Yale’s Michel H. Devoret Awarded 2025 Nobel Prize in Physics for Quantum Breakthroughs

NEW HAVEN, CT - October 7, 2025 Yale University professor Michel H. Devoret is one of the co-recipients of the 2025 Nobel Prize in Physics, honored for groundbreaking experiments that bridged quantum phenomena and macroscopic electrical circuits.

Devoret shares the prize with John Clarke and John M. Martinis, receiving top honors “for the discovery of macroscopic quantum mechanical tunneling and energy quantization in an electric circuit.” Their work, conducted in the mid-1980s, demonstrated that quantum effects -like electrons “tunneling” through energy barriers and discrete energy levels - can manifest in engineered superconducting circuits large enough to be handled and measured.

At Yale, Devoret holds the position of Emeritus Professor of Applied Physics and remains affiliated with quantum research labs. His contributions have been central to the development of quantum computing hardware, especially in the engineering of superconducting “artificial atoms” or qubits.

Yale’s leadership and scientific community celebrated the announcement, noting that Devoret’s career exemplifies the university’s commitment to fundamental discovery and transformative technology. The prize underscores how experiments in basic quantum physics continue to enable advances in computing, sensing, encryption, and other emerging technologies

*Sources: *https://news.yale.edu/2025/10/07/yales-michel-h-devoret-wins-2025-nobel-prize-physics