group leader · prospective founder

Tim Bode

I lead Quicopt — a quantum-inspired optimization spin-off out of Forschungszentrum Jülich.

Previously: PhD in condensed-matter and many-body theory at the University of Bonn (summa cum laude, 2021). MSc and BSc from ETH Zurich.

now
scaling Quicopt toward spin-off
research
quantum and quantum-inspired optimization
open to
pilot projects with industry

Quicopt builds optimization software inspired by quantum physics for problems that established solvers handle poorly. It runs on standard hardware, no QPU required. Hard physics, applied software, shipped.

  • 2025 / 12Start-up Transfer.NRW grant.
  • 2025 / 11Helmholtz Enterprise Spin-Off — accepted into the 41st intake.
  • 2024 / 11Helmholtz Enterprise Field Study Fellowship.
  • talksASML, NASA Ames, U. Minnesota, DFKI, DLR, ZEBRA Demo Day.

quicopt.com →

Research

My work runs from non-equilibrium field theory through mean-field optimization to beyond-mean-field corrections, with sidelines into field-theoretic methods for stochastic processes (J. Phys. A) and experimental photon condensation (Science) — first-, last-, and sole-author contributions among them.

Selected publications

  1. Quantum Simulation of Strongly Correlated Fermion-Phonon Models in Circuit QED

    Bode, Roma, Schmitz, Ciani, Shapiro, Bagrets, Wilhelm — arXiv:2607.11516 (2026)

    arXiv:2607.11516

  2. Kondo echo dynamics of terahertz-pumped heavy fermions

    Meirinhos, Turaev, Kajan, Bode, Kroha — Phys. Rev. Lett. 136, 216502 (2026)

    doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.136.216502

  3. Mean-Field Approximate Optimization Algorithm

    Misra-Spieldenner, Bode, Schuhmacher, Stollenwerk, Bagrets, Wilhelm — PRX Quantum 4, 030335 (2023)

    doi:10.1103/PRXQuantum.4.030335

  4. Adiabatic bottlenecks in quantum annealing and nonequilibrium dynamics of paramagnons

    Bode, Wilhelm — Phys. Rev. A 110, 012611 (2024)

    doi:10.1103/PhysRevA.110.012611

An easy spin-glass instance and a hard spin-glass instance
An easy and a hard spin-glass instance, side by side — from Phys. Rev. A 111, 032411 (2025).

Forthcoming

New manuscripts are in preparation, extending the line above. Titles and preprints will appear here as they do.

Full publication list (17)
  1. Bode, Roma, Schmitz, Ciani, Shapiro, Bagrets, Wilhelm. Quantum Simulation of Strongly Correlated Fermion-Phonon Models in Circuit QED. arXiv:2607.11516, 2026. link.
  2. Meirinhos, Turaev, Kajan, Bode, Kroha. Kondo echo dynamics of terahertz-pumped heavy fermions. Phys. Rev. Lett. 136, 216502 (2026). link.
  3. Foos, Epping, Grundler, Ciobanu, Singh, Bode, Helias, Dahmen. Beyond-mean-field fluctuations for the solution of constraint satisfaction problems. arXiv:2507.10360, 2025. link.
  4. Müller, Singh, Wilhelm, Bode. Limitations of quantum approximate optimization in solving generic higher-order constraint-satisfaction problems. Phys. Rev. Res. 7, 023165 (2025). link.
  5. Bode, Ramesh, Stollenwerk. Quantum combinatorial optimization beyond the variational paradigm: simple schedules for hard problems. Phys. Rev. A 111, 032411 (2025). link.
  6. Shapiro, Weber, Bode, Wilhelm, Bagrets. Digital-analog simulations of Schrödinger cat states in the Dicke–Ising model. Phys. Rev. A 112, 042412 (2025). link.
  7. Bode, Wilhelm. Adiabatic bottlenecks in quantum annealing and nonequilibrium dynamics of paramagnons. Phys. Rev. A 110, 012611 (2024). link.
  8. Bode, Kajan, Meirinhos, Kroha. Non-Markovian dynamics of open quantum systems via auxiliary particles with exact operator constraint. Phys. Rev. Res. 6, 013220 (2024). link.
  9. Lively, Bode, Szangolies, Zhu, Fauseweh. Noise-robust detection of quantum phase transitions. Phys. Rev. Res. 6, 043254 (2024). link.
  10. Misra-Spieldenner, Bode, Schuhmacher, Stollenwerk, Bagrets, Wilhelm. Mean-field approximate optimization algorithm. PRX Quantum 4, 030335 (2023). link.
  11. Bode, Bagrets, Misra-Spieldenner, Stollenwerk, Wilhelm. QAOA.jl: toolkit for the quantum and mean-field approximate optimization algorithms. J. Open Source Softw. 8(86), 5364 (2023). link.
  12. Meirinhos, Kajan, Kroha, Bode. Adaptive numerical solution of Kadanoff–Baym equations. SciPost Phys. Core 5, 030 (2022). link.
  13. Bode. The two-particle irreducible effective action for classical stochastic processes. J. Phys. A: Math. Theor. 55, 265401 (2022). link.
  14. Öztürk, Lappe, Hellmann, Schmitt, Klaers, Vewinger, Kroha, Weitz. Observation of a non-Hermitian phase transition in an optical quantum gas. Science 372, 88–91 (2021). link.
  15. Lappe. Non-Markovian dynamics of open Bose–Einstein condensates. PhD thesis, University of Bonn, 2021. link.
  16. Öztürk, Lappe, Hellmann, Schmitt, Klaers, Vewinger, Kroha, Weitz. Fluctuation dynamics of an open photon Bose–Einstein condensate. Phys. Rev. A 100, 043803 (2019). link.
  17. Lappe, Posazhennikova, Kroha. Fluctuation damping of isolated, oscillating Bose–Einstein condensates. Phys. Rev. A 98, 023626 (2018). link.

Talks

  1. 2026 / 07PGI-Day 2026, Forschungszentrum JülichQuicopt — Scientific Pitch: Start-Ups and Transfer
  2. 2025 / 12ZEBRA Accelerator, Start-up Village JülichDemo-Day Pitch
  3. 2025 / 11Helmholtz-Gemeinschaft, Berlin41st Helmholtz Enterprise Intake Pitch
  4. 2025 / 11ASML, VeldhovenMasterclass #81: Quantum Computing
  5. 2025 / 11Innovationsförderagentur NRW, DüsseldorfPitch — Start-up Transfer.NRW
  6. 2025 / 08Quantum Future Academy, Forschungszentrum JülichQuicopt Project Presentation
  7. 2025 / 05DFKI, KaiserslauternQuantum (-Inspired) Optimization
  8. 2025 / 04German Aerospace Center (DLR)Journal Club
  9. 2025 / 04Fine Theoretical Physics Institute, U. MinnesotaQuantum-Inspired Optimization: Lessons and Perspectives
  10. 2025 / 03NASA Ames, Mountain ViewQuantum Optimization and Simulation
  11. 2025 / 03DPG March Meeting, U. BonnQuantum optimization beyond the variational paradigm
  12. 2025 / 02QOQMS Seminar, U. StrathclydeQuantum optimization beyond the variational paradigm
  13. 2025 / 01FZJ Bridging Neuromorphic & Quantum, JülichQuantum-Inspired Optimization Algorithms
Earlier talks
  1. 2024 / 11HQS Workshop, KarlsruheQuantum Simulation of Electron–Phonon Interactions in Circuit QED
  2. 2024 / 08FZJ QAOA Workshop, JülichMean-Field Approximate Optimization
  3. 2024 / 04International Network on Quantum AnnealingAdiabatic Bottlenecks in Quantum Annealing — YouTube
  4. 2024 / 02IAS-6, JülichMean-Field Combinatorial Optimization Algorithms
  5. 2022 / 03APS March Meeting, ChicagoAdaptive Numerical Solution of Kadanoff–Baym Equations
  6. 2020 / 06Closing Workshop SFB/TR 185, BonnNon-Markovian Dynamics of a Driven-Dissipative Photon Condensate
  7. 2018 / 09Intensive Week SFB/TR 185, BonnIntroduction to Quantum Field Theory
  8. 2018 / 03TU KaiserslauternCollapse and revival of photon oscillations
Adiabatic Bottlenecks in Quantum Annealing. International Network on Quantum Annealing, April 2024.

Open Source

MFAOA.jl

Solves QUBO and Max-Cut problems with the Mean-Field Approximate Optimization Algorithm (MFAOA). Works standalone or as a JuMP optimizer.

docsgithub

QAOA.jl

Exact simulation of the Quantum Approximate Optimization Algorithm (QAOA), with expectation values and their gradients. About 30 qubits fit on a laptop.

docsgithubJOSS

KadanoffBaym.jl

An adaptive solver for Kadanoff–Baym equations, the two-time equations of motion of non-equilibrium Green's functions.

docsgithubpaper

Grants & Awards

  1. 2026 / 08Endeavours Award (Ventures), Forschungszentrum Jülich.
  2. 2025 / 12Start-up Transfer.NRW.
  3. 2025 / 11Helmholtz Enterprise Spin-Off.
  4. 2024 / 11Helmholtz Enterprise Field Study Fellowship.
  5. 2021 / 02PhD summa cum laude, University of Bonn.
  6. 2016 / 09Honors-branch Scholarship, Bonn–Cologne Graduate School of Physics.

Contact

Tim Bode

Tim Bode @ PGI-12, Forschungszentrum Jülich