Ioan Pop

Prof. Dr. Ioan Pop is a joint professor at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and Stuttgart University, operating under the Jülich model. His research group is based at KIT, integrated within the Helmholtz Association, with presence on both the north and south campuses. He is affiliated with the Physics Institute and the Institute for Quantum Materials and Technologies (IQMT). His teaching duties are carried out at Stuttgart University.

Research Interests: Prof. Pop's work centers on superconducting quantum circuits, particularly focusing on Josephson junctions and their applications in quantum memory, processing, and detection. His group aims to design quantum circuits protected against decoherence—critical for scalable quantum computing. Research themes include fluxonium qubits, granular aluminum superconductors, quantum amplifiers, and mitigation of environmental noise sources such as radioactivity and two-level systems.

His recent publications reveal a strong trend toward improving coherence, control, and scalability in superconducting quantum devices. Work spans from fundamental quantum phenomena to applied quantum engineering, with emphasis on parametric amplifiers, non-demolition readout, hybrid systems, and material-level innovations in tantalum and germanium platforms.

Scientific Awards:

• Sofja Kovalevskaja Award from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation

Advising and Grants: Since 2015, Prof. Pop has led a startup research group supported by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation’s prestigious Sofja Kovalevskaja Award. From 2020 onward, he has continued as a research group leader in the Helmholtz Association. He supervises a growing research team at KIT, mentoring students and postdocs in experimental quantum device physics.

Labs and Teams: The Pop Research Group is embedded within KIT’s Physics Institute and IQMT, operating advanced nanofabrication and low-temperature measurement facilities. The team collaborates extensively with institutions like Yale University, CNRS, and other Helmholtz centers, and participates in large-scale quantum initiatives leveraging underground laboratories for coherence enhancement.