Renato Renner (born 11 December 1974) is a

Swiss Swiss may refer to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Places * Swiss, Missouri * Swiss, North Carolina *Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses *Swiss-system tournament, in various games and sports *Swiss Internation ...

professor for

Theoretical Physics Theoretical physics is a branch of physics that employs mathematical models and abstractions of physical objects and systems to rationalize, explain and predict natural phenomena. This is in contrast to experimental physics, which uses experim ...

at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) in Zurich, where he is head of the Research Group for

Quantum Information Theory Quantum information is the information of the quantum state, state of a quantum system. It is the basic entity of study in quantum information theory, and can be manipulated using quantum information processing techniques. Quantum information re ...

. His research interests include Quantum Information and

Computation Computation is any type of arithmetic or non-arithmetic calculation that follows a well-defined model (e.g., an algorithm). Mechanical or electronic devices (or, historically, people) that perform computations are known as ''computers''. An es ...

, the Foundations of

Quantum Physics Quantum mechanics is a fundamental theory in physics that provides a description of the physical properties of nature at the scale of atoms and subatomic particles. It is the foundation of all quantum physics including quantum chemistry, qua ...

and

Quantum thermodynamics Quantum thermodynamics is the study of the relations between two independent physical theories: thermodynamics and quantum mechanics. The two independent theories address the physical phenomena of light and matter. In 1905, Albert Einstein argued ...

Education and career

Renner was born 11 December, 1974 in

Lucerne Lucerne ( , ; High Alemannic German, High Alemannic: ''Lozärn'') or Luzern ()Other languages: gsw, Lozärn, label=Lucerne German; it, Lucerna ; rm, Lucerna . is a city in central Switzerland, in the Languages of Switzerland, German-speaking po ...

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

, where he received his high school degree in 1994 from Kantonsschule. He then went to study

physics Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which r ...

at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL) and continued his education at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) in Zurich, where he graduated in theoretical physics. Renner then joined ETH’s department of Computer Science as a Ph.D. student, where he worked in the field of

Quantum Cryptography Quantum cryptography is the science of exploiting quantum mechanical properties to perform cryptographic tasks. The best known example of quantum cryptography is quantum key distribution which offers an information-theoretically secure solution ...

and specialized in the ''Security of

Quantum Key Distribution Quantum key distribution (QKD) is a secure communication method which implements a cryptographic protocol involving components of quantum mechanics. It enables two parties to produce a shared random secret key known only to them, which can then be ...

,'' which became the title of his doctoral thesis in 2005. He continued his scientific career with a two-year

postdoctoral researcher A postdoctoral fellow, postdoctoral researcher, or simply postdoc, is a person professionally conducting research after the completion of their doctoral studies (typically a PhD). The ultimate goal of a postdoctoral research position is to p ...

position at the Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics of the

University of Cambridge , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

. At his return to Switzerland in 2007, Renner started as Assistant Professor at ETH Zurich and then continued to work from 2012 as Associate Professor in the Department of Theoretical Physics, where he was promoted to a Full Professor in 2015. He and his team are especially active in the field of

Cyber Security Computer security, cybersecurity (cyber security), or information technology security (IT security) is the protection of computer systems and networks from attack by malicious actors that may result in unauthorized information disclosure, the ...

Awards

* 2018, ''ALEA Award'' of the AVETH * 2017 and 2011, Teaching Award (''Golden Owl'') from the ''ETH Zurich Physics Student Association'' * 2016, TCC ''Test of Time Award'' from the ''International Association for Cryptologic Research'' ''(IACR)'' * 2015, Fellowship at the Stellenbosch Institute for Advanced Study * 2011, CRM Aisenstadt Chair * 2010 - 2015, '' ERC Starting Independent Researcher Grant'' * Best Dissertation Award by the German Chapter of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) * 2005,

ETH (colloquially) , former_name = eidgenössische polytechnische Schule , image = ETHZ.JPG , image_size = , established = , type = Public , budget = CHF 1.896 billion (2021) , rector = Günther Dissertori , president = Joël Mesot , ac ...

Medal for his PhD thesis

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Renner, Renato 1974 births Living people People from Lucerne École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne alumni ETH Zurich alumni Academic staff of ETH Zurich Theoretical physicists