Nobel Prize-winning physicist Prof. John M. Martinis visited the University of Dubrovnik on Monday, 13 July 2026, where he met with Rector Prof. Nebojša Stojčić, PhD, Vice-Rector for International Relations, Public Relations and Student Affairs Prof. Mato Brautović, PhD, and Vice-Rector for Quality, Ethics and Strategic Development Prof. Katija Vojvodić, PhD.
The visit of one of the world’s most influential scientists in the field of quantum computing provided a valuable opportunity to meet and exchange views with a scientist whose work has made a key contribution to connecting fundamental research into quantum phenomena with the development of next-generation processors and computers. The meeting also highlighted the importance of the University’s openness to the international scientific community, emerging technologies and the most advanced areas of contemporary research.
Prof. John M. Martinis, an American physicist of Croatian descent, was awarded the 2025 Nobel Prize in Physics, which he shared with John Clarke and Michel H. Devoret for the discovery of macroscopic quantum mechanical tunnelling and energy quantisation in an electric circuit. He is Professor Emeritus at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and one of the pioneers of superconducting quantum computing. His research encompasses macroscopic quantum phenomena, the development of superconducting qubits and the construction of advanced quantum processors.
From 2014 to 2020, he worked at Google Quantum AI, where he led the hardware team that developed the Sycamore superconducting quantum processor. Today, he is co-founder and Chief Technology Officer of Qolab, a company focused on developing scalable superconducting quantum hardware and a new generation of quantum computers.
The visit of Prof. Martinis, one of the world’s leading scientists in this field, to the University of Dubrovnik served as a reminder of the importance of keeping Croatian science connected with global developments and open to new ideas and opportunities for collaboration.
