Robert Fickler

Robert Fickler is an Associate Professor at Tampere University's Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences, leading the Experimental Quantum Optics Group in the Photonics department. His work focuses on quantum photonics, high-dimensional quantum information, and structured light interactions with matter. He holds a PhD from the University of Vienna (2014) and has held postdoctoral positions at institutions like the University of Ottawa and IQOQI Vienna. Fickler is an ERC Starting Grant recipient (2021) and leads the BIQOS project on integrated operations for structured photons.

Education:

• PhD in Physics, University of Vienna (2014)
• Master’s in Physics, Ulm University (2009)
• Bachelor’s in Philosophy, Ulm University (2008)

Research interests include quantum plasmonics, nonlinear optics, and atom physics. His lab explores structured photons for quantum communication and high-dimensional systems, with breakthroughs like the quantum Gouy phase observation and twisted photon entanglement. Over 55 publications appear in top journals like Science, Nature Photonics, and Physical Review Letters.

Awards include the Young Scientist Award from IUPAP (2015) and Springer Thesis Award (2015). His grants include the Academy Research Fellowship (2019) and Banting Postdoctoral Fellowship (2016).

Advising focuses on experimental quantum optics, with a lab emphasizing spatiospectral vector beams and multi-plane light conversion. Collaborations span international teams in quantum communication and nonlinear optics.