Ruben Andrist
Bio
I studied Physics at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (ETHZ), spending a mobility year at the St. Petersburg State University on an exchange scholarship. After completing my Diploma (Masters equivalent) I started my graduate studies at the Institute for Theoretical Physics under the supervision of Prof. Helmut Katzgraber. My work on topological quantum error correction was awarded the ETH-Medal for outstanding doctoral thesis. Following my Ph.D., I was granted an Omidyar Fellowship at the Santa Fe Institute, where I pursued my research on complex systems. After 2014 I worked at Google Research (natural language generation), Microsoft Research (optimization) and the Amazon Quantum Solutions Lab (optimization & quantum computing; present).
Research
The aim of my research is to employ the analytical methods, numerical approaches, and physical insights from disordered systems in multidisciplinary studies. The hard optimization problems found in spin glass theory find application across many disciplines and gaining a deeper understanding of their physical properties promises fruitful synergies.
My core research program is situated at the nexus of quantum information theory, statistical mechanics and network theory. I am particularly interested in studying the stability of novel quantum error-correction codes, as well as the structure, robustness and dynamics of interacting networks in related fields of research.
Understanding topological quantum error-correction codes using classical spin models
Programming
The following are some of the programming contests I have participated in. Click the individual scores/badges to get more information:
- Topcoder: 1725 (top 4% data scientists)
- Codility:
- AWS:
- Code Jam 2014: round 2 (rank 578)
- ACM'06 regionals (SWERC): 11th rank
- IOI 2002 (Korea): Bronze medal
- Sphere online judge: 11.2 points
(last updated October 26th, 2026)