University of Chicago and Tohoku University Establish Joint Quantum Materials Hub in Japan

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.

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