NEWS banner
Very rubin observatory, Credit: Rubin Obs/NSF/AURA

Rob Spekkens joins PI faculty

Perimeter Institute is pleased to announce that Rob Spekkens has been appointed to a Junior Faculty position in Quantum Foundations.

Perimeter Institute is pleased to announce that Rob Spekkens has been appointed to a Junior Faculty position in Quantum Foundations. He officially takes up his position in November 2008. In making the announcement, Interim Scientific Director, Rob Myers, said "We are all very pleased that Rob will be joining Perimeter this fall. As well as being a leader in the field of Foundations, Rob has done first class work in Quantum Information. So having him on the faculty at PI will build up our Quantum Foundations group and at the same time, strengthen our efforts in Quantum Information."

Portrait of Rob Spekkens in front of a blackboard
Rob Spekkens

Dr. Spekkens describes one of the themes of his current foundations research as "the idea that the quantum state is a state of incomplete knowledge rather than a state of reality," This idea has led him to re-evaluate both the potential and the limitations of hidden variable models of quantum theory - showing on the one hand how certain models yield particularly natural explanations of many quantum phenomena, and on the other hand how a novel assumption of "noncontextuality", though natural for such models, is ultimately untenable. He has also been active in investigating the role of reference frames and superselection rules in quantum theory.

Rob Spekkens received his PhD from the University of Toronto in 2001 and went on to hold his first postdoctoral position at the same institution. He then came to PI for a three-year postdoctoral position from 2003 - 2006. He has spent the past two years on a Royal Society funded Postdoctoral Fellowship at Cambridge University.

About PI

Perimeter Institute is the world’s largest research hub devoted to theoretical physics. The independent Institute was founded in 1999 to foster breakthroughs in the fundamental understanding of our universe, from the smallest particles to the entire cosmos. Research at Perimeter is motivated by the understanding that fundamental science advances human knowledge and catalyzes innovation, and that today’s theoretical physics is tomorrow’s technology. Located in the Region of Waterloo, the not-for-profit Institute is a unique public-private endeavour, including the Governments of Ontario and Canada, that enables cutting-edge research, trains the next generation of scientific pioneers, and shares the power of physics through award-winning educational outreach and public engagement. 

For more information, contact:
Mike Brown
Manager, Communications & Media
519-569-7600 x5131