University of Northern Iowa Secures Funding for Cutting-Edge Research Initiatives

The University of Northern Iowa receives significant funding for research initiatives in quantum information and computing, biomanufacturing, and engineering, solidifying Iowa's position in technological advancement.

University of Northern Iowa Receives Grants for Cutting-Edge Research

The University of Northern Iowa has received a significant boost in funding for its research initiatives, with four projects focused on quantum information and computing, biomanufacturing, and engineering. The National Science Foundation has awarded the university three grants, including a five-year, $20 million grant to partner with the University of Iowa, Iowa State University, Central College, and Dordt University.

UNI physics faculty receive grants for research projects

The largest grant will enable the university to use Iowa’s expertise in agriculture to strengthen the bioscience and advanced manufacturing industries. UNI physics professor Tim Kidd will lead the research efforts into fibers for flexible and rigid materials as principal investigator.

Advancing Materials Science

Kidd and fellow physics professor Andrew Stollenwerk received a three-year, $550,000 grant to research how adding carbon to certain materials could impact their electrical and optical properties. Texas Tech University professor Rui He will collaborate with the UNI faculty on the project.

“These funds are not only helping to make Iowa more technologically competitive, but through extensive undergraduate research opportunities, students will learn practical skills that cannot be replicated in the classroom,” Stollenwerk said.

Quantum Information Storage and Processing

ISU and UNI faculty will also work together to study materials involved in quantum information storage and processing, funded by a $800,000 grant from the National Science Foundation. Kidd will work as principal investigator with ISU associate professor Lin Zhou serving as co-principal investigator and UNI faculty members Pavel Lukashev, Paul Shand, and Ali Tabei.

Two-Dimensional Materials for Quantum Computing

The U.S. Department of Energy also awarded Kidd, Stollenwerk, Lukashev, and Shand a $500,000 grant to create “two-dimensional materials” to be used in quantum computing and future electronics. UNI is the only undergraduate university to receive the funding with these goals.

UNI researchers explore quantum computing and future electronics

“These awards are a sign of the consistent high-quality research from the UNI physics faculty over the last decade that resulted in numerous publications in premier scientific journals,” Lukashev said.

The opportunities created by these projects will be open to students studying physics or enrolling in the university’s new materials science and engineering program, which launches in the fall.

UNI’s new materials science and engineering program