Gilles Brassard wins Turing Award — a Quebec pioneer who will not attend the ceremony
gilles brassard, a Quebec researcher and professor of computer science at the University of Montreal, has been awarded the Turing Award for his role in creating quantum cryptography and quantum teleportation, yet he has made clear he will not travel to the United States to accept the prize.
What exactly did Gilles Brassard receive and who shared the honour?
The Association for Computing Machinery has presented the Turing Award to Gilles Brassard and Charles H. Bennett for their foundational work that established the principles of quantum information science and transformed secure communications and computing. The award carries a US$1-million purse and recognizes contributions identified by the Association for Computing Machinery as essential to the field. Charles H. Bennett is identified in the award material as a physicist associated with IBM Research in Yorktown Heights, New York.
Why will gilles brassard not attend the San Francisco ceremony?
Gilles Brassard has stated that he will not travel to San Francisco to receive the prize in person. In a virtual interview conducted prior to the official announcement, he described a refusal to enter the United States while a political leader he characterized as a “little dictator” remains in power; he said he would participate by Zoom but would not set foot in the country for the ceremony. That stance was presented directly by Gilles Brassard in the interview, and he also described the personal significance of the award, saying he is “very, very, very happy” to receive a prize bestowed by his peers in computer science.
What does the award reveal about the science and the individuals involved?
Verified facts:
- Gilles Brassard is a professor of computer science at the University of Montreal and is recognized for inventing quantum cryptography and quantum teleportation.
- The Turing Award was shared between Gilles Brassard and Charles H. Bennett for foundational work in quantum information science.
- The Association for Computing Machinery presented the award, which includes a US$1-million stipend.
- Gilles Brassard said he will not attend the San Francisco ceremony in person and will instead join by video.
Analysis: When these facts are read together, the story is twofold. First, the award is a formal recognition by a major computing institution that a line of research—using quantum physics to transmit and secure information—has moved from speculative to central in the discipline. That institutional recognition elevates the research agenda that Brassard and Bennett initiated. Second, Brassard’s refusal to attend the ceremony in person converts a scientific honour into a public political statement. By declining to travel while stating opposition to a named political figure, he repurposes a professional accolade into an act of protest, ensuring the award will be discussed not only for its scientific merit but also for the choices the laureate makes about public engagement.
Accountability and next steps: The Association for Computing Machinery has framed the award as a recognition of foundational scientific work. Stakeholders now face two transparent demands grounded in the verified facts: institutions that steward high-profile scientific honours must be prepared for laureates to use those moments for personal or political expression, and the research community must clarify how public recognition intersects with institutional ceremonies. At the same time, the core scientific questions that earned the prize—how quantum physics can secure communications and enable quantum teleportation of information—remain the central, verifiable reasons for the award, and they warrant sustained institutional support and clear public explanation.
