About the Lab

In the rapidly advancing world of technology, second-generation quantum technologies are poised to revolutionize our understanding of what's possible.
 
The Quantum Social Lab (QSL) was established in 2022 in response to a growing recognition: the transformative potential of quantum technologies cannot be understood - or governed - through technical progress alone. While quantum research and development accelerates globally, their societal, ethical, legal, and political implications remain insufficiently addressed.
 
Quantum technologies are no longer speculative. Second-generation quantum systems are moving rapidly toward deployment, with profound implications for security, finance, medicine, governance, and human decision-making. We are an interdisciplinary space dedicated to addressing the societal, ethical, and policy dimensions of quantum technologies.

How we work

We operate as an interdisciplinary space that treats technical, social, and cultural perspectives equally. While some angles are often overlooked in discussions of science and innovation, we believe that a holistic approach to quantum technologies requires the full spectrum of human creativity and expression.

What we do

Our research focuses on developing and testing new governance frameworks and mechanisms to anticipate challenges before they arise. Some of the areas in which we operate include:

  • Building on the ELSPI framework and its core principles to examine existing and emerging policies across sectors to identify opportunities and risks.
  • Forward-looking themes, such as the relationship between quantum technologies and consciousness.
  • Regulatory and energy implications of quantum systems as well as their geopolitical impact on financial markets.

Quantworld

QuantWorld

Our flagship project “QuantWorld - Science, Art & Methods for future living environments” explores how second-generation quantum technologies may shape key sectors such as medicine, banking, and mobility. Placing citizens at the center, the project takes a human-centered approach to building trust in QTs and making them tangible. The project is supported by the Federal Ministry of Research, Space and Technology with 1.9 million euros.

Artistic Interventions

Artistic interventions bring a unique perspective to the abstract world of quantum technologies.

 

One of the Quantum Social Lab's unique lines of exploration is its sustained engagement with the arts. From the outset, we have treated artistic interventions not as peripheral but as integral to our research, education, and community-building. While the arts are often overlooked in discussions of science and innovation, we believe a holistic approach to quantum technologies requires the full spectrum of human creativity and expression.

We use artistic interventions to make the abstract concepts of quantum technologies more tangible and accessible. Artists-in-residence are invited to the QSL at TUM to work with citizens and students to create innovative artworks. The goal is to translate abstract content into tangible experiences, promoting engagement and understanding

Artists-in-residence

To me, art can act as a mediator and translator of complex technological concepts into comprehensible, engaging experiences that can be more easily digested by both individuals and the society as a whole. [...]

Patrik Hübner

Creative Director | Creative Technologist

[...] Second generation quantum technologies are extremely interesting to me because of the state of “fragile coherence” they depend on, and the transformative potential that can ensue from such seeming fragility.

Anne Kristin Kristiansen

Visual artist

[...] I am deeply fascinated by the concepts underlying the quantum world, and I also believe that a better and more profound understanding of this technology will aid humanity in comprehending the origins of our species and ourselves. However, we must be mindful to "curate" how society utilizes this powerful tool. [...]

Solimán López

Media Artist | Researcher | Founder and director of the I+D+i Department in ESAT

That space between technology and the user is one of the most exciting and daunting places to be. Do you approach it with a tech mindset, or do you approach it with a end-users mindset?
I feel the arts have always allowed us to bridge this gap.

Benjamin Nott

Architect | Co-Founder Blanco Architecture & Design and BlancoLAB

Education

The Quantum Social Lab offers a wide range of educational programs. Our university courses are designed to foster an interdisciplinary understanding of quantum technologies, with a focus on Quantum Governance.

Our curriculum also explores the intersection of art and quantum technologies, often taught in collaboration with our artists-in-residence.

The Young Quantum Social Scientists

To specifically foster interdisciplinarity, our most promising students can apply for the Young Quantum Social Scientists (YQSS) scholarship. This program promotes cross-disciplinary education, skills and research training, and challenge-based problem solving.

 More about the YQSS 

Ginevra Fulco

YQSS

Ana-Maria Cupes

YQSS

Nicolas Fliegel

YQSS

Benedikt Wimmer

YQSS

Outreach and Events

From academic symposia to science slams, the Quantum Social Lab brings research to life through diverse and engaging events. Key events include not only our own events, but also those of our partners, where we co-create spaces, workshops, and rooms for engagement.

The QSL hosted a first open academic conference, together with the Arizona State and Yale University, where more than 40 researchers presented their ongoing work.

Together with our partner Matter Inc. we created a Quantum Cipher Graden - a 20-square-meter presentation of Quantum Encryption.

Urs Gasser and Constanze Albrecht represented the common project collaboration “Building Global Capacity for Responsible Quantum Technologies.”

The Young Quantum Social Scientists presented a Quantum Medical Wonderland, a 50-square-meter installation in Abu Dhabi showcasing their work on the future of medicine. The event featured keynotes from Urs Gasser and Fabienne Marco, complementing the students' own presentations and highlighting the Quantum Social Lab's interdisciplinary research for a global audience.

The QSL and its partners hosted a two-day International Quantum Forum in Munich. It brought together academic discussions, a Science Slam, and a grand finale — the Quantum Arts Gala at the HP8, creating a unique space for interdisciplinary engagement.

The International Quantum Forum 2026 will once again unite global stakeholders from academia, industry, and civil society to explore the profound societal and economic impacts of quantum innovation. Set against the backdrop of early summer, this premier event will continue to bridge cutting-edge quantum science with the arts, fostering critical reflection and dynamic collaboration. Attendees can look forward to an inspiring program designed to help navigate the complexities and opportunities of the rapidly evolving quantum era.

How to get engaged

There are multiple entry points to engage with the Quantum Social Lab.

  • Sign up for our modules.
  • Apply to the Young Quantum Social Scientists program.
  • Attend any of our public events.
  • Contact us for any other collaborations on research, policy or artistic projects.

Team

Urs Gasser

Lab PI

Fabienne Marco

Head of QSL

Philip Pfaller

Lab COORDINATOR

Eden Castaneira Rios

Team lead

Related Projects

QuantWorld

What happens when quantum meet your 9 to 5?

Project

Young Quantum Social Scientists

Using challenge-based learning and design sprints, research clinics and other formats, the Young Quantum Social Scientists at the Quantum Social Lab offer the opportunity to tackle important governance challenges of Quantum applications. Each cohort consists of up to 20 students who can put their theoretical knowledge to use by addressing real-world problems. The Young Quantum Social Scientists is an initiative open to students of all study programs within Munich.

Project

Related Outputs

  • Noteworthy

    Quantum Education

    Das Quantum Social Lab hat es sich zur Aufgabe gemacht, zukünftige Wissenschaftler, Entscheidungsträger und Unternehmer auszubilden, indem es Kurse zu Anwendungen der Quantentechnologie wie Kommunikation, Datenverarbeitung und Sensorik anbietet. Mit einem interdisziplinären Ansatz erforschen Studierende verschiedener Fakultäten in Workshops die sozialen Auswirkungen von Quantencomputing und dem Quanteninternet. Das Labor fördert die Zusammenarbeit zwischen Studierenden der Sozial- und der Ingenieurwissenschaften und bietet eine praxisnahe Lernerfahrung. In den letzten Semestern lag der Schwerpunkt auf der Quantenkommunikation, und die kommenden Angebote umfassen Workshops, Projekte und Seminare zu den Grundlagen und praktischen Aspekten der Quantentechnologien.

    01. Feb 2024
  • Noteworthy

    Quantum Social Research Hub

    The Quantum Social Research Hub serves as an international platform for research collaboration that bridges the worlds of natural and social sciences. Initial transatlantic alliances and partnerships include a collaboration with the Yale Information Science Project and the NSF Center for Quantum Networks in the context of the Transatlantic Quantum Forum. The hub offers opportunities to share existing research, incubate new projects, and collaborate with early-stage researchers.

    01. Feb 2024
  • Noteworthy

    Quantum Cipher Garden

    While people across different disciplines are talking about the potential chances and risks of quantum technologies, quantum encryption is one of the domains that will likely have the most direct impact on our society. Our Quantum Cipher Garden offers an artful way to learn about the complex concepts of quantum, such as superposition, which are essential to understand in order to understand quantum encryption. You can immerse yourself into our exhibition and contribute to our unique PuzzleX quantum cipher code. In the end, we encourage you to reflect on the learned and cast your opinion, where will quantum encryption lead us?

    07. Nov 2023
  • Noteworthy

    Proton 3

    The ProTon3 is a Quantum Audio Synthesizer. It was created to simulate and produce the sound of a particle going through phenomena such as superposition, tunneling or entanglement. Our objective is to bridge the gap between science and society by creating a sound-based experience of quantum phenomena that could be used for educational or musical purposes.

    06. Nov 2023
  • Recap

    Young Quantum Social Scientists at SONAR 2023

    Students from the course QSL: Arts Driven innovation take their quantum art to music conference SONAR

    25. Oct 2023
  • Not categorized

    Discussions across the Atlantic - Part 2

    The second day of the forum kicked-off with another paper session by a diverse group of international researchers. The discussions around the presentations, throughout the conference, and beyond once again affirms the joint desire to start debating the societal implications of QT as it emerges. The variety of presentations proves how broad these implications can be and the many directions research might take in the future.

    24. Oct 2022
  • Not categorized

    World Café - Quantum Initiatives from all over the World

    Overall, the World Café allowed for a first glimpse on the work ahead for achieving a more “interdisciplinary and community sensitive” science communication of quantum and for allowing interdisciplinary scholarship to grow in the still rather walled field of “hard sciences.”

    24. Oct 2022
  • Not categorized

    Discussions Across the Atlantic – Part 1

    One primary goal of the Transatlantic Quantum Forum has been bringing together research all over the globe. To make this happen, we connected the different hubs in the evening of the first day to have a digitally connected panel discussion on various aspects of quantum technologies and their handling in the future.

    24. Oct 2022
  • Not categorized

    Stakeholders from all over the World Coming Together

    Among the participants of our Quantum Future Workshop, co-hosted by the TUM Think Tank, there was a broad consensus that it is still too early to tell, although, if this quantum revolution does evolve, we must be prepared in order to not risk falling behind.  

    24. Oct 2022
  • Publication

    Quantum Technology: Why standards should come before regulation

    Quantum technologies could be even more transformative than AI. But instead of rushing to regulate, experts including Urs Gasser (TUM), Mateo Aboy (University of Cambridge), I. Glenn Cohen (Harvard), and Mauritz Kop (Stanford) argue in Science that international standards should come before laws to ensure responsible development.

    07. Aug 2025

Related News

Noteworthy

Blending Quantum and Art

At the QuantWorld project, we firmly believe that art can serve as a translator to make the often elusive concepts of quantum technologies. We are pleased to introduce the creative minds of our project who make this possible.

19. Jun 2024
Noteworthy

Meet the Young Quantum Social Scientists

We are pleased to introduce our first cohort of Young Quantum Social Scientists, originating from six different nations and pursuing studies in various fields from Psychology, Politics, and Technology to Biomedical Engineering and Medical Physics.

03. Jun 2024
Publication

Advancing Responsible Quantum Technology

In a commenary titled "A call for responsible quantum technology," published today in Nature Physics, Urs Gasser of the Quantum Social Lab at the TUM Think Tank, along with co-authors Eline De Jong and Mauritz Kop, advocate for the responsible handling of quantum technologies and the establishment of guidelines. Based on an international interdisciplinary effort led by the Stanford Center for Responsible Quantum Technology, the authors introduce a framework for responsible quantum technologies that integrates ethical, legal, socio-ecological, and policy implications into the research and development of quantum technologies.

09. Apr 2024
In the Media

Where technology and society meet: State Minister Blume visits the TUM Think Tank

Artificial intelligence and quantum technologies - disruptive technologies that can change the world. On February 6, Bavarian State Minister Markus Blume visited the TUM Think Tank. On the occasion of the launch of the QuantWorld project, funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) with 1.9 million euros, the TUM Think Tank presented two of its projects to the Bavarian State Minister of Science and the Arts: the Quantum Social Lab and the Generative AI Taskforce. An in-depth insight into the projects of the TUM Think Tank, which not only drives innovation, but also embodies an innovative entity itself.

08. Feb 2024
In the Media

A Quantum Leap in Socially Responsible Technology

The rapid progress in the area of quantum technologies (QT) promises an economic boost, new breakthroughs in science, and novel solutions to global challenges. For years, TUM and the Munich region have been a hub for innovation and research in quantum technologies. This research is now complemented by a flagship project hosted by the newly established Quantum Social Lab at the TUM Think Tank. Supported by the BMBF with a grant totaling 1.9 million euros, the project "QuantWorld" focuses on the future of responsible technology development by making quantum technologies understandable to people where they will impact their daily work. The project integrates social aspects into the world of quantum technologies and takes new methodological approaches by involving artists in knowledge dissemination, making quantum technologies perceptible.

31. Oct 2023