Markus Müller

Also known as Markus Michael Müller

Markus Müller is a theoretical quantum physicist who designs error-correction methods for quantum computers, including ones built on neural networks and reinforcement learning. After a physics degree at Konstanz in 2006, he earned a PhD at Innsbruck and the IQOQI in 2011 with a thesis on many-body quantum simulation with Rydberg atoms and ions, then did a postdoc at Complutense University of Madrid and held faculty posts at Swansea University from 2015 to 2019. He became a professor at RWTH Aachen University and Forschungszentrum Jülich in 2019, and his papers since include a 2022 Nature experiment on fault-tolerant logical gates with trapped ions, quantum autoencoders for error correction in 2022, reinforcement-learning circuit discovery in 2024 and neural-network decoder interpretability in 2025. He is the director of the Institute for Theoretical Nanoelectronics (PGI-2) at Forschungszentrum Jülich and a professor of the theory of scalable quantum information processing at RWTH Aachen University.

Now at: RWTH Aachen University and Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres

Timeline

2006–2011

Physics degree and Innsbruck PhD

He completes his undergraduate studies in physics at the University of Konstanz in 2006. From 2007 to 2011, he does his PhD on many-body quantum simulation with Rydberg atoms and ions in Peter Zoller's quantum optics theory group at the University of Innsbruck and the Institute for Quantum Optics and Quantum Information (IQOQI).
2011

An open-system quantum simulator

In 2011, he coauthors a Nature paper with Peter Zoller and Rainer Blatt that simulates an open quantum system with up to five trapped-ion qubits. The experiment combines multi-qubit gates with optical pumping to implement coherent operations and dissipative processes.
2015–2019

Postdoc in Madrid, faculty at Swansea

After a postdoctoral position at Complutense University of Madrid, he holds faculty positions in the Department of Physics at Swansea University from 2015 to 2019, as Senior Lecturer, Associate Professor and Professor. Swansea appoints him professor in 2018.
October 2019

Professor in Aachen and Jülich

In October 2019, he starts as Professor in Theoretical Quantum Technology, jointly at RWTH Aachen University and Forschungszentrum Jülich. He leads the Theoretical Quantum Technology Group at the Institute for Quantum Information in Aachen and the Peter Grünberg Institute for Theoretical Nanoelectronics in Jülich.
2022–2026

Fault-tolerant trapped-ion computing

In 2022, he coauthors a Nature paper with Thomas Monz, Rainer Blatt and colleagues that demonstrates a fault-tolerant universal set of gates on two logical qubits in a trapped-ion quantum computer. In January 2026, a Nature Communications paper he coauthors with Friederike Butt, Ivan Pogorelov and Thomas Monz presents a universal toolbox of fault-tolerant logical operations that works without mid-circuit measurements on a trapped-ion processor.
2022–2026

Machine learning for error correction

In 2022, he coauthors a study with David Locher and Lorenzo Cardarelli that trains quantum neural networks, in the form of quantum autoencoders, to detect and correct errors in a quantum memory. In 2024, he joins Florian Marquardt and colleagues in using reinforcement learning to discover compact, hardware-adapted fault-tolerant quantum circuits, and in 2025 he coauthors a toolbox with Lukas Bödeker and Luc Kusters for interpreting neural-network decoders. In June 2026, a preprint with Dominik Seip, Luis Colmenárez and Markus Schmitt develops a transformer-based neural network that estimates coherent information for surface-code decoding.
August 2025–January 2026

Acting director of PGI-2

In August 2025, he becomes Acting Director of the Institute for Theoretical Nanoelectronics (PGI-2) at Forschungszentrum Jülich. His leadership of the institute takes effect from January 2026.
Since 2026

Director and RWTH professor

In January 2026, he takes up a W3 professorship in the theory of scalable quantum information processing at RWTH Aachen University, in parallel with his leadership role at PGI-2. He is Institute Director of PGI-2 and Leader of the Research Group for the Theory of Scalable Quantum Information Processing.

Career

Since 2019RWTH Aachen UniversityProfessor in Theoretical Quantum Technology, W3 Professor in the theory of scalable quantum information processing
Since 2019Helmholtz Association of German Research CentresProfessor in Theoretical Quantum Technology, Acting Director
2015–2019Swansea UniversitySenior Lecturer, Associate Professor and Professor
Complutense University of MadridPostdoctoral Researcher