Vlatko Vedral (born 1971) is a Serbian-born British physicist. He is best known for his contributions to quantum information theory, quantum mechanics, and quantum entanglement. He earned his Bachelor of Science and Doctor of Philosophy degrees from Imperial College London, where he graduated with a PhD in 1998. An active researcher, Vedral has over 500 published, regularly cited papers to his name. This output covers a broad range of topics within quantum physics, including quantum computing, quantum cryptography, and quantum thermodynamics. In recognition of his scholarly achievements, he was honoured with the Royal Society Wolfson Research Merit Award in 2007. Throughout his career, Vedral has held a number of academic positions, including lectureships and readership at Imperial College London, a professorship at the University of Leeds, and visiting professorships at institutions worldwide, including Vienna, Singapore, and Beijing. Since 2009, Vedral has served as Professor of Quantum Information Science in the Department of Physics at the University of Oxford. Additionally, he is a Governing Body Fellow of Wolfson College, Oxford. In addition to his academic work, Vedral has made efforts to popularise and communicate complex scientific concepts to a broader audience. He frequently gives talks on quantum physics and its implications for society, as well as writing for mainstream journals and participating in vlogs, podcasts, and documentaries. Vedral has also written several textbooks and two popular science books, most notably Decoding Reality.
Early years and education Vedral was born in Belgrade, Serbia in 1971, the only son of two mathematics teachers. From a young age, he exhibited a keen interest in mathematics and philosophy. Vedral secured a place at the highly competitive Mathematical Grammar School (Matematička gimnazija) in Belgrade, renowned for its nurturing environment for gifted students in mathematics, physics, and informatics. It was during his time at this institution that Vedral's passion for physics was sparked, thanks to the tutelage of an inspirational teacher. After completing his secondary education, Vedral fulfilled his national service obligations in the Yugoslav Army at the age of 19. He reached the rank of a lieutenant army reserve officer. In 1991, seeking to further pursue his academic aspirations, he left Serbia for the United Kingdom. Awarded a scholarship from University of London, Vedral embarked on his undergraduate studies in theoretical physics at Imperial College London. In 1998, Vedral completed his PhD, examining the quantum information theory of entanglement, under the guidance and mentorship of Sir Peter Leonard Knight FRS HonFInstP. Vedral's doctoral research laid the groundwork for his future contributions to the field of quantum physics.
Research and career Following on from his PhD, Vedral was appointed Elsag-Bailey postdoctoral research fellow at Imperial College London in 1998, then he took on a research fellowship at Merton College, Oxford. In 2000, he returned to Imperial College London as the Governor’s lecturer to start a quantum information science research group. Alongside this, he took on a senior lecturer role at Keble College, Oxford. Both positions he held until 2004. Prior to serving as the Centenary Professor of Quantum Information Science at the University of Leeds between 2004 and 2009, he was a Reader in Quantum Physics at Imperial College London. Between 2007 and 2022, Vedral was the principal investigator at the Centre for Quantum Technologies (CQT) in Singapore, and also professor of physics at the National University of Singapore (NUS). Vedral was a director of the Oxford Martin School initiative on bio-inspired quantum technologies from 2013 until 2017. This was an interdisciplinary consortium leading a group of 15 Oxford-based academics in the direction of quantum biomimetics. Since 2009, Vedral has served as professor of quantum information science in the Department of Physics at the University of Oxford, concurrently holding the role of Governing Body Fellow of Wolfson College, Oxford.
Bibliography and publications Vedral's publications can all be found on Google Scholar. His books include:
2005: Modern Foundations of Quantum Optics 2006: Introduction to Quantum Information Science 2010: Introductory Quantum Physics and Relativity 2010: Decoding Reality: The Universe as Quantum Information 2018: Solid State Quantum Information 2018: From Micro to Macro: Adventures of a Wandering Physicist 2025: Portals to a New Reality: Five Experiments to Unlock the Future of Physics
Awards and honours The Abdus Salam Award (1997) Royal Society Wolfson Research Merit Award (2007) The World Scientific Physics Research Medal (2009) Recipient of Marko V. Jaric Award (2011) Elected a Fellow of the Institute of Physics (FInstP) (2017) Elected a member of The Academia Europaea, which known also as The Academy of Europe (2020)
Visiting professorships In addition to his academic positions in the UK, Vedral engaged in collaborative research and mentorship activities at the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics in Canada in 2003, and from 2004 to 2005 he served as a visiting professor at the University of Vienna. He also held a senior scientist position at the Schrödinger Institute in Vienna, and later served as a distinguished visiting professor at the University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, from 2009 to 2010. Vedral held a chair professorship at Tsinghua University in Beijing from 2015 to 2016, contributing to the institution's renowned research programs.
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