Innovative projects to enhance quantum research, experiential learning, semiconductor workforce development, and AI utilization in the Cornell Duffield College of Engineering will receive the first-ever awards from the Duffield Engineering Breakthrough Fund.
Created with a portion of the college’s historic naming gift from David Duffield ’62, MBA ’64, announced in January 2026, Breakthrough Fund awards are the result of a process designed to engage all of the college’s school and department leaders in surfacing, identifying, and vetting potentially transformative projects.
“In my experience, many of the best ideas in our college tend to come from the ground up,” said Lynden Archer, the Joseph Silbert Dean of Engineering. “Thanks to Dave Duffield’s generous support, we are excited to have this new mechanism to energize our community to pursue creative ideas that might otherwise have stayed hidden in college laboratories or individual departments. The time-limited nature of the investments, and the evergreen aspects of the fund that support our Breakthrough projects, will make it possible for future Duffield Engineering leaders to invest in collaborations that chart our path forward into frontier areas we cannot yet imagine.”
Archer noted that the next round of Breakthrough Fund awards is expected to follow close on the heels of this inaugural cohort, with a call for proposals expected to go out in spring 2027.
“This initial round generated inspiring ideas from our faculty and staff, and we learned a lot about how to encourage people to think big and to think creatively,” he said. “With the deep commitment to excellence and innovation in our community, I am genuinely excited about the future opportunities the Breakthrough Fund will enable in Duffield Engineering.”
The following projects are the inaugural recipients of Breakthrough Fund awards.
Diamond Quantum Networks
Quantum networks could enable information to be transmitted between distant quantum computers, sensors and other devices, but building those networks requires new technologies for controlling and connecting quantum bits. This project will use a $750,000 grant to develop a set of capabilities needed to advance quantum networking at Cornell, including growing high-quality diamond, creating quantum bits in diamond and fabricating the photonic structures needed to connect those quantum systems with light.
The project will also explore hands-on quantum engineering experiences for Cornell students and will leverage Cornell NanoScale Facility capabilities and a newly acquired diamond growth reactor while building connections across the university’s quantum research community.
Lead investigators: Gregory Fuchs, the James R. Meehl Professor in the School of Applied an Engineering Physics; Mohamed Ibrahim, assistant professor in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering; Farhan Rana, the Joseph P. Ripley Professor of in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering; and Darrell Schlom, the Tisch University Professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering.
Building a Transferable Model for Experiential Curricula
Research has shown that experiential learning can improve student outcomes, yet hands-on learning is not consistently integrated across engineering curricula. This project will use a $400,000 grant to develop and test an approach to experiential education that combines classroom learning with hands-on activities, laboratories and opportunities for students to explore, iterate and learn from failure. The project will begin with a partnership between the Sibley School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and the R.F. Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, which have established complementary approaches to experiential education.
The project will build on the R.F. Smith School’s ‘Living Laboratory Ecosystem,’ established through a National Science Foundation Revolutionizing Engineering Departments grant, and the Sibley School’s Learning Studios to implement and study cross-school learning experiences, and to develop administrative structures for extending the model to other departments.
Lead investigators: Allison Godwin, the Dr. G. Stephen Irwin ’67, ’68 Professor of Engineering Education Research in the R.F. Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and associate director of the Duffield Engineering Education Research Institute, and Brian Kirby, the Meinig Family Professor in the Sibley School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering.
Engineering AI Simulation Center
As artificial intelligence reshapes how engineers design and test complex systems, new approaches are needed to combine AI with computer simulations used to model those systems. The project will use a $150,000 grant to establish the Engineering AI Simulation Center (eAISC), a focused, executable platform for trustworthy, decision-ready world models and digital twins in mechanical and aerospace engineering, with particular emphasis on dual-use applications.
The team plans to build and demonstrate the shared technical stack, operating model, industry testbeds and translational evidence needed for eAISC to become a durable Cornell capability and a credible nucleus for center-scale external investment. In doing so, they aim to make Cornell a national reference point for simulation systems in which AI, numerical physics, experimental data and engineering judgment are integrated from the ground up.
Lead investigators: Nikolaos Bouklas, associate professor in the Sibley School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, and Jian-Xun Wang, associate professor in the Sibley School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering.
Enabling a Semiconductor and Quantum Processing Workforce Development
As the semiconductor industry expands in New York and across the U.S., Duffield Engineering will develop a new program to prepare students for careers in semiconductor manufacturing and processing. This project will use a $125,000 grant to expand semiconductor-focused courses across materials science and engineering, chemical and biomolecular engineering, electrical and computer engineering, and systems engineering, while creating a dedicated teaching cleanroom where students can gain hands-on experience with semiconductor fabrication and characterization. The project will also strengthen the college’s partnerships with semiconductor manufacturers while working with the Cornell NanoScale Facility to complement its research capabilities.
The project will create a coordinated pathway for students from undergraduate study through M.Eng. and M.S. programs, including new and expanded courses covering nanofabrication, semiconductor devices, packaging and the broader semiconductor manufacturing ecosystem.
Lead investigators: Mike Thompson, the Dwight C. Baum Professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, and Kintu Early, professor of practice in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering.
Research on Approximate Computers for Probabilistic AI
As artificial intelligence continues to drive growing demand for computing power, Cornell researchers want to take a fundamentally different approach to delivering energy-efficient performance by building computer designs that embrace the noise-tolerant nature of probabilistic AI algorithms. This project will bring together expertise in computer architecture, applied physics, and compiler technologies to develop highly efficient but error-prone computer designs that can deliver accurate results.
The ultimate goal is to achieve order-of-magnitude improvements in performance and energy use in AI systems. A $75,000 grant will give project investigators resources to build on the concept’s strengths and further develop its longer-term potential and impact.
Lead investigators: José F. Martínez, the Lee Teng-hui Professor of Engineering in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering; Peter McMahon, associate professor in the School of Applied and Engineering Physics; and Adrian Sampson, associate professor in the Department of Computer Science at the Cornell Ann S. Bowers College of Computing and Information Science.
Syl Kacapyr, associate director of marketing and communications for Duffield Engineering, contributed to this article.
