Ohio State–led team secures NSF award to advance to next phase of the National Quantum Virtual Laboratory program

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Ohio State-led team secures NSF award to advance to next phase of the National Quantum Virtual Laboratory program

University is emerging as a national leader in quantum research

The Ohio State University is strengthening its growing prominence in quantum science, technology, and education with a $4 million, two-year Phase II design award from the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) to advance a national effort focused on next-generation quantum sensing.

The funding is helping to bring together top researchers and partners nationwide to push quantum technologies toward real-world use, particularly in understanding materials and molecules with unprecedented precision.

"This award reflects how Ohio State is emerging as a national leader in quantum research," said John M. Horack, vice president for Research at Ohio State. "We are building the people, partnerships, and platforms needed to translate powerful quantum ideas into tools that can benefit science, industry and society."

Ohio State leads a distinguished research consortium that includes the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Chicago, University of Iowa, University of California, Santa Barbara, and University of Colorado Boulder, along with external workforce and translation partners QuSTEAM and QuantCAD.

The project, "Distributed-Entanglement Quantum Sensing of Chemical Properties" (DQS-CP), is part of NSF's National Quantum Virtual Laboratory (NQVL) program. The team is developing a flexible sensing platform built from three main pieces: the molecule being studied, a thin "spin-relay" layer that carries information, and a quantum readout. By carefully entangling parts of this system, researchers can push measurement performance beyond conventional limits.

"Our goal is to clearly demonstrate when and how quantum sensing can offer real advantages," said Ezekiel Johnston-Halperin, professor of Physics and lead principal investigator on the DQS-CP award at Ohio State. "This project is about building a shared testbed where researchers, students, and end users can work together to turn quantum capabilities into meaningful applications and move those ideas into the marketplace."

In addition to technical milestones, the project places a strong emphasis on education and workforce development. Students involved in DQS-CP will train in a highly interdisciplinary environment, gaining hands-on experience at the intersection of physics, chemistry, materials science, and engineering.

"This project represents the opportunity for our graduate students to contribute to cutting-edge science with real-world impact," said Susan Olesik, divisional dean of Natural and Mathematical Sciences in the College of Arts and Sciences. "Students will learn cutting-edge techniques while also helping to shape a workforce pipeline aligned with Ohio State's land-grant mission."

Through a partnership with QuSTEAM, the team will develop and share educational materials and training pathways to prepare the next generation of quantum scientists and engineers in both academia and industry. In addition, QuantCAD will provide support to develop a roadmap for quantum sensing and host students for hands-on training.

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