Nov 11, 2026

Prof. Alexander Altland awarded the Physik Preis Dresden 2026

v.l.n.r. Direktor am Max-Planck-Institut für Physik komplexer Systeme Prof. Roderich Moessner, Preisträger Prof. Alexander Altland, Dekan der Fakultät Physik Prof. Gesche Pospiech — From left to right: Prof. Roderich Moessner, Director at the Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems; award recipient Prof. Alexander Altland; and Prof. Gesche Pospiech, Dean of the Faculty of Physics.

On 10 November 2026, Prof. Alexander Altland of the University of Cologne was awarded the Physik Preis Dresden 2026 for his outstanding contributions to solid-state and statistical physics. The prize, endowed with 5,000 euros, is awarded annually to outstanding researchers whose work is of particular interest to the Dresden research community. The prize is awarded jointly by the Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems (MPI-PKS) and the TUD Dresden University of Technology.

Prof. Alexander Altland has been Professor of Theoretical Physics at the University of Cologne since 2001. His research focuses on solid-state physics and statistical physics, on which he has published around 160 scientific papers to date, with a total of almost 7,000 citations. Altland is also the spokesperson for the Cluster of Excellence ML4Q: Matter and Light for Quantum Computing.

Altland’s research is characterised by a broad thematic scope. It ranges from topological insulators and superconductors, through open quantum systems and quantum chaos, to quantum computing. As such, it offers a wide range of links to the groups at the Institute of Theoretical Physics at TU Dresden and the Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems (MPI-PKS), as well as the Cluster of Excellence ctd.qmat.

Alongside his research, Altland is committed to university teaching. He has set out his approaches to teaching advanced physics and mathematics in two highly acclaimed textbooks: “Mathematics for Physicists: Introductory Concepts and Methods”, co-authored with Jan von Delft, and “Condensed Matter Field Theory”, co-authored with Ben Simons.

Receiving the Physik Preis Dresden is a special honor for Altland and a particular proof of mutual recognition and appreciation: “My research focus is closely linked to various fields of research in Dresden, though it is not entirely identical. I personally keep track of what is happening in Dresden, speak with researchers during my many visits, and draw inspiration from their work. For me, the Physik Preis Dresden demonstrates that this principle works both ways, and I believe it thus represents something characteristic of physics: communication and mutual appreciation across narrow disciplinary boundaries. In any case, this principle describes my relationship with the Dresden Research Community.”

Prof. Matthias Vojta, Director of the Institute of Theoretical Physics at TU Dresden and spokesperson for the ctd.qmat Cluster of Excellence, also emphasizes: “The Physik Preis Dresden honors not only Prof. Altland’s outstanding scientific contributions, but also the diverse impetus his research provides for Dresden as a center of science.”

About the Physik Preis Dresden

The Physik Preis Dresden is endowed with 5,000 euros and was established in 2015 by the Dresden physicist Prof. Peter Fulde (1936–2024), the founding director of the MPI-PKS. It has been awarded annually to distinguished scientists since 2017. The laureates are selected by a joint committee comprising representatives from TU Dresden and the MPI-PKS. In addition to the key criterion of scientific excellence, a particularly important factor in the decision is that the work of the laureates is of special significance for collaboration between the two DRESDEN-concept partners, the MPI-PKS and TU Dresden, and that this collaboration has been further strengthened in the long term.

More about the Dresden Physics Prize

Physik-Preis Dresden 2026