Research Centers

Multidisciplinary research centers in MS&E

Multidisciplinary research centers require faculty who can connect the scientific research developments with improvements in technology. The faculty in MSE apply this paradigm in several campus-wide research centers. Within the university and HSSEAS, the importance of materials research is reflected in this level of participation.

Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC)

The National Science Foundation funds the MRSEC program. MRSECs support interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary materials research and education while addressing fundamental problems in science and engineering that are important to society. The MRSEC consists of independent research groups, an educational and outreach component, and seed project opportunities. Professor Bruce Dunn in MSE will lead the effort, and IRGs, educational /outreach, and seed projects have been identified with teams already formed.

The Functional Engineered Nano-Architectonics Focus Center (FENA)

FENAThis multi-disciplinary center aims to create and investigate new nanoengineered functional materials and devices, and novel structural and computational architectures for new information processing systems beyond the limits of conventional CMOS technology. FENA is part of the Focus Center Research Program initiated by the Semiconductor Research Corporation in an effort to expand pre-competitive, cooperative, long-range applied microelectronics research at US universities. The center, which was established in 2003, will receive $13.5 million over the first three years, and as much as $70 million over 10 years. .FENA seeks to create and explore the next generation of nanoscale semiconductor technology to the borders of ultimate CMOS and beyond: inventing heterogeneous interfaces of new nanosystems, enabling a combination of biological and molecular functions, and revolutionizing paradigms of information processing and sensing. These new nanostructured materials will provide the basis for the creation of new applications of monolithically integrated (CMOS, molecular and biomolecular) nanosystems. FENA has 28 distinguished principal investigators from broad areas such as Materials Science, Chemistry, Electrical Engineering, Bio Engineering, Mathematics, Applied Physics, and Computer Engineering, from 11 of America’s most elite research universities. FENA embraces the current opportunity to create and explore the next generation of nanoscale semiconductor technology to the borders of ultimate CMOS and beyond: inventing the heterogeneous interfaces of new nanosystems, enabling a combination of biological and molecular functions, and revolutionizing the paradigms of information processing and sensing. These new nanostructured materials will provide the basis for the continued expansion of the semiconductor industry and the creation of new applications of monolithically integrated (CMOS, molecular and biomolecular) nanosystems. FENA involves faculty from several institutions including UCLA, UCSB, UC Riverside, UC Berkeley, USC, Caltech, Stanford, MIT, New York University, University of Minnesota, North Carolina State University, and SUNY. Kang L. Wang, Ph.D. is director. (Professors Ozolins, Dunn, Y. Yang, Xie, and Huang are members)

Broad Stem Cell Research Center

ISCBMStem cell research is a revolutionary opportunity to explore and understand scientific phenomena to treat human disease.

The UCLA Broad Stem Cell Research Center (BSCRC) is on the cusp of transforming patient care through the development of personalized stem cell based therapies for a wide range of diseases. Our commitment to innovation and cross disciplinary collaboration continually reshapes and expands the culture of scientific exploration at UCLA and positions us as a leader in the field. Established in 2005, we are among the youngest and most successful programs in California. (Professor Dunn is a member)

URL: www.iscbm.ucla.edu

California NanoSystems Institue (CNSI)

CNSIThe institute is a research center that is run jointly by UCLA and UC Santa Barbara. CNSI was established in 2000 with $100 million from the State of California and an additional $250 million in federal research grants and industry funding. Its mission is to encourage university collaboration with industry and enable the rapid commercialization of discoveries in nanosystems. In particular, CNSI is working to: · Establish a world-renowned center for nanosystems Research and Development · Develop commercial applications of CNSI’s technology · Educate the next generation of scholars in nanosystems R&D · Promote regional development through commercial use of nanotechnology, · Generate public appreciation and understanding of nanotechnology CNSI members, who are on the faculty at UCLA and UCSB, represent a multi-disciplinary team of some of the world’s preeminent scientists in the fields of materials science, molecular electronics, quantum computing, optical networking and molecular medicine, to cite but a few examples. (Professors Dunn, Y. Yang, Huang, and Ozolins are members.)

URL: www.cnsi.ucla.edu