Prof Massimiliano ESPOSITO

Prof. Massimiliano Esposito is Full Professor of Theoretical Physics at the University of Luxembourg and head of the Complex Systems and Statistical Mechanics group. His work focuses on nonequilibrium statistical physics, stochastic and quantum thermodynamics, and complex systems.

Prof. Esposito’s research aims to advance nonequilibrium thermodynamics as a unifying framework for understanding energy and information flows across physical, chemical, and biological systems. His group develops theoretical approaches for chemical reaction networks, Potts models, nonlinear electronic circuits, and quantum systems. These methods are applied to problems such as metabolic energy transduction, active matter, self-replication, and noise-driven information processing. The research combines analytically solvable models, computational studies, and interactions with experimental groups.

Prof. Esposito teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in thermodynamics, statistical mechanics, stochastic processes, and nonequilibrium physics. His teaching emphasizes conceptual clarity, rigorous reasoning, and connections between fundamental theory and contemporary research.

He contributes to scientific outreach through public lectures, interviews, and the organisation and teaching of international thematic schools for graduate students and postdoctoral researchers. He also participates in interdisciplinary events aimed at promoting a broader understanding of nonequilibrium physics and complex systems.

Prof. Esposito is the recipient of a five-year ATTRACT Fellowship from the Luxembourg National Research Fund (2012) and a European Research Council Consolidator Grant (2016). He serves on the editorial board of Physical Review Letters and previously served on the boards of EPJB, FNL, and PRE. Two of his PhD students have been awarded national thesis prizes.

Prof. Esposito completed postdoctoral research at UC Irvine and UC San Diego before returning to the Université Libre de Bruxelles as a contract researcher. In 2012, he joined the University of Luxembourg to establish the Complex Systems and Statistical Mechanics group under an ATTRACT Fellowship. He was promoted to Full Professor in 2016 and maintains an active role in international research evaluation, editorial work, and community service.

Prof. Esposito studied chemistry at the Université Libre de Bruxelles and was strongly influenced by the Brussels school of thermodynamics. He completed his master’s thesis and PhD under the supervision of Pierre Gaspard, specializing in nonequilibrium statistical mechanics. He then pursued postdoctoral research in quantum and stochastic thermodynamics at UC Irvine and UC San Diego.