found on Google Scholar. His books include: * 2005: ''Modern Foundations of Quantum Optics'' * 2006: ''Introduction to Quantum Information Science'' * 2010: ''Introductory Quantum Physics and Relativity'' * 2010: '' Decoding Reality: The Universe as Quantum Information'' * 2018: ''Solid State Quantum Information'' * 2018: ''From Micro to Macro: Adventures of a Wandering Physicist''

Awards and honours

* The Abdus Salam Award (1997) *

(2007) * The World Scientific Physics Research Medal (2009) * Recipient of Marko V. Jaric Award (2011) * Elected a

Fellow of the Institute of Physics Fellowship of the Institute of Physics (FInstP) is "the highest level of membership attainable" by physicists who are members of the Institute of Physics (IoP), "for those with a degree in physics or related subject (or equivalent knowledge gaine ...

(FInstP) (2017) * Elected a member of The Academia Europaea, which known also a
The Academy of Europe
(2020)

Visiting professorships

In addition to his academic positions in the UK, Vedral engaged in collaborative research and mentorship activities at the

Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics (PI, Perimeter, PITP) is an independent research centre in foundational theoretical physics located in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. It was founded in 1999. The institute's founding and major benefactor i ...

in Canada in 2003, and from 2004 to 2005 he served as a visiting professor at the

University of Vienna The University of Vienna (, ) is a public university, public research university in Vienna, Austria. Founded by Rudolf IV, Duke of Austria, Duke Rudolph IV in 1365, it is the oldest university in the German-speaking world and among the largest ...

. He also held a senior scientist position at the Schrödinger Institute in Vienna, and later served as a distinguished visiting professor at the University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, from 2009 to 2010. Vedral held a chair professorship at

Tsinghua University Tsinghua University (THU) is a public university in Haidian, Beijing, China. It is affiliated with and funded by the Ministry of Education of China. The university is part of Project 211, Project 985, and the Double First-Class Constructio ...

in Beijing from 2015 to 2016, contributing to the institution's renowned research programs.

Professional services

Vedral's dedication to advancing the field of quantum physics extends beyond his research contributions. As a respected authority in this field, Vedral has served as a referee for scientific journals, including

Nature Nature is an inherent character or constitution, particularly of the Ecosphere (planetary), ecosphere or the universe as a whole. In this general sense nature refers to the Scientific law, laws, elements and phenomenon, phenomena of the physic ...

, and Nature related journals,

Physical Review ''Physical Review'' is a peer-reviewed scientific journal. The journal was established in 1893 by Edward Nichols. It publishes original research as well as scientific and literature reviews on all aspects of physics. It is published by the Ame ...

, and the

Journal of Modern Optics The ''Journal of Modern Optics'' is a peer-reviewed scientific journal that was established as ''Optica Acta'' in 1954. It obtained its current name in 1987 and is published by Taylor & Francis with 21 issues per year. The journal covers most branc ...

. In addition, Vedral has also served as a referee for grant proposals and research projects for organisations such as the

Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) is a British UK Research Councils, Research Council that provides government funding for grants to undertake research and postgraduate degrees in engineering and the physical scienc ...

(EPSRC), the

Royal Society The Royal Society, formally The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, is a learned society and the United Kingdom's national academy of sciences. The society fulfils a number of roles: promoting science and its benefits, re ...

, and various international Science Foundations. He is a regular examiner for PhD theses and junior research fellowships. Vedral has actively contributed to the organisation and coordination of scientific conferences and research networks. He has played a role in the organisation of five international conferences and two conferences in the UK, providing a platform for researchers to exchange ideas and collaborate on developments in quantum physics. Additionally, Vedral served as the coordinator of the (EPSRC)-funded UK network "Quantum Interference" from 2003 to 2006. His commitment to shaping the future of quantum computing is reflected in his service on the council for The Future of Computing of the

World Economic Forum The World Economic Forum (WEF) is an international non-governmental organization, international advocacy non-governmental organization and think tank, based in Cologny, Canton of Geneva, Switzerland. It was founded on 24 January 1971 by German ...

since 2016. Moreover, he has contributed his insights to the Institute for Scientific Interchange in Turin as a consultant since 2017. Through his involvement in professional services and leadership roles, Vedral has demonstrated his personal motivations to advance quantum physics, foster collaboration, and shape the future of scientific research.

References

External links

Official websiteThe Life Scientific: Vlatko Vedral on the universe as quantum information ~ BBC Radio 4Material World: Vlatko Vedral discusses quantum information with Quentin Cooper ~ BBC Radio 4Vlatko Vedral: 'I'd like to explain the origin of God' ~ ObserverVlatko Vedral: 'I'm building a machine that breaks the rules of reality'~ New ScientistThe conversation: Do we really need a theory of everything? with Miriam FrankelThrough the Wormhole: Can we live forever? with Morgan Freeman
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vedral, Vlatko 1971 births Living people Serbian physicists British physicists Serbian emigrants to the United Kingdom Fellows of Wolfson College, Oxford Fellows of Merton College, Oxford Fellows of the Institute of Physics Academics of the University of Leeds