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The Quantum World Congress (QWC) revealed on September 18 that it was granting John Preskill, the Richard P. Feynman Professor of Theoretical Physics, its Academic Pioneer in Quantum Award for 2025.
Preskill obtained a BA from Princeton and a PhD from Harvard in physics, joining the Caltech faculty in 1983. He commenced his career as a theoretical high-energy physicist, engaging in concepts that ranged from particle physics to cosmology. Since the mid-1990s, Preskill has concentrated his research on quantum computing and quantum information, especially on fault-tolerant protocols that ensure quantum computers remain dependable and secure despite the noise produced by such systems.
“John’s contributions provided quantum computing with its framework,” stated George Thomas, president and CEO of Connected DMV, the nonprofit that established and operates QWC, in a press release. “He transformed complex physics into constructs that engineers can utilize and students can grasp—and, in doing so, he aided an entire community in accelerating progress collectively.”
The QWC emphasizes that Preskill’s efforts in quantum error correction are pivotal: “Preskill’s research contributed to establishing quantum error correction as a pathway to scalable quantum computing; he also popularized defining benchmarks and terminology … that shape how researchers assess progress from flawed devices to fault-tolerant systems.”
In his acceptance address, Preskill, who also holds the Allen V. C. Davis and Lenabelle Davis Leadership Chair and serves as Director of the Institute for Quantum Science and Matter (IQIM), supported by the National Science Foundation at Caltech, expressed that he is “most proud of the quantum community we’ve cultivated at Caltech and the numerous young individuals who embraced the interdisciplinary ethos of Caltech and then advanced to become leaders in quantum science at institutions, laboratories, and firms worldwide.”
Preskill mentioned that he is particularly excited to receive the Quantum Leadership Award during this, the International Year of Quantum. “The centenary of the discovery of quantum mechanics is a reason for celebration, as that theory gives us our deepest and most precise understanding of how the universe operates. … What we have uncovered about electrons, photons, atoms, and molecules over the last century has already altered our lives in many ways, but what lies ahead, as we learn to construct and meticulously manage increasingly complex quantum systems, will be even more remarkable.”
“These are still the initial days in a budding second quantum revolution [where quantum principles are directly utilized for technological ends],” Preskill contemplates. “In quantum computing, we confront two essential inquiries: How can we scale up to quantum machines capable of solving extremely challenging computational problems? And once we achieve that, what will be the most significant applications for science and industry? … We won’t discover the answers all at once … but a decade from now we will have much clearer answers than we possess today.”
Reflecting on the journey thus far in quantum computing and toward its promising future, Preskill states, “Let us not overlook how we arrived at this stage. It was by enabling some of the planet’s most brilliant minds to pursue their curiosity and envision what the future could hold. To realize the potential of quantum technology, we need that spirit of bold exploration now more than ever.”
The QWC was founded in 2022 to offer a global platform “where researchers, policymakers, industry leaders, investors, academics, government officials, and students gather to propel the quantum field,” as noted by Thomas.
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