About
Dirk Bouwmeester is a Professor of Quantum Optics and Quantum Information at Leiden University's Leiden Institute of Physics (LION) within the Faculty of Science. He also holds a chair at the University of California in Santa Barbara, maintaining a significant international research presence. His work focuses on the fundamental boundaries between quantum mechanics and the classical world.
His research program centers on three leading themes: Optical Physics, Quantum Optics, and Photon-Matter Interactions, with entanglement serving as the bridging concept across these areas. Bouwmeester's groundbreaking work includes developing a nano mirror that can exist in two positions simultaneously, exploring whether there is a real boundary between quantum mechanics and the classical world. He is also investigating how quantum mechanics can be related to the theory of relativity, predicting we are 'right in the middle of the quantum revolution.'
Bouwmeester collaborates with the LUMC on a new DNA detection technique and is developing a therapy for Duchenne muscular dystrophy using his Spinoza Prize funding. In 2025, he received the NWO Spinoza Prize, the highest scientific distinction in the Netherlands, which provides 2.5 million euros for further research.
- NWO Spinoza Prize recipient (2025)
- Professor of Quantum Optics and Quantum Information
- Conducts research at temperatures near absolute zero
- Develops nanostructures for quantum experiments
- Works on quantum applications for medical research
Bouwmeester supervises multiple PhD candidates and researchers including Enrique Morell Salcedo, Leon Raabe, and Xinrui Wei, while his former students include Matteo Fisicaro, Donny de Bruin, Petr Steindl, and Vitaly Fedoseev. His research group, the Bouwmeester Lab, actively works on projects ranging from quantum computing building blocks to plasma reactor technology for sustainable energy solutions.
