Stephanie Wehner Wins 2025 Körber Prize for Quantum Networking
German-born physicist and computer scientist Stephanie Wehner, of Delft University of Technology, has been honoured with the 2025 Körber European Science Prize. Her pioneering work in quantum networking, particularly her leadership of the European Quantum Internet Alliance, has earned her this prestigious recognition.
Wehner's vision is to make quantum communication accessible to all. Her alliance is working on a prototype to connect two urban quantum networks by 2030. The project is taking a phased approach, starting with city-level testbeds and aiming for intercity connections in the same timeframe. Europe's investment in quantum networking is driven by both scientific curiosity and strategic interests. It seeks to set standards and avoid dependence on foreign solutions.
The Körber Prize acknowledges Europe's focus on scaling up quantum networking, promoting interoperability, and not just focusing on hardware breakthroughs. Wehner's group has developed QNodeOS, an operating system that simplifies programming quantum networks. This software enables engineers to work without needing to understand the complex underlying physics. Quantum internet, which distributes qubits, offers enhanced capabilities compared to traditional internet. Qubits can exist in a state of 0 and 1 at the same time (superposition) and can be entangled, providing cryptographic protections, clock synchronization, and economic leverage.
Stephanie Wehner's groundbreaking work in quantum networking has been recognised with the 2025 Körber European Science Prize. Her leadership of the European Quantum Internet Alliance is driving the development of a secure, high-speed quantum internet. This technology promises significant advancements in communication and computing, with Europe at the forefront of standardization and implementation.
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