PeopleofSuperintelligence

Researcher

Ferdinand Schmidt-Kaler

Also known as Ferdinand Schmidt‐Kaler

Ferdinand Schmidt-Kaler is an experimental physicist whose work spans trapped-ion quantum information and large language models for quantum-computer compilers. He studied physics in Bochum, Bonn and Munich, completed a doctorate under Theodor Hänsch in 1992, and joined Rainer Blatt's Innsbruck group. There, he coauthored a 2003 report on the Cirac–Zoller controlled-NOT gate, then led quantum-information work at Ulm and joined Mainz in 2010. He has been a co-founder and scientific adviser at neQxt since 2022, and he coauthored a 2024 paper on coherent quantum thermodynamics with a trapped ion. In 2025 and 2026, he coauthored work using large language models for shuttling compilers; he heads the Cold Ions and Experimental Quantum Information Processing group and QUANTUM at Mainz as of October 2026.

Born
1962
Badges

Years link to their sources.

Timeline

  1. 1983–1992

    Physics studies and a doctorate

    He studies physics at Ruhr University Bochum in 1983–1984, Friedrich-Wilhelm University Bonn in 1984–1986, and Technical University Munich in 1986–1989. He earns a physics diploma at TU Munich in 1989 and completes a physics doctorate at Ludwig Maximilian University Munich in 1992 under Theodor Hänsch.

  2. 1992–2004

    Paris research and an ion gate

    From 1992 to 1993, he works with T. W. Hänsch's laser-spectroscopy group at the Max Planck Institute for Quantum Optics in Garching; from 1993 to 1995, he is a postdoctoral researcher with Serge Haroche at Laboratoire Kastler Brossel in Paris. He joins Rainer Blatt's Quantum Optics and Spectroscopy group at Innsbruck in 1995 and becomes an associate professor there in 2001. In 2003, he coauthors a Nature report on realizing the Cirac–Zoller controlled-NOT gate with trapped ions.

  3. 2004–2010

    Professor at the University of Ulm

    In October 2004, he becomes a full professor and heads the Institute for Quantum Information Processing at the University of Ulm through May 2010.

  4. Since 2010

    Professor and QUANTUM head

    In May 2010, he becomes a full professor of experimental physics and head of QUANTUM at the Institute for Physics at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz.

  5. Since 2022

    Co-founding neQxt

    Since 2022, he serves as a co-founder and scientific advisor at neQxt, a quantum-computing startup.

  6. 2024

    A trapped-ion thermodynamics paper

    In 2024, he coauthors “Probing coherent quantum thermodynamics using a trapped ion” with eight collaborators in Nature Communications.

  7. 2025–2026

    Large language models compile ion shuttling

    In 2025, he coauthors a shuttling-compiler strategy that fine-tunes large language models on schedules for linear and branched traps. In 2026, he coauthors a study that uses a frontier LLM to generate Python compiler code for linear traps and traps with junctions, reporting up to 72% fewer shuttling timesteps for linear traps and 43% fewer for traps with junctions.

  8. As of October 2026

    Leading the Cold Ions group

    As of October 2026, he heads Cold Ions and Experimental Quantum Information Processing and the QUANTUM section within JGU's Institute of Physics.

Career

  1. Since 2022neQxtCo-founder and scientific adviser
  2. Since 2010Johannes Gutenberg University MainzFull Professor of Experimental Physics
  3. Since 2010Chinese Academy of SciencesHead
  4. 2004–2010Universität UlmFull Professor; Head of the Institute for Quantum Information Processing
  5. 1995–2004Universität InnsbruckAssociate Professor
  6. 1993–1995Institut de PhysiquePostdoctoral Researcher
  7. 1992–1993Max Planck Institute for Quantum Optics

Education

  1. 1992LMU MunichPhD
  2. 1989Technical University of MunichPhysics diploma
  3. 1986University of Bonn
  4. 1984Ruhr University Bochum

From the biography.

  1. 11% of AI doctorate holders from 2010 to 2016 founded or led a company or lab by 10 years after graduationIncludes Ferdinand Schmidt-Kaler. We estimate how often AI doctorate holders founded or led a company or lab by 10 years after graduation, how waiting times compare between founders and top jobs, and which universities trained the most.
  2. Universities keep AI researchers for a median of 6 years, compared with 2 years at frontier labsIncludes Chinese Academy of Sciences. Across 15,811 dated work stays (6,529 people), median role tenure runs from 6 years at universities to 2 years at frontier labs. We compare all five organization types, starting decades from the 1970s to the 2020s, and the organizations that keep people longest.
  3. People shaping AI work at a median of 3 organizations over a career: 3 for university starters and institute and lab starters, versus 2 for company startersIncludes Chinese Academy of Sciences. Across 6,853 people shaping AI with a dated work role, we estimate a median of 3 parent organizations over a career (mean 3.6), comparing role groups, starting sectors and starting decades from the 1950s to 2020–2026.
  4. The company share of AI researchers’ top papers was 31% in 2020–2024 and 8% in 1970–1974Includes Chinese Academy of Sciences. We estimate where the people shaping AI worked when their most-cited papers appeared: the company share was 31% in 2020–2024 and 8% in 1970–1974, and Google led all organizations in 2020–2024.

Colleagues

People named in this biography, and people with dated positions at the same organization in the same years.

Sources and credits

Photo: We have no published photo of Ferdinand Schmidt-Kaler yet. Send us a free-licensed photo.

  1. Ferdinand Schmidt-Kaler, Prof. Dr. quantenbit.physik.uni-mainz.de. Checked 21 October 2026.
  2. Realization of the Cirac–Zoller controlled-NOT quantum gate nature.com. Checked 21 October 2026.
  3. Profile page – Ferdinand Schmidt-Kaler – Physics JGU Mainz physics.uni-mainz.de. Checked 21 October 2026.
  4. Shuttling Compiler for Trapped-Ion Quantum Computers Based on Fine-Tuned Large Language Models arxiv.org. Checked 21 October 2026.
  5. Efficient LLM-Generated Shuttling Compilers for Complex Trapped-Ion Architectures arxiv.org. Checked 21 October 2026.