News and Stories

The field of quantum information science (QIS) relies heavily on physics—and many think about it in those terms—but materials science and chemistry are also critical to the success of quantum technologies like computing, sensing and communications, according to Mark Hersam, PhD, chair of the materials science and engineering department and director of the materials research center at Northwestern’s McCormick School of Engineering.

Just when scientists thought they knew everything about crystals, a Northwestern University and University of Wisconsin-Madison collaboration has uncovered a hidden secret.

Northwestern University chemist James Gaynor has been named a 2025 Beckman Young Instigator by the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation. Established in 1991, the Beckman Young Investigator Program supports the most promising young faculty members in the early stages of their academic careers in the chemical and life sciences. It is particularly designed to foster the invention of methods, instruments and materials to open new avenues of scientific research. Each awardee receives $600,000 in funding across four years.

The US Superconducting Quantum Materials and Systems (SQMS) Center is betting on ultrahigh-quality-factor superconducting cavity technologies in its quest to develop scalable “qudit-based” quantum computing and communication architectures.

While entangled photons hold incredible promise for quantum computing and communications, they have a major inherent disadvantage. After one use, they simply disappear. But in a new study published in Physical Review Letters, Northwestern physicists propose a strategy to maintain communications in a constantly changing, unpredictable quantum network. By rebuilding these disappearing connections, the researchers found the network eventually settles into a stable — albeit different — state.

Advance opens door for secure quantum applications without specialized infrastructure. Northwestern University engineers are the first to successfully demonstrate quantum teleportation over a fiber optic cable already carrying Internet traffic.

Northwestern Engineering researchers are collaborating to harness the extraordinary phenomena that underlie the origin and structure of the universe. At first glance, quantum mechanics might seem strange or even impossible. That’s because our everyday experiences of the laws of physics are very different from how matter and energy behave at the atomic and subatomic level.

Quantum information science (QIS) opens the door to revolutionize the way we process, store, and transmit information. The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Science plays a key role in QIS research & development (R&D). The Office of Science has provided sustained support for the development of QIS, leading to groundbreaking scientific discoveries and significant advances in our understanding of the natural world.

Seventh annual event breaks in-person attendance records, features discussions about commercialization, workforce building, and the need for continued investment.

Event will highlight industry and government collaborations, honor early-career Boeing Quantum Creators researchers, and engage the public.

$14.5 million grant renews quantum transduction center for another four years.

Northwestern Engineering and INQUIRE Faculty Affiliate, Mahdi Hosseini, shares public education and quantum workforce pipeline goals with STEM students at the Quantum Summer School workshop.

Michael R. Wasielewski, Northwestern University Clare Hamilton Hall Professor of Chemistry and Director of the Center for Molecular Quantum Transduction (CMQT), gave a Town Talk with the Telluride Science & Innovation Center. The event was recorded for the "Science Straight Up" podcast.

Congratulations to the Northwestern University faculty who have been recognized by the Academy as leaders across disciplines, professions, and perspectives. INQUIRE faculty member, Mark Hersam, is among the 250 members elected in 2024.

Prem Kumar, the director of the Center for Photonic Communication and Computing at Northwestern University, says quantum physics is essential to creating technologies that will revolutionize our lives — but building a quantum computer is not without challenges.

A coalition led by the Chicago Quantum Exchange has been awarded a $1 million US National Science Foundation Regional Innovation Engines (NSF Engines) Development Award to deepen partnerships and strengthen workforce and economic development plans for Chicagoland’s growing quantum ecosystem.

Congratulations to Professor Mark Hersam, whose research has led to more effective nanomaterials used in electronics, energy storage, and medicine.

April 14 is World Quantum Day, an annual event celebrating quantum science and technology around the world. Join us in celebrating World Quantum Day by learning more about the wonders of quantum technology.

Recent work from Northwestern Engineering’s James Rondinelli could lead to a new class of metals that defy conventional wisdom. With the creation of Ca3Co3O8, the traditional distinctions between metals, polar materials, and magnets blur.