The findings shed new light on the nature of electron interactions in quantum systems and establish a potential new platform for future quantum computers.

The prestigious award supports top-tier researchers at U.S. universities whose work is of strategic importance to the Department of Defense.

Nava Ariel-Sternberg is director of the shared laboratory facilities of the Columbia Nano Initiative, which brings together more than 100 research groups who collaborate on new materials, methods, and procedures to propel the promise of nanotechnology into the world. 

A Columbia-led team has discovered a new method to manipulate the electrical conductivity of this game-changing material, the strongest substance ever, with applications ranging from nano-electronic devices to clean energy.

The award will support the development of new methods that will allow for the manipulation of material systems in real time and the mapping of behavior of these materials with a degree of precision that has not been possible.