The advent of quantum technologies, spanning sensing, communication, and computing, has driven rapid advances in the discovery and engineering of novel quantum light sources. From single molecules and quantum dots to defect centers in solid-state systems, new classes of quantum emitters are enabling previously inaccessible regimes of light–matter interaction and opening pathways to transformative applications. Alongside these developments, emergent quantum phenomena continue to reshape our understanding of coherence, entanglement, and nanoscale optics. This symposium aims to bring together scientists from diverse disciplines working on quantum emitters and related phenomena, fostering cross-fertilization between fields such as materials science, optoelectronics, and quantum engineering. By uniting expertise across platforms, including single molecules, semiconductor nanostructures, and defect-based systems, the meeting seeks to accelerate discovery and innovation. It will provide a forum for discussing the latest scientific breakthroughs, experimental techniques, and theoretical insights in these rapidly evolving research areas, bridging fundamental science with emerging quantum technologies.
- New synthesis methods, novel surface chemistry, self-assembly, new compositions, new heterostructures
- Carrier dynamics at single dot level, photon statistics, coherence and entanglement
- Band structure calculations, exciton-phonon coupling, fine-structure splitting
- Quantum sensing, computing and communication
Costanza Toninelli is Research Director at the National Research Council of Italy / National Institute of Optics and is associated with the European Laboratory for Non-Linear Spectroscopy. She obtained her PhD in Physics from the University of Florence and carried out postdoctoral research at ETH Zurich.
An internationally recognized leader in quantum photonics, her research lies at the intersection of quantum optics, nanophotonics and molecular physics, with a particular focus on single-molecule quantum emitters for next-generation quantum technologies. Her group pioneers integrated molecular quantum photonic platforms and single-photon sources for quantum communication, sensing and metrology, advancing scalable and deployable quantum devices. She has coordinated major national and European initiatives in quantum technologies, including QuantERA and EMPIR projects, and has authored influential publications in leading journals such as Nature Materials, Nature Photonics and Nature Communications. She is winner of an ERC-Consolidator grant for the development of Quantum Interfacese with Single Molecules.
Emiliano is Professor of Experimental Physics and Energy Conversion at the Faculty of Physics, LMU Munich, where he leads the Nanomaterials for Energy group. He is also a visiting researcher at Imperial College London, UK, and Ewha Womans University, South Korea. Emiliano is Associate Editor at ACS Catalysis. His research bridges chemistry and physics, focusing on nanomaterials and techniques for energy conversion and sustainability. He has published over 180 scientific articles, co-founded two spin-offs, holds four patents, and co-edited the first book on Plasmonic Catalysis (Wiley, 2021). He is also Associate Researcher at the TUM Catalysis Research Center, member of the Solar Batteries Center (TUM-MPI) and CSO at INSyT Solutions.
Aymeric DelteilStephan GötzingerDavid HungerArya KeniMaksym Kovalenko has been a tenure-track Assistant Professor of Inorganic Chemistry at ETH Zurich since July 2011 and Associate professor from January 2017. His group is also partially hosted by EMPA (Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology) to support his highly interdisciplinary research program. He completed graduate studies at Johannes Kepler University Linz (Austria, 2004-2007, with Prof. Wolfgang Heiss), followed by postdoctoral training at the University of Chicago (USA, 2008-2011, with Prof. Dmitri Talapin). His present scientific focus is on the development of new synthesis methods for inorganic nanomaterials, their surface chemistry engineering, and assembly into macroscopically large solids. His ultimate, practical goal is to provide novel inorganic materials for optoelectronics, rechargeable Li-ion batteries, post-Li-battery materials, and catalysis. He is the recipient of an ERC Consolidator Grant 2018, ERC Starting Grant 2012, Ruzicka Preis 2013 and Werner Prize 2016. He is also a Highly Cited Researcher 2018 (by Clarivate Analytics).
Rinaldo TrottaZeila Zanolli is full professor in “Theory and Simulation of Quantum Materials” at the Chemistry Department/Debye Institute for Nanomaterials Science, Utrecht University, where she leads the “Quantum Materials by Design” team. Previously (2018 – 2020) she was a Ramon y Cajal Fellow at ICN2, Barcelona (Spain), an excellence program of the Spanish Ministry for Economy, Industry and Competitiveness (MINECO). In 2016 – 2018, she leaded the Nanospintronics Group at the Physics Dept of RWTH Aachen University, funded by the DFG. In 2015 – 2012 she was Marie Curie Intra-European Fellow at Forschungszentrum Jülich (Germany). She is a research group leader and Steering Committee member of the European Theoretical Spectroscopy Facility (ETSF) and board member of the “Semiconductor and Quantum Materials” session of the European Physical Society. Since 2019 Dr. Zanolli serves in the Editorial College of SciPost Physics, a Diamond Open Access publication portal. In 2018-20, Dr. Zanolli served in the Executive Committee of the MaX (MAterials design at the eXascale) European Centre of Excellence which enables materials modelling, simulations, discovery and design at the frontiers of the current and future High Performance Computing (HPC), High Throughput Computing (HTC) and data analytics technologies. In 2017 she has been elected Fellow of the Young Academy of Europe (YAE), a pan-European network of scientists active in science policy, where she served as a board member and treasurer in 2028-22.