The Quantum Systems through Entangled Science and Engineering (Q-SEnSE) center will draw on the work of researchers at 12 institutions around the world.
Universities
Government Labs
A new $25 million center to advance quantum science听funded by the National Science Foundation on CU Boulder鈥檚 campus听and at 11 other organizations around the U.S. and abroad听has deep roots in CU Engineering鈥檚 interdisciplinary research efforts.
In 2019, the College of Engineering and Applied Science created Interdisciplinary Research Themes to build on college and campus research strengths, providing seed grants to form teams, purchase equipment and hire additional faculty members. Quantum was one of several high-impact areas targeted in the initiative, and Interim Dean Keith Molenaar said the college is now seeing the fruit of those investments with potential real-world impact close behind.听
鈥淥ur goal with the themes was to accelerate collaboration 鈥斕齜oth within the college and with our great partners across campus 鈥� to foster transformational research on a large scale,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he partnerships represented in the new quantum center are a realization of that goal, which will continue for years to come.鈥�
Awarded as part of a federal 听the new Quantum Systems through Entangled Science and Engineering听institute will explore several 鈥済rand challenges鈥� in the quantum sciences, including:
Establishing听Q-SEnSE听is the latest step in the university鈥檚 campaign to grow Colorado into a leader in quantum. In January 2019, the campus formed the CUbit Quantum Initiative as听a foundation for local, regional and national quantum efforts 鈥� engaging universities, industry and government.
鈥淭his center is an exciting next step to expand on our CUbit Quantum Initiative, which brings together JILA, engineering, sciences, National Institute of Standards and Technology and academic and industry partners in the region,鈥� said听Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation Terri听Fiez. 鈥淨-SEnSE will allow us to leverage the full power of our combined quantum capabilities to lead the global quantum revolution.鈥�
Molenaar said he was proud of the deep connections the college has听to both the new center and the campus initiative through the Quantum Integrated Sensor System Interdisciplinary Research Theme听through ongoing research projects and leadership by IRT members like Greg Rieker in the Paul M. Rady Department of Mechanical Engineering, who is the co-principal investigator in听Q-SEnSE.
Rieker said a challenge as big as quantum requires collaboration between many types of scientists and engineers, and the theme and campus initiative were always meant to build toward something as significant as this center. Something that could change the way we sense the physical world, how we navigate or how we communicate with each other in dramatic ways.
鈥淭his type of collaboration requires a catalyzing event like this center,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e鈥檒l be forming and working as teams of engineers and scientists that are as closely connected as the entangled states of matter in the quantum systems that we鈥檙e working on.鈥�
