Alexei Kitaev

Alexei Yurievich Kitaev (born August 23, 1963) is a Russian American theoretical physicist known for foundational contributions to quantum computing and quantum information theory. He introduced the complexity class QMA, or Quantum Merlin Arthur, developed the quantum phase estimation algorithm, and pioneered approaches to topological quantum computing, including proposing the toric code, also known as the surface code, as a paradigmatic quantum error correcting code, and co-developing the Gottesman Kitaev Preskill code. He earned his PhD from the Landau Institute for Theoretical Physics in 1989, where he remained as a research associate until 1998, then worked at Microsoft Research from 1999 to 2001 before joining the California Institute of Technology in 2002, where he holds a joint position in theoretical physics and mathematics. He was elected to the United States National Academy of Sciences in 2021.