Prof. Lena Funcke
Clausius Professor for Computational Quantum Field Theory
University of Bonn
Research Professorship in the Transdisciplinary Research Area "Matter" of the University of Bonn
The research of Lena Funcke and her team focuses on developing theoretical and computational methods to address open problems in strongly coupled quantum field theories. In particular, they design new algorithms using lattice field theory, tensor networks, deep learning, and quantum computing to study models ranging from (1+1) to (3+1) dimensions, with applications in particle and condensed matter physics. Their work is carried out in collaboration with theoretical and experimental physicists, mathematicians, and computer scientists.
Prof. Lena Funcke
Raum 3.003
Nussallee 14-16
53111 Bonn
Curriculum Vitae
After studying physics at the University of Münster and the University of Cambridge (UK), Lena Funcke completed her doctorate at the Max Planck Institute for Physics and the LMU Munich at the age of 23. Her doctoral thesis was awarded the Arnold Sommerfeld PhD Prize of the LMU and the Dieter Rampacher Prize of the Max Planck Society. Before joining the University of Bonn as a junior professor, Lena Funcke worked as a postdoctoral researcher for four years, first at the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics in Waterloo (Canada) and then at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge (USA).
Research
- Particle physics
- Lattice quantum field theory
- Quantum computing
- Machine learning
Teaching
- Lecture "Introduction to Quantum Computing" (SoSe 23, WiSe 25/26)
- Lecture"Machine Learning for Quantum Scientists" (SoSe 24, SoSe 25)
- Seminar "Quantum Computing for Natural Sciences" (WiSe 25/26)
- Seminar "Machine Learning for (Astro-) Physics and Chemistry" (WiSe 23/24, WiSe 24/25)
2018: PhD in Physics, LMU Munich and Max Planck Institute for Physics
2015: Master of Advanced Study in Physics, University of Cambridge, UK
2014: Bachelor of Science in Physics, University of Münster
Heinz Maier Leibnitz Prize (2025)
Awarded by: German Research Foundation
Leona Woods Distinguished Postdoctoral Lectureship Award (2021)
Awarded by: Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, NY, USA
Arnold Sommerfeld PhD Prize (2019)
Awarded by: Arnold Sommerfeld Center for Theoretical Physics, LMU Munich
Dieter Rampacher Prize (2019)
Awarded by: Max Planck Society
Selected Publications
Time- and Space-Varying Neutrino Mass Matrix from Soft Topological Defects
Dvali G, Funcke L*, Vachaspati T.
Phys. Rev. Lett., 130, 091601 (2023).
Measurement error mitigation in quantum computers through classical bit-flip correction
Funcke L*, Hartung T, Jansen K, Kühn S, Stornati P, Wang X.
Phys. Rev. A, 105, 062404 (2022).
Ruling Out the Massless Up-Quark Solution to the Strong CP Problem by Computing the Topological Mass Contribution with Lattice QCD
Alexandrou C, Finkenrath J, Funcke L*, Jansen K, Kostrzewa B, Pittler F, Urbach C.
Phys. Rev. Lett., 125, 232001 (2020).
*Authors are listed alphabetically by convention in the field.
Further Information
Press release
You can also read the press release about the start of Lena Funcke at the University of Bonn.
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