DOE awards $2.2M grant to MTSU-led quantum program, ORNL for research, workforce development

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — A Middle Tennessee State University-led quantum consortium that also includes Tennessee State University, Fisk University, Meharry Medical College and Oak Ridge National Laboratory has been awarded a $2.2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy.

TN-QuMat — Tennessee Quantum Materials Workforce Development and Training program — aims to expand research capacity and train a skilled quantum-ready workforce in Tennessee through funding from the DOE’s Researching a New Energy Sciences Workforce Program, also known as RENEW.

Quantum materials are central to emerging technologies, including quantum computing, sensing, communication and advanced electronics. Understanding and controlling these properties demands cutting-edge theoretical, computational and experimental approaches that led to the creation of the consortium.

Organizers say TN-QuMat directly addresses a significant gap in quantum research infrastructure and workforce training in Middle Tennessee, fostering research capacity, innovation and economic growth.

Terletska guides MTSU endeavor

Dr. Hanna Terletska, eader of the Quantum@MTSU initiative and associate professor of physics — Dr. Hanna Terletska

Led by principal investigator Hanna Terletska, leader of the Quantum@MTSU initiative and associate professor of physics, TN-QuMat brings together expertise from four Midstate institutions — MTSU, the largest public R2 university in the state, and historically Black colleges TSU, Meharry and Fisk University — alongside ORNL, DOE’s largest energy and science laboratory.

The team also collaborates with Emanuel Gull, a renowned physics professor and researcher at the University of Michigan, Terletska said.

“This partnership strongly aligns with our Quantum@MTSU initiative, where quantum materials research is a key strategic priority,” Terletska said. “The close collaboration among our consortium will enable us to build a highly competitive, Tennessee-based quantum workforce that will drive innovation and keep the United States at the forefront of quantum science.

“We must equip students with a broad set of experimental, theoretical and computational skills to help them achieve this goal.”

Her efforts have earned $8.8 million in grant funding for eight total National Science Foundation and DOE grants. The highly awarded Terletska is director of the MTSU Quantum Science Initiative.

From left, Fisk University research associate professor Akira Ueda, Middle Tennessee State University postdoctoral researchers Anirudha Mirmira and Wasin Mondal, Oak Ridge National Laboratory senior research scientist Tom Berlijn, Fisk student researcher India Gooch, ORNL distinguished researcher Thomas Maier and MTSU physics faculty members Hanna Terletska and John Villanova participate in an ORNL-organized scientific meeting Aug. 12-13 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Knoxville, Tenn. Tennessee Quantum Materials Workforce Development and Training program, or TN-QuMat, students, postdoctoral researchers and principal investigators from MTSU, Tennessee State University, Fisk University and ORNL were among session attendees. (Submitted photo) — From left, Fisk University research associate professor Akira Ueda, Middle Tennessee State University postdoctoral researchers Anirudha Mirmira and Wasim Mondal, Oak Ridge National Laboratory senior research scientist Tom Berlijn, Fisk student researcher India Gooch, ORNL distinguished researcher Thomas Maier and MTSU physics faculty members Hanna Terletska and John Villanova participate in an ORNL-organized scientific meeting Aug. 12-13 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Knoxville, Tenn. Tennessee Quantum Materials Workforce Development and Training program, or TN-QuMat, students, postdoctoral researchers and principal investigators from MTSU, Tennessee State University, Fisk University and ORNL were among session attendees. (Submitted photo)

Oak Ridge National Laboratory influence

Thomas Maier, distinguished research staff and section head in advanced computing methods for physical sciences at ORNL and their lead principal investigator, emphasized the importance of this partnership.

“Through this initiative, we will build critical local research capacity and a skilled workforce essential to maintaining U.S. leadership in quantum science,” Maier said. “Our collaborative model leverages the strengths of ORNL’s groundbreaking research and the expertise of local universities to provide unique opportunities that position students and trainees to drive the quantum revolution of tomorrow.”

The TN-QuMat program is organized around three interconnected research areas: advanced many-body theory of disordered quantum systems; first-principles simulations of topologically nontrivial materials; and the experimental synthesis and characterization of low-dimensional quantum structures.

Trainees will receive hands-on experience using ORNL’s leadership-class computational and experimental facilities, including the world’s fastest supercomputer for open science and advanced neutron scattering capabilities.

Leading research efforts

John Villanova, assistant professor in the MTSU Department of Physics and Astronomy, will lead the topological materials simulation research thrust.

“New and complex materials are how scientists take advantage of the exciting properties of quantum physics to build the advanced technologies of tomorrow,” Villanova said. “Students need to have the skills to contribute to these developments in quantum topics, which will have an impact across the whole nation.”

Tom Berlijn, ORNL senior research scientist in the Nanomaterials Theory Institute and part of the same research thrust, said, “One such skill is training students to use density functional theory-based simulations to bridge the gap between experiments and modeling of quantum materials.”

Richard Mu, TSU professor, co-director of the TSU TIGER Institute and head of the TSU’s Quantum and Multifunctional Materials (Q-M²) and Photonics and Quantum Information (PhotonicsQ) Laboratories, leads the experimental synthesis and characterization thrust.

“At the TSU TIGER Institute, we will train students in advanced materials synthesis and characterization techniques,” Mu said. “For synthesis, the student can learn various physical deposition methods, such as, pulsed laser, pulsed electron-beam, thermal, sputtering, and electrohydrodynamic depositions and wet chemistry.

“For characterizations, students can be trained to use optical and laser spectroscopy and structural analysis. Through our collaboration with ORNL, we can provide our students with access to world-class experimental facilities and mentorship, preparing them for leadership roles in quantum materials research and technology.”

From left, Hanna Terletska, Middle Tennessee State University associate professor and Quantum Initiative director, Fisk University research associate professor Akira Ueda, Fisk student researcher India Gooch, Tennessee State University graduate student Joshua Adjei-Yeboah and MTSU student researchers Wasim Mondal and Anirudha Mirmira attend an Oak Ridge National Laboratory scientific meeting Aug. 12-13 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Knoxville, Tenn. (Submitted photo)

Increasing STEM group participation

A key aspect of TN-QuMat is its comprehensive workforce development pipeline, designed to increase participation of different STEM groups in quantum science. This includes the expansion of the successful MTSU AMPLIFY Scholars undergraduate training program, offering students yearlong research experiences and summer internships at ORNL.

Graduate students and postdoctoral researchers will receive intensive research training, mentorship from ORNL scientists and professional development opportunities.

Ning Zhang, Fisk University assistant professor, said the DOE RENEW grant provides “a remarkable opportunity for us to spearhead a quantum material workforce development and training program. By partnering with MTSU, TSU, Meharry and Oak Ridge National Laboratory, we look forward to fostering the next generation of quantum researchers at Fisk University.”

The project strategically aligns with national priorities under the DOE’s RENEW (Reaching a New Energy Sciences Workforce) program, which seeks to cultivate a skilled quantum workforce in critical areas of U.S. science.

“By bridging the expertise at our institutions with ORNL’s world-class capabilities, TN-QuMat will serve as a model for regional quantum initiatives and build U.S.-based robust, interdisciplinary skilled talent pipeline,” Terletska said.

For more information about the TN-QuMat initiative, visit https://tn-qumat.org/ or call 615-898-2792.

— Randy Weiler (Randy.Weiler@mtsu.edu)