2025

Spiral anodes are immersed in a chrome bath within electroplating equipment, facilitating the chrome plating process on metal parts in an industrial setting

Electrochemical Manufacturing of Materials and Resource Recovery

Advances electrochemical routes for manufacturing and for recovering critical materials, bridging fundamental science and industrial practice. 

Lead: Hailong Chen (ME)

Initiative Lead Q&A

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Young plants in a greenhouse

Precision Agriculture in Controlled Environments (PACE)

Develops new paradigms for managing light, water, and nutrients to enable high‑value agriculture in controlled environments. 

Leads: Antonio Facchetti & Anju Toor (MSE); Yongsheng Chen (CEE)

Initiative Lead Q&A

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3D illustration of a human cell

Adaptive Biomacromolecular and Cellular Networks

Builds interdisciplinary frameworks to understand and engineer adaptive behaviors in biomacromolecular assemblies and cellular systems. 

Leads: Anant Paravastu (ChBE); Vinayak Agarwal & Andrew McShan (Chem & Biochem); Itamar Kolvin (Physics) 

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Modern waterproof flexible temperature control materials, multifunctional smart textile close-up

Multifunctional Materials for Efficient Buildings

Pursues materials‑to‑systems approaches (from components to whole‑building integration) to reduce energy use and improve sustainability across homes, commercial spaces, and data centers. 

Lead: Akanksha Menon (ME)

Initiative Lead Q&A

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2024

A futuristic glowing quantum computer unit, 3d render

Quantum Engineering

Advances quantum materials, devices, and systems engineering to enable next‑generation sensing, computation, and communication. 

Elevated to Program in 2025/26 funding cycle.

Leads: Yan Wang (ME), Asif Khan (ECE) 

Related Program Q&A

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Prototype of nanostructured metamaterials in lab

Metamaterials for National Security

Investigates engineered materials with tailored electromagnetic/mechanical properties to address security and defense applications. 

Lead: Margaret Kosal 

Initiative Lead Q&A

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A worker in a recycling plant sorting empty plastic bottles on a conveyor belt.

Waste Materials Processing

Develops novel techniques to process, valorize, and recover value from waste streams using materials and photonic methods. 

Leads: Ebenezer Fanijo (Building Construction), David Citrin (ECE) 

Initiative Lead Q&A

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Abstract microscopic view of cellular structures, vibrant heatmap style animation with flowing colors. Scientific research background wallpaper with a psychedelic colorama effect for presentations.

Microscale Thermal Tech for Sustainability

Integrates human thermal perception, design futuring, and systems analysis to create thermal technologies that improve sustainability and climate resilience. 

Leads: Noura Howell (LMC), Joe Bozeman (CEE) 

Initiative Lead Q&A

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Athlete runner feet running on road, Jogging at outdoors. Man running for exercise. Sports and healthy lifestyle concept.

Sports Research, Innovation, and Technology (SPRINT)

Connects academic researchers with Athletics to accelerate sports technology, performance analytics, and human‑centric innovations. 

Lead: Jud Ready (GTRI) 

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Adult scientist researcher performs precision liquid transfer with micropipette under microscope medical laboratory science experiment discovery development healthcare research

Incentivizing Breakthrough Science

Studies policy and incentive structures that catalyze high‑risk, high‑reward research and scientific innovation. 

Leads: Usha Nair‑Reichert (Economics), Richard Barke (Public Policy) 

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Symmetrical quantum mechanics waves

Matter and Information

Explores how information theory, computation, and materials interact—linking physical matter and digital information for new computing paradigms. 

Lead: Florian Schäfer (CSE) 

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