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.
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.
The NSF announced five new Phase 2 design awards this year, joining four projects selected previously and bringing the total number of active NQVL design projects nationwide to nine. Ohio State researchers are involved in two of those projects, including the University of Michigan-led QuPID effort, which also received a $4 million Phase II award.
“Our goal is to clearly demonstrate when and how quantum sensing can offer real advantages,” said Ezekiel Johnston-Halperin, professor of Physics, co-director of the Center for Quantum Information Science and Engineering (CQISE) 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.”
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.
“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.”
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 student 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 designed to prepare the next generation of quantum scientists and engineers, both in academia and industry. In addition, QuantCAD will provide support to develop a roadmap for quantum sensing and host students for hands on training.