Stephanie Wehner

Stephanie Wehner Stephanie Wehner is a German physicist and computer scientist known for work in quantum information science, quantum cryptography, and the development of quantum networks. She has held positions at institutions such as QuTech, the Delft University of Technology, and the University of Vienna, and has contributed to theoretical and applied research intersecting computer science, physics, and information theory.

Early life and education

Wehner was born in Dresden and grew up in the context of post-reunification Germany, receiving early education that led to studies at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich and the Technical University of Munich. She completed graduate work with mentors linked to networks of researchers at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich and the Max Planck Society, culminating in a doctoral dissertation that connected aspects of information theory and complexity theory. Her academic development included collaborations and exchanges with research groups at the University of Cambridge, the California Institute of Technology, and the National University of Singapore.

Research and career

Wehner’s research spans theoretical foundations and practical architectures for quantum computing, quantum communication, and quantum internet technologies. At QuTech and TU Delft she led projects integrating experimental platforms like superconducting qubits, trapped ions, and nitrogen-vacancy centers to pursue scalable quantum networks and distributed quantum algorithms. Her work interacts with efforts at organizations such as CERN, IBM Research, Google Quantum AI, and the European Commission quantum flagship initiatives. Wehner has published on topics including device-independent quantum cryptography, quantum complexity classes related to NP and BQP, and protocols linking entanglement swapping with error correction approaches developed in collaboration with groups at the Perimeter Institute and the Institute for Quantum Computing. She has organized workshops and conferences with partners like the American Physical Society, the International Telecommunication Union, and the Royal Society to coordinate theory, experiment, and standards for emerging quantum technologies.

Selected publications and contributions

Wehner’s selected scientific contributions include theoretical results on the security of quantum key distribution and device-independent protocols published alongside collaborators from the University of Cambridge, the University of Innsbruck, and the University of Oxford. She co-authored influential papers on the feasibility of a global quantum internet that reference architectures connecting nodes similar to demonstrators by Nokia Bell Labs, Microsoft Research, and NTT. Her publications address foundational topics in quantum Shannon theory, nonlocality in multipartite systems linked to research at the Perimeter Institute, and bounds on quantum communication complexity studied in relation to work from the Institute for Advanced Study and the Centre for Quantum Technologies. She has contributed chapters to edited volumes produced by publishers associated with Springer Nature and has articles in journals such as Physical Review Letters, Nature Communications, and Science Advances.

Awards and honors

Wehner has received recognition from research funding bodies and societies including grants and fellowships from the European Research Council, awards tied to the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research, and distinctions presented at conferences organized by the American Physical Society and the European Physical Society. She has been invited to give named lectures at venues such as the Institute of Physics, the Royal Society, and major universities including the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of California, Berkeley.

Personal life and outreach

Beyond research, Wehner engages in outreach connecting quantum information to policy and education, participating in panels with stakeholders from the European Parliament, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, and industry consortia including Quantum Flagship partners. She has contributed to public-facing discussions alongside scientists from institutions such as the Max Planck Institute for Quantum Optics, the Weizmann Institute of Science, and the National Institute of Standards and Technology to promote public understanding of quantum computing and to advise on standards and workforce development.

Category:Quantum physicists Category:Living people Category:German physicists