I am an ICREA Research Professor at the Universitat Pompeu Fabra in Barcelona. I am also still the Principal Investigator of the De les Coves group at the Institute for Theoretical Physics at the University of Innsbruck (Austria). My background is in mathematical quantum physics, but in recent years I have grown interested in more interdisciplinary topics, including philosophy.
Universality & unreachability
My research explores the reach of universality & unreachability in physics, mathematics, computation and beyond. A good entry point to this topic is this TEDx talk or this invitation to our framework for universality.
One kind of universality we understand well is that of spin models (JMP 2026 and Tobias Reinhart's PhD Thesis).
This line of thought made us:
- see classical spin models as formal languages (PRSA 2023, 2025)
- show that the universality of spin models is essentially the same as that of machine learning models (PRE 2026)
- examine notions of universality in natural languages.
Epistemic horizons
The world from inside can look different from the world from outside. Namely, physical observers in a fully deterministic universe can experience limitations to what they can know, that is, epistemic horizons (based on Synthese 2025), similar to Heisenberg's uncertainty principle in quantum physics. But the epistemic horizons we find are due to the fact that observers are physical systems themselves, and that learning consists of establishing certain correlations between the object and subject -- and these correlations may not be too strong.
Philosophical dimension
The considerations of universality & unreachability have several conceptual consequences that I explored in several book chapters for philosophy books.
For example, the tension between transcendence and closure shines an unorthodox yet profound (I believe) light through science and culture, as I argued in Being human: The wound of infinity. An intimate encounter of science and culture, a chapter in In an Open Field.
And considerations about the lack of ultimate closure bear consequences on what should be considered fundamental in quantum physics, as I argued in a recent chapter.
On the other hand, some have argued that, because we humans seem to be able to make sense of the liar paradox, our mind is more powerful than some computers. We argue that the answer should be more nuanced here.
Mathematical quantum physics
Another major strand of my research is mathematical quantum physics, developed in collaboration with Tim Netzer. A good entry point to this topic is this invitation paper.
Our work investigates the relation between parts and wholes in quantum theory, that is, the interaction between positivity and the multiplicity of systems. This includes approximations, their border ranks, in the hyperreals, their computational complexity and their implications for distributional semantics.
We also studied quantum magic squares, which generally cannot be purified -- see this invitation in The Science Breaker.
Our latest work is a framework to go beyond operator systems, where we ask for tensor products which are uniform in the dimension of the system.
Here you can find Andreas Klingler's PhD Thesis and Mirte van der Eyden's PhD Thesis.
Books and influences
Three influential books for my research in recent years have been
- Gödel Escher Bach by Douglas Hofstadter
- The beginning of infinity by David Deutsch
- Beyond the limits of thought by Graham Priest
Other books that I recently found impressive are The infinite by A. W. Moore, several introductions to metaphysics, as well books by Carlo Rovelli.
Join the group
If you'd like to work with me in Barcelona, please get in touch and I can share funding options. E.g. if you are German and would like to do a PostDoc with me, one can consider the Feodor Lynen fellowship. Or if you would like to do a PhD with me, one can consider the INPhINIT fellowship.
My former name is Gemma De las Cuevas.
Photo by Miki Bosch at the Biblioteca Gabriel García Márquez, in Barcelona.