By 3dvf
Publication Date: 2025-12-20 11:33:00
A teenager races through quantum labs and heads straight for the human blueprint. Should a child prodigy’s next step set limits for all of us?
Laurent Simons has just reached a scientific milestone that most only reach decades later: at the age of 15, he received his doctorate in quantum physics from the University of Antwerp. In his dissertation, he investigated Bose polarons in ultracold matter, a line of work that he refined during an internship at the Max Planck Institute for Quantum Optics. He is currently doing his doctorate in medical sciences with a focus on AI in Munich and would like to combine human biology with algorithms to expand our capabilities. The idea excites and disturbs in equal measure, setting the stage for new debates about human betterment.
From child prodigy to doctoral student at just 15 years old
At an age when most teenagers are preparing for high school exams, a 15-year-old Belgian named Laurent Simons has surprised observers with a doctorate in quantum physics from the University of Antwerp, making him the youngest person ever to achieve such a title…
