Dr. Dr. h.c. Heike Riel

Heike Riel studied physics at Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg and earned her PhD from the University of Bayreuth in 2003. Addtionally, she completed an MBA at Henley Business School in the United Kingdom in 2011.

She began her career at IBM during her doctoral studies at IBM’s Research Laboratory in Rüschlikon, the company’s European research center. After completing her PhD, she continued her research there and, in 2008, became Head of the Nanoscale Electronics Group. Today, she is an IBM Fellow, Head of Science of Quantum and Information Technology and Lead of IBM Research Quantum Europe at IBM Research

From 2013 to 2022, Heike Riel chaired the Scientific Advisory Board and served on the Supervisory Board of Forschungszentrum Jülich. She has been a member of the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina since 2015 and will assume the presidency of the German Physical Society (DPG) in 2026 for a two-year term.

Her research focuses on semiconductor physics and nanotechnology, with a particular emphasis on developing new materials and device concepts for next-generation computer processors. She has made significant contributions to the study of semiconductor nanowires and thin-film transistors based on amorphous silicon, which paved the way for today’s AMOLED displays. Moreover, she plays a leading role in the development of quantum computing – one of the most transformative technologies in modern physics. For her scientific achievements, she has received numerous honors, including an honorary doctorate from Lund University.