The Nokia Foundation has granted the 2020 Recognition Award to Mikko Möttönen, D.Sc. (Tech). He is a Professor of Quantum Technology at Aalto University and VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland. The reason he won this award is due to his contributions to Finnish quantum computing research.
The recent innovations in quantum have allowed researchers to develop commercial applications for quantum computing. One of the fields most significantly viable at ICT, these innovations will be expected to revolutionise computing as well as communications. It is even possible to replace them with quantum computing and quantum communications or employ a hybrid system.
Professor Möttönen was honoured at the annual Nokia Foundation award ceremony on December 26, and for the first time, it was a virtual event due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Besides his aforementioned credentials, Professor Möttönen is also a co-founder of IQM, a quantum computer company. He was born in 1980 and completed his doctoral degree in 2005. Since then, he has established himself as a trusted and leading expert in quantum information. There are more than 120 scientific studies published under his name, and four of them are in Nature and Science, two of the prominent academic scientific journals. His research has been cited more than 6000 times as well. Beyond being widely cited and authoring many studies, Professor Möttönen has also supervised 16 doctoral dissertations and 74 other academic theses. His specialty is research in using superconducting electric circuits in quantum technology, most often in quantum computing.
Professor Möttönen has also influenced education in quantum computing significantly. He is the Director of the Aalto Bachelor’s Programme in Science and Technology as well as the Head of Aalto’s Quantum Technology major. He has also promoted Finnish quantum and ICT in his positions of trust, one example being as a member of the Scientific Advisory Board for Defence.
‘It has been great to see how quantum mechanics, which was generally considered as strange and rare, has over the years become a common tool that is being harnessed for industrial use around the world. I can’t wait to see what it turns out to be, especially in Finland, where, over the decades, we have been able to develop a unique ecosystem.’
Professor Mikko Möttönen
‘Quantum computing is an emerging breakthrough technology that will impact the principles of information and communication technologies in the coming years. Significant work in quantum computing in Finland has required long-term research, for example, in low-temperature physics. With this award, we want to honor the importance of this long-standing work, including the recent achievements and extensive cooperation between academic research and broader society. Particularly noteworthy are the steps taken towards the commercialization of scientific results.’
Timo Ali-Vehmas, Chairman of the Board of Nokia Foundation
For around 25 years, the Nokia Foundation has granted more than 1800 scholarships and other grants, and in 2020, the amount of funds in these scholarships and awards will total around 400000 Euros.
About Nokia Foundation
Nokia Foundation‘s purpose is to support both information and telecommunications technologies’ development and promote education in these sectors in Finland. Nokia Foundation provides scholarships as well as awards for this mission. It was established in 1995 by Nokia Oyj’s initiative.
