The University of Chicago and Tohoku University have launched a five-year international research partnership establishing a dedicated “Quantum Hub” at Tohoku’s Research Institute of Electrical Communication (RIEC) in Sendai, Japan. Funded through the Japanese government’s University for International Research Excellence initiative and institutional commitments, the program integrates UChicago’s expertise in theoretical modeling, quantum control, and device simulation with Tohoku’s capabilities in spintronics, nanofabrication, and materials characterization.
| Tohoku-UChicago Quantum Hub: Operational & Technical Scope | ||
|---|---|---|
| Operational Dimension | Institutional Platform | Research Focus & Resource Allocations |
| Joint Physical Infrastructure | Research Institute of Electrical Communication (RIEC) | Two dedicated joint experimental laboratories established at Tohoku University to support on-site fabrication and measurement. |
| Academic Leadership | UChicago Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering | Prof. David Awschalom and Prof. Giulia Galli appointed Distinguished Visiting Professors to lead joint theory-to-device research. |
| Advanced Characterization | NanoTerasu Synchrotron Radiation Facility | Utilizes high-brilliance 3 GeV soft X-ray spectroscopy to probe electron correlation, lattice structures, and spin defects in candidate materials. |
| Sponsorship Framework | University for International Research Excellence | Underwritten by the Japanese government’s national university endowment program alongside annual joint research funding from Tohoku. |
| Venture Incubation Pipeline | Duality Accelerator Framework Translation | Establishes a Tohoku-based quantum startup incubator modeled directly on UChicago’s Duality venture accelerator. |
The collaboration expands the Chicago-Tohoku Quantum Alliance established in 2023, following multilateral agreements formed during the G7 Summit in Hiroshima. The Sendai hub aims to span the technology pipeline from first-principles materials discovery to solid-state device fabrication. Researchers will couple computational design and electronic-structure theory with experimental synthesis, leveraging local facilities such as NanoTerasu—a 3 GeV synchrotron radiation facility operational in Sendai—to evaluate the electronic states and spin coherence of novel solid-state substrates, topological insulators, and defect-based spin qubits.
Beyond experimental research, the partnership incorporates a workforce and entrepreneurship exchange pipeline. Graduate researchers and postdoctoral fellows will rotate across both campuses under joint mentorship, while Tohoku University plans to establish an entrepreneurship initiative modeled on Duality, the Chicago-based accelerator dedicated exclusively to quantum ventures operated by UChicago’s Polsky Center and the Chicago Quantum Exchange.
Official announcements are available from the University of Chicago here, the Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering here, and Tohoku University here.
November 10, 2026