Institute Director
© DLR. Alle Rechte vorbehalten.
Prof Kai Bongs has been Director of the Institute of Quantum Technologies at the German Aerospace Centre (DLR) since 2023 and holds a professorship in physics at the University of Ulm. From 2007 to 2023, he held a chair in Cold Atoms and led the UK National Quantum Technology Hub in Sensors and Timing from 2014 to 2023. He also supported the College of Engineering and Science as Director of Innovation and Knowledge Exchange from 2021 to 2023.
He completed his habilitation in experimental physics at the University of Hamburg in 2006. He completed his doctorate with honours in 1999 and received his diploma in physics in 1995.
His aim is to translate quantum technologies into practical space and security applications and to support their transfer to industry, for example in radar and navigation systems, earth observation and the global networking of quantum computers. Kai Bongs is also actively involved in various expert committees and advisory groups for quantum technologies, including QuantumBW, The Aerospace Länd, the FBH Advisory Board and the Quantum Technology Focus Group of the OECD Global Forum on Technology.
Prof Bongs' commitment has been recognised by awards such as the Dennis Gabor Medal of the Institute of Physics. Prof Bongs is Editor-in-Chief of The European Physical Journal - Quantum Technologies and has made a name for himself with a passion for quantum technologies in various prominent positions. From 2021 to 2023, he was the UK representative on the Advisory Board of the CERN Quantum Technology Institute, an Advisory Board member of the Fraunhofer project "QMAG - Quantum Magnetometry" and has also supported the quantum technology aspect of the STFC Particle Physics Technology Advisory Panel (PPTAP). He was also an active member of the UK Space Academic Network (SPAN) from 2019 to 2023, which promotes academic collaboration in the space sector.
He chaired the Quantum Sensor Technology Conference at Photonex from 2021 to 2022. Prof. Bongs was also a member of the programme committee of the SPIE Photonics Europe Conference 2020 in Strasbourg.
His innovative contributions to science and research are documented in numerous patent applications, including gravity gradiometers, fibre-optic mode scramblers, optical frequency manipulation and a controlled atomic source.