Anton Zeilinger
Anton Zeilinger is a quantum physicist who also took part in bringing artificial intelligence into quantum experiment design. That joint project, led by Hans Briegel and Zeilinger, received the 2018 Cozzarelli Prize from PNAS. In 1997 he carried out the first successful quantum teleportation experiment, and from 2013 to 2022 he presided over the Austrian Academy of Sciences. He shared the 2022 Nobel Prize in Physics with Alain Aspect and John Clauser for experiments with entangled photons. As of October 2026, he is professor emeritus at the University of Vienna and a senior scientist at the IQOQI.
Timeline
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1963–1971
Studying physics in Vienna
He studies physics at the University of Vienna and earns his PhD there in 1971.
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1990
Professor at Innsbruck
He is appointed professor of experimental physics at the University of Innsbruck in 1990.
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1997
The first quantum teleportation
He carries out the first successful quantum teleportation experiment in 1997.
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2003–2022
Founding the IQOQI
He co-founds the Institute for Quantum Optics and Quantum Information (IQOQI) in 2003, and from 2013 to 2022 he presides over the Austrian Academy of Sciences.
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2017
An AI that designs experiments
He co-authors a 2017 preprint in which an artificial intelligence system learns to design photonic quantum experiments.
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2018
A Cozzarelli Prize from PNAS
The 2018 Cozzarelli Prize from PNAS goes to a joint project led by Hans Briegel and Zeilinger, whose adaptive program can autonomously design quantum experiments.
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2022
A Nobel Prize in Physics
He shares the 2022 Nobel Prize in Physics with Alain Aspect and John Clauser for experiments with entangled photons.
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As of October 2026
Emeritus professor in Vienna
He is professor emeritus at the University of Vienna, a title held since 2013, and a senior scientist at the IQOQI.
Sources and credits
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