Ohio State wins $4 million NSF award to lead quantum sensing initiative
A new NSF-backed consortium will develop a shared testbed to determine where entanglement-enabled measurement can outperform conventional tools, with Ohio State researchers targeting applications in biomolecular science, radiation detection, and advanced manufacturing.
The Ohio State University has secured a $4 million, two-year Phase II design award from the U.S. National Science Foundation to lead a national effort developing next-generation quantum sensing technology.
The award advances an Ohio State-led consortium in NSF’s National Quantum Virtual Laboratory program, or NQVL, which is intended to move quantum research toward usable scientific and industrial tools. The project, Distributed-Entanglement Quantum Sensing of Chemical Properties, or DQS-CP, will focus on studying materials and molecules with greater precision.
Ohio State is one of five teams selected by NSF in 2026 for the NQVL design competition. Together, the projects received $20 million and join four teams selected in 2025, bringing the program to nine design-stage projects.
Why it matters
Quantum sensing could give researchers new ways to study chemical, biological and material properties that conventional tools cannot readily measure.
The DQS-CP team is developing a platform to identify when quantum technologies can deliver a clear performance advantage, with potential applications in materials research, molecular science, biology and advanced manufacturing.
“This award reflects how Ohio State is emerging as a national leader in quantum research,” John M. Horack, Ohio State’s vice president for research, said of the announcement. “We are building the people, partnerships, and platforms needed to translate powerful quantum ideas into tools that can benefit science, industry and society.”
How it works
The proposed sensing system has three key components:
- A target molecule or material being studied.
- A thin spin-relay layer that carries information between the sample and sensing system.
- A quantum readout designed to capture information from the system.
By entangling elements of the architecture, researchers aim to improve measurement performance beyond conventional limits. The project will serve as a shared testbed for researchers, students and potential end users to evaluate applications and commercial potential.
“Our goal is to clearly demonstrate when and how quantum sensing can offer real advantages,” said Ezekiel Johnston-Halperin, an Ohio State physics professor and lead principal investigator.
Partners and applications
Ohio State is leading a consortium that includes MIT, the University of Chicago, the University of Iowa, UC Santa Barbara, and the University of Colorado Boulder. QuSTEAM and QuantCAD will support workforce development and technology translation.
Ohio State engineering faculty will lead several applied research efforts:
- Carlos Castro will design nanodevices for sensing biomolecular dynamics and interactions.
- Raymond Cao will use diamond quantum sensors for real-time detection of high-energy neutrons that can degrade materials.
- Glenn Daehn will connect the work to product and manufacturing-process co-design through Ohio State’s NSF-funded HAMMER Engineering Research Center.
Workforce focus
Students on the project will train across physics, chemistry, materials science and engineering. QuSTEAM will help create education and training pathways, while QuantCAD will support a quantum-sensing roadmap and hands-on student training.
The award supports design work rather than construction of a full national facility. NSF expects to select teams for a later implementation phase, subject to available appropriations.
