Miguel Marques too studied physics, namely at the University of Coimbra in his native Portugal. He obtained his doctorate in 2000, likewise in physics, at the University of Würzburg in the field of density functional theory of superconductors. Marques then held several postdoctoral positions in Spain, Germany and France; he habilitated in Lyon in 2009. Most recently, he was a professor at Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg.
https://www.icams.de/institute/departments-groups/artificial-intelligence/