Thomas Barthel

Thomas Barthel is an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Physics at Duke University and a Manager of Research Development at the National Quantum Laboratory, University of Maryland. He is affiliated with the Duke Quantum Center and the Pratt School of Engineering.

• PhD from Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule Aachen (Germany) (2009)

Research Interests: Dr. Barthel specializes in quantum condensed matter physics and tensor network states for simulating strongly correlated quantum systems. His work spans nonequilibrium dynamics, entanglement scaling, driven-dissipative systems, and stochastic network dynamics with applications to epidemic modeling and quantum computation. He develops entanglement renormalization algorithms like Trotterized MERA to achieve quantum advantage for critical systems.

Publications: Recent work focuses on proving the absence of barren plateaus in tensor network optimization, scaling of contraction costs for MERA, and non-Gaussian phase transitions in dissipative quantum models. His tensor network methods enable simulations of quantum criticality and entanglement evolution in large systems.

Scientific Awards:

• Borchers Medal (2010)
• Schöneborn Prize (2005)
• Springorum Medal (2005)
• Doctoral and Student Scholarships from Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes

Advising & Grants: Dr. Barthel advises students in quantum simulation and network dynamics. He has secured NSF and NIH grants for epidemic risk analysis and quantum material studies, alongside IonQ quantum computing credits and Department of Energy funding.