The Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC) at Princeton University is a thriving research center and educational outreach resource that serves the campus, local community, and the greater mid-Atlantic region. The research is focused on two key fundamental areas of science that underlies creating new quantum technologies and biology-inspired materials. The development of topological quantum materials is crucial for catalyzing next-generation quantum technologies for sensing, computing, and communicating. The application of such technologies will have wide-ranging implications for national security, industrial competitiveness, and workforce development for decades to come. This MRSEC's research will lay the foundations of the field of living materials science by bridging materials science and biology or soft matter. Establishing this new field will lead to advances in biotechnology, as well as many other industries reliant on nanotechnology using polymers, gels, colloids, biofilms, and other soft materials. Training the next generation of world-class materials scientists, and sharing the excitement of their research with the broader community are fundamental pillars of this MRSEC’s mission. The inclusion of underrepresented minorities, women, and persons with disabilities is a key priority embedded in all its research, education and outreach activities. Moreover, the Princeton MRSEC leverages its substantial institutional resources and facilities to encourage collaborations with the broader research community, including industrial partners who not only provide stakeholder insights, but also opportunities for workforce development beyond academia. Outreach activities are popular and meaningful opportunities to engage the general public, school teachers, and students of all ages, and spark their enthusiasm and appreciation for materials science in the world around them.
unique research underway at the Princeton MRSEC addresses some of the most exciting topics posed by the NSF’s Big Ideas. The IRG-1 team is focused on uncovering novel electronic effects in a wide range of new quantum materials, from spin liquid systems, to novel 2-D systems and their twisted stacks, and various superconducting and non-symmorphic materials. The team searches for and synthesizes new topological materials guided by the application of machine learning techniques combined with topological quantum chemistry — taking on the NSF’s Big Idea “The Quantum Leap.†The IRG-2 team is uncovering new insights into how cells use macromolecules to function, while also using these insights toward the design of new responsive materials systems with highly tunable properties. Their research is helping to lay the foundation for a new field of “living†materials science at the interface of biology, chemistry, engineering, and physics — addressing the NSF’s Big Ideas “The Rules of Life†and "NSF2026".
This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
