QuVET. The Center for Quantum Vibronics
in Energy and Time
A Multidisciplinary University Research Initiatives (MURI) center for biologically-informed quantum design supported by the US Army Research Office
What is quantum vibronics?
Revolutionary science and technology to overcome global energy challenges.
Quantum technologies are poised to change reality. From computing and microchip fabrication to communication and encryption, quantum mechanics will forever alter society. In quantum sensors and energy technologies, vibronic processes at the nanometer scale - where the quantum aspects of vibrations and electrons mix - promise radical advancements.
How can biology inform quantum design?
The rules of biology guide the design of ultra-efficient quantum sensors
Photosynthesis achieves nearly perfect quantum efficiency. Of every 100 photons that get captured, 99 of them are utilized. Evidence indicates that such incredible performance results from the quantum blend of molecular vibrations and electrons. Exposing vibronic processes in biology will guide a new era of vibronic engineering in quantum materials.
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QuVET Graduate Researcher Named as a Rising Star in Physics by Cell Press!
August 27, 2026
Gillian Minarik, a graduate student with Prof. Xiaoyang Zhu at Columbia, was named one of the rising stars in physics, along with mostly young physics faculty members worldwide, by Cell press.
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Dr. Sohang Kundu Moves to Ohio State!
August 1, 2026
Dr. Sohang Kundu, a postdoctoral trainee with the Berkelbach group, was named a junior faculty member at Ohio State University Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. Congratulations Prof. Kundu!
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Evidence Emerges for a Fractional Topological Insulator
July 16, 2026
New QuVET publications highlighted by the American Physical Society: Experiments show signs of a material that conducts electricity in opposite directions along its edges through fractionally charged quasiparticles.
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QuVET Investigator Prof. Garnet Chan Named to Great Britain's Royal Societ
May 27, 2026
“Recognizing and advancing outstanding science and providing advice on some of the most pressing challenges facing the nation and world,” Garnet Kin-Lic Chan, Bren Professor of Chemistry and director of the Rudolph A. Marcus Center for Theoretical Chemistry has been named a fellow of the Royal Society!
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Quantum Research Points to Future Energy and Computing Technologies
May 27, 2026
Several new manuscripts collaboratively published by the QuVET team are featured for their relevance to novel device physics and future quantum applications.
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Dr. Eric Arsenault Moves to Yale!
Monday Apr. 14, 2025
QuVET researcher, and postdoctoral fellow in the group of Prof. Xiaoyang Zhu at Columbia University, has taken a new position as Assistant Professor in the Chemistry department at Yale University. Congratulations Prof. Arsenault!
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Quantum Vibronics Think Tank
Wednesday Feb. 19, 2025
The QuVET team – representing Caltech, Columbia, MIT and UC Riverside – met to discuss new frontiers in quantum vibronics research, from tailored biological macromolecules to 2D quantum materials-by-design.
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A New Era in Quantum Vibronics
Friday Oct. 25, 2024
Principal Investigators and their teams from Caltech, Columbia, MIT and the University of California Riverside–along with representatives from nearly all federal funding agencies – met to launch the QuVET center!