News Department of Physics

Most important German research award goes to TUM professor

Leibniz-Preisträger 2026 Prof. Dr. Frank Pollmann. Bild: Andreas Heddergott / TUM

Prof. Frank Pollmann has been awarded the 2026 Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize. He conducts research at the Chair of Theoretical Solid State Physics at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) and is receiving the prize for his outstanding scientific work in theoretical quantum physics. The German Research Foundation (DFG) endows the prize with up to 2.5 million euros, which will be used to improve research.

Frank Pollmann investigates the fundamental properties of condensed matter and how quantum mechanical effects influence its behavior. His research focuses on quantum many-body systems, in particular topological phases, frustrated and strongly correlated spin systems, and non-equilibrium quantum dynamics.

To gain a deeper understanding of the physics of these systems, he uses and develops tensor network methods and concepts of quantum information. These enable exotic orders and new states of matter to be identified and precisely characterized. He also uses quantum computers and develops quantum algorithms to efficiently simulate such complex systems.

Frank Pollmann studied physics at the Technical University of Braunschweig and the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm and received his doctorate in 2006 from the Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems (MPIPKS) in Dresden. He then conducted research at the University of California, Berkeley. In 2011, he began leading a junior research group at MPIPKS. In 2016, Pollmann was appointed associate professor and in 2022 full professor at TUM.

Frank Pollmann is the 26th TUM researcher to be honored with the Leibniz Prize since 1986. TUM President Prof. Thomas F. Hofmann praises the award winner's outstanding work: “Prof. Frank Pollmann is a basic researcher par excellence. Using efficient classical algorithms and modern quantum computers, he investigates the fundamental laws that govern the behavior of matter and quantum systems. Such research is the prerequisite for spectacular new discoveries that can ultimately lead to breakthrough innovations. I congratulate Prof. Frank Pollmann on this well-deserved award.”