$18M NSF Grant Funds UC San Diego Quantum Materials Center

University of California San Diego researchers will develop new quantum materials with an $18 million grant from the National Science Foundation, funding a six-year Materials Research Science and Engineering Center. The new center unites the Jacobs School of Engineering and the School of Physical Sciences, focusing research on materials with potential applications ranging from stealth technology to high-performance electronics. The center aims to benefit industrial areas of focus and train a new generation of scientists and engineers. This work expands on research conducted during a previous six-year $18 million MRSEC grant, which utilized a bottom-up, self-assembly approach for nanomaterials and polymers. The MRSEC team is composed of 17 UC San Diego faculty members and includes one faculty member from UC Irvine, UCLA, and UC Santa Barbara. This substantial investment underscores the growing national interest in materials capable of revolutionizing technologies ranging from computing to national security, and signals UC San Diego’s prominence in the field. Beyond basic research, the MRSEC’s focus is explicitly aligned with national…