Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
At an age when most teenagers are still working through school, Laurent Simons has already completed a doctoral degree in quantum physics.
The Belgian prodigy defended his PhD at the University of Antwerp on November 17, 2025, aged 15. His thesis examined Bose polarons in superfluids and supersolids, an advanced area involving ultracold quantum systems.
Now 16, Simons has moved into a very different area. He is pursuing a second doctorate in medical science, with research interests involving artificial intelligence and the connection between physics and medicine. His current research profile lists whole-body imaging and interdisciplinary approaches bridging physics and medicine.
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A SCHOOL JOURNEY THAT STARTED VERY EARLY
Simons’ academic acceleration began when he was a young child. He started primary school at four and progressed through secondary education at an extraordinary pace.
At around eight, he entered Eindhoven University of Technology to study electrical engineering. Reports at the time described an accelerated three-year programme. He later moved to the University of Antwerp, where he completed a physics bachelor’s degree at 11 and a master’s in quantum physics at 12.
He also gained research exposure at Germany’s Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics while still very young.
THE DREAM BEGAN WITH HIS GRANDPARENTS
Long before his PhD, Simons had already spoken about wanting to use science to extend human life.
As a child, he said he wanted to develop artificial organs and eventually help people with heart problems like those suffered by his grandparents, as per reports from 2019.
That makes his move from quantum physics towards medicine and AI particularly striking. For Simons, the subjects may be different, but the larger question has remained remarkably consistent: understanding the human body and finding ways to improve or extend human life.
At 16, his academic journey is clearly far from over.
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SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
