Kavli Institute at Cornell for Nanoscale Science (KINSC)

Kavli Institute at Cornell for Nanoscale Science (KINSC)
Name	Kavli Institute at Cornell for Nanoscale Science
Established	2007
Type	Research institute
Director	(see Governance and Funding)
Location	Ithaca, New York
Affiliations	Cornell University, The Kavli Foundation

Kavli Institute at Cornell for Nanoscale Science (KINSC) is a research institute at Cornell University focused on nanoscale science and technology, associated with interdisciplinary work spanning physics, chemistry, materials science, engineering, and biology. Founded with philanthropic support and institutional investment, KINSC links laboratory research, graduate education, and industrial collaboration to advance nanoscale fabrication, characterization, and theory across multiple fields and applications.

History

KINSC was established following an endowment from The Kavli Foundation and institutional commitment by Cornell University leadership, including presidents and provosts associated with campus expansions. The institute's founding occurred during an era marked by investments in nanoscale initiatives alongside programs at Stanford University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Harvard University, and University of California, Berkeley. Early leadership drew faculty from departments such as Applied and Engineering Physics, Materials Science and Engineering, Chemistry, and Physics and interfaced with centers including Cornell NanoScale Science and Technology Facility and collaborations with IBM Research, Intel Corporation, Microsoft Research, and national laboratories such as Argonne National Laboratory, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Milestones include facility upgrades coordinated with regional economic development agencies, partnerships with state initiatives, and participation in federal programs overseen by agencies like National Science Foundation and Department of Energy.

Mission and Research Focus

KINSC's mission emphasizes fundamental and applied research at the nanoscale; areas of focus include quantum materials, nanofabrication, nanoelectronics, nanophotonics, molecular self-assembly, and biomolecular engineering. The institute fosters interdisciplinary teams drawn from College of Engineering (Cornell), College of Arts and Sciences (Cornell), Weill Cornell Medicine, and affiliated units such as Cornell Ann S. Bowers College of Computing and Information Science, linking to initiatives like Cornell Center for Materials Research and programs funded by Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, National Institutes of Health, Office of Naval Research, and private foundations. Research themes cross boundaries with work on graphene, topological insulators, quantum dots, two-dimensional materials, molecular electronics, and magnetic skyrmions.

Facilities and Infrastructure

KINSC leverages shared cleanrooms, cryogenic systems, and characterization tools interconnected with the Cornell NanoScale Science and Technology Facility, advanced microscopy suites including transmission electron microscopy, scanning tunneling microscopy, and spectroscopy equipment. Infrastructure upgrades have been coordinated with campus projects such as library and laboratory renovations and regional technology parks; partnerships extend to corporate research sites like Bell Labs and collaborative labs at Cornell Tech on Roosevelt Island. The institute supports fabrication capabilities including electron-beam lithography, atomic layer deposition, molecular beam epitaxy, and facilities for low-temperature transport measurements, optical laboratories for cavity quantum electrodynamics, and computational clusters linked to national supercomputers such as Summit and resources provided through XSEDE.

Academic Programs and Partnerships

KINSC integrates with graduate training programs including doctoral tracks in Applied Physics, Materials Science and Engineering, and Chemical Engineering, and collaborates with professional schools including Weill Cornell Medicine and the Jacobs Technion-Cornell Institute. The institute administers postdoctoral fellowships, visiting scholar exchanges with institutions such as ETH Zurich, University of Tokyo, Imperial College London, and Max Planck Society institutes, and industry internships with corporations like NVIDIA, TSMC, Samsung Electronics, and Honeywell. Educational outreach connects to programs at Cornell High Energy Synchrotron Source and regional K–12 STEM initiatives, and the institute participates in international consortia including the Graphene Flagship and collaborative networks funded by Horizon 2020 and other multinational funding mechanisms.

Notable Research and Contributions

Researchers affiliated with KINSC have advanced experimental and theoretical understanding of nanoscale phenomena, contributing to publications in journals such as Nature, Science, Physical Review Letters, and Nano Letters. Contributions include progress on quantum computing elements, demonstrations in spintronics, advances in single-molecule electronics, and techniques for atomically precise fabrication influencing work at Microsoft Quantum, Google Quantum AI, and national quantum initiatives. Collaborations have yielded patents licensed to startups and established firms, fostering spinouts that draw venture funding from firms like Sequoia Capital, Andreessen Horowitz, and Kleiner Perkins. The institute's faculty and alumni have been recognized by awards including National Medal of Science, MacArthur Fellows Program, Guggenheim Fellowship, and fellowships in societies such as American Physical Society and Materials Research Society.

Governance and Funding

KINSC governance comprises institute directors, advisory boards with representatives from academia and industry, and administrative oversight by Cornell University offices alongside philanthropic stewardship by The Kavli Foundation. Funding sources include endowments, federal grants from agencies such as National Science Foundation and Department of Energy, corporate research agreements with firms like IBM, Intel, and Qualcomm, and philanthropic gifts from foundations and alumni. The institute coordinates with university finance, research administration, and technology transfer offices including Cornell University Center for Technology Licensing to manage intellectual property, sponsored projects, and industry partnerships.

Category:Cornell University Category:Nanotechnology research institutes Category:Research institutes established in 2007