Research Centers

HMNTL is home to several national research centers (listed below) that are funded by NSF, NIH, the Department of Defense and others. In addition, our faculty participate in multidisciplinary research centers and labs on campus, including the Beckman Institute, the Carl Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, the Coordinated Science Lab, and the Frederick Seitz Materials Research Lab.

National Research Centers

Shaloo Rakheja, Director

 Working to strengthen U.S. leadership in critical technologies — including high-performance computing, advanced manufacturing, 5G and beyond — by creating new materials and process paradigms for efficient electrical interconnects, photonic integration, and in-memory computing solutions targeting digital, analog, and RF platforms. 

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The Center for Pathogen Diagnostics will create cost-effective, accurate, and quick diagnostics for pathogens ranging from COVID-19 to dengue virus. These new detection systems will address limitations of current technologies, while leveraging the power of artificial intelligence and machine learning to analyze disease trends, analyze sensor data, and predict future outbreaks.

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Illinois Lead, Minjoo Larry Lee

The Silicon Crossroads Microelectronic Commons Hub (SCMC or The Hub), led by the Applied Research Institute, will accelerate the expansion of America’s microelectronics base by leveraging strong collaborative practices that strategically support innovation in quantum technology, commercial leap-ahead technologies, secure edge/IoT computing, electronic warfare, 5G/6G technology, and AI hardware.

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Past National Research Centers

Rashid Bashir, Associate Director

Creating a new scientific discipline for building living, multi-cellular machines that solve real-world problems in health, security, and the environment.

This multi-university center is led by MIT and includes researchers from University of Illinois, Georgia Institute of Technology, City College of New York, Morehouse College, University of California-Merced, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Emory University, Princeton University, Tufts University, and University of Georgia.

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Training the next generation of leaders who will define the new frontiers of cellular and molecular mechanics and bionanotechnology.

Illinois partners include, Georgia Tech, MIT, Columbia, University of California-Merced, NC Central, Argonne National Lab, University of California-San Diego, Cambridge, and National University of Singapore.

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Training the next generation of leaders who will define the new frontiers and applications of nanotechnology in cancer research.

Illinois partners include, University of Illinois at Chicago, Indiana University, Mayo Clinic, Washington University in St. Louis, Georgia Tech, Stanford School of Medicine.

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