Ido Kaminer
2022 Polymaths Award Winner
Dr. Ido Kaminer is an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology. He established the AdQuanta lab, which brings together students from interdisciplinary backgrounds to pursue breakthrough research in basic science. The AdQuanta lab develops novel theoretical and experimental methods, combining fundamental and applied research, and has made contributions in diverse areas including quantum technologies, electron microscopy, nano-photonics, and AI-driven mathematics. A primary research area is the development of compact X-ray sources and ultrafast detectors for applications in medical imaging, leading to breakthrough discoveries. Previously, Dr. Kaminer has discovered new classes of accelerating light beams and accelerating quantum particle-waves, and established the foundations of macroscopic quantum electrodynamics for photonic quasiparticles in order to find new ways to control light-matter interactions. As a faculty member at the Technion, Dr. Kaminer became a leader in the field of electron-light interactions, creating a paradigm shift in understanding the nature of radiation emission from free electrons, opening a new research direction in photonic quantum computing. Dr. Kaminer’s scientific contributions helped create the new area of free-electron quantum optics. He also conceived the Ramanujan Machine project, developing the first algorithms that generate conjectures for mathematical constants. Visit the Kaminer Lab website for more information on their work.
Planned Polymaths Work: Dr. Kaminer will attempt to automate the process of human creativity by creating computer algorithms that mimic experiments in physics. Taking inspiration from his experience as an experimental physicist, a field in which unexpected experimental results constantly drive discoveries and stimulate human creativity, he aims to develop AI-based research tools to automate the search for new directions in fundamental physics and mathematics.