Research profile
I investigate how spacetime and the physical systems within it may emerge from quantum mechanics.
I am an academic who truly enjoys blurring the lines between disciplines. My research primarily focuses on foundations of quantum mechanics and quantum gravity, and the deep structure of reality, particularly how our understanding of space and time might spring from quantum mechanics.
At the Nordic Institute for Theoretical Physics (NORDITA), I lead the Quantum Foundations and Gravity group and am the principal investigator for the Olle Engkvists Stiftelse-funded 2024–2028 project Spacetime Emergence from Quantum Mechanics: From Theory to Observations. Alongside this role, I am a Postdoctoral Researcher and Lecturer at Stockholm University’s Department of Philosophy, where I work in philosophy of physics.
Latest
Recent work and activity
Feeling Old in Experience Space Story
Why do I sometimes feel old without being old? Thinking of experience as a multidimensional space explains how novelty becomes familiar, while unknown dimensions remain.
What is a system? ScientiFika · Nordita
What is a physical system? In this ScientiFika talk, I explore a notion we often take for granted, and why it matters for questions about the emergence of space and time. The recording includes the discussion that followed.
Dark Energy, Spacetime Emergence, and Cosmological Signatures RESCEU · University of Tokyo
This talk examines the cosmological-constant and dark-energy problems, considers how spacetime might emerge starting from quantum theory, and asks what experimental or cosmological signatures could test these ideas. The recording includes the discussion that followed.
The Ball of Yarn Story
I wrote this short analogy roughly ten years ago and have now edited it with ChatGPT. It asks what it could mean to work through a problem without pretending it has disappeared, and why words can sometimes help separate thoughts that have become tangled together.
Spacetime Emergence from Quantum Mechanics YITP · Kyoto University
This talk examines how spacetime might emerge from quantum mechanics, drawing on entanglement and quantum error correction. It considers the assumptions about subsystem independence that enter these approaches and what they imply for the emergence of spacetime. The recording includes the discussion that followed.
Current roles
2024–2028
Assistant Professor, PI, and Research Group Leader
Leading the Quantum Foundations and Gravity group and the project Spacetime Emergence from Quantum Mechanics: From Theory to Observations.
2023–2026
Postdoctoral Researcher and Lecturer in Philosophy
Research in philosophy of physics and teaching Philosophy of Science and Philosophy of Physics.
Mar 2026–present
Expert AI Evaluation Contributor
Part-time scientific AI evaluation across physics, quantum information, cosmology, and philosophy of physics.
My trajectory
From southern Brazil to Stockholm
My academic path began in Joaçaba, Brazil. I studied physics at UFSC in Florianópolis and theoretical physics at IFT/UNESP in São Paulo, completed a PhD in theoretical cosmology at McGill University in Canada, and joined NORDITA in 2019.
At Stockholm University’s Department of Philosophy, I am a Postdoctoral Researcher and Lecturer. I have designed and delivered courses in Philosophy of Science and Philosophy of Physics, while my research in philosophy of physics addresses realism, ontology, quantum subsystems, and spacetime emergence.
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Mar 2008–Jan 2012
BSc in PhysicsFederal University of Santa Catarina · Brazil
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Mar 2012–Apr 2014
MSc in PhysicsIFT-UNESP · Brazil
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Sep 2014–Aug 2019
PhD in PhysicsMcGill University · Canada
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Oct 2019–Oct 2023
Postdoctoral ResearcherNORDITA and Oskar Klein Centre
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Oct 2023–Sep 2026
Postdoctoral Researcher and LecturerStockholm University · Department of Philosophy
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Oct 2024–Sep 2028
Assistant Professor, PI, and Group LeaderNORDITA · concurrent with Stockholm University through Sep 2026
