IMT is proud to celebrate the awarding of the 2025 Nobel Prize in Physics to Michel Devoret, a graduate of Télécom Paris (Class of 1975) — one of IMT’s eight Technological Universities in engineering.
He shares this prestigious distinction with John Clarke and John M. Martinis, “for the discovery of macroscopic quantum tunnelling and energy quantisation in an electrical circuit.”
Michel Devoret, a French Engineer, is currently Professor of Applied Physics at Yale University (USA), Director of the Nanofabrication Laboratory in Applied Physics, and Scientific Director at Google Quantum AI.
His pioneering research on Josephson quantum circuits and circuit quantum electrodynamics has profoundly transformed our understanding of the microscopic world.
Quantum Physics Shaping the Digital Future
The work conducted by Michel Devoret and his co-laureates has demonstrated that the laws of quantum mechanics can manifest at our scale — in superconducting circuits that can fit in the palm of a hand.
This transition from the microscopic to the macroscopic has opened an entirely new scientific field: quantronics, or the quantum physics of circuits — the foundation of tomorrow’s quantum technologies.
Michel Devoret’s career perfectly illustrates the mission of our Technological Universities: to train engineers and researchers capable of imagining, understanding, and transforming the world.
“His career exemplifies the very values our school seeks to instil: scientific rigour, intellectual boldness, and a passion for exploring the frontiers of knowledge,”
says Patrick Olivier, Dean of Télécom Paris.
“His discoveries on quantum tunnelling have opened fascinating perspectives for future research and technologies related to quantum science.
They are a source of inspiration for our students and faculty, who are conducting research directly linked to these fields — from quantum cryptography to quantum sensors and computing.”
