Recent developments

Research Activities Across Campus

• URIC Symposium coming in January
• NNCI seeks AI/data science leads: Applications open
• Investing in climate solutions and communities
• NU astro-AI conference attracts thought leaders
• Students as Tech Ambassadors: Bridging generations, supporting stroke survivors

Research Breakthroughs

• New coating strategy unlocks air-sensitive magnets for quantum tech
• New nanomedicine from Mirkin lab wipes out leukemia in animal study
• AI breakthrough enables “shape-shifting” proteins

Important Policy Changes

• Sponsored Research moves aim for increased efficiency
• NIH issues new biospecimen security policy
• Chemical and biological shipping requirements

URIC Symposium coming in January

The inaugural University Research Institutes and Centers (URIC) Symposium takes place January 14 at the Norris University Center, bringing together leaders across disciplines to explore emerging research frontiers. Attendees will gain insights into major thematic areas, hear from distinguished speakers, and discover new opportunities for collaboration that advance Northwestern's strategic research priorities. Faculty presenters include John Rogers, Mark Hersam, Milan Mrksich, Vicky Kalogera, Ted Sargent, and Andy Papachristos. Only a few seats remain. Register here.

New coating strategy unlocks air-sensitive magnets for quantum tech

A promising method for connecting quantum devices on a chip is to use magnons, magnetic waves that move through materials and carry information. Now, Northwestern materials scientist Mark Hersam and postdoctoral researcher Iqbal Utama have developed an ultrathin alumina coating that stabilizes the air-sensitive magnetic material vanadium tetracyanoethylene, enabling its use in quantum circuits and advanced measurements. Their low-temperature process preserves the material's magnetic properties and allows close-range study, marking a critical step toward scalable quantum devices that use magnetic waves, known as magnons, for next-generation information processing. This breakthrough allows researchers to explore the material's natural behavior in much greater detail than before and makes it compatible with superconducting circuits, paving the way for scalable quantum technologies. The research was published in Science Advances.

New nanomedicine from Mirkin lab wipes out leukemia in animal study

In a new study led by Chad Mirkin (chemistry, medicine, materials science), the team designed a new drug from a spherical nucleic acid (SNA), a nanostructure that weaves the drug directly into DNA strands coating tiny spheres. This design converts a poorly soluble, weakly performing drug into a powerful, targeted cancer killer that leaves healthy cells unharmed. Compared to the standard chemotherapy drug, the SNA-based drug entered leukemia cells 12.5 times more efficiently, killed them up to 20,000 times more effectively, and reduced cancer progression 59-fold — all without detectable side effects. Learn more about this promising advance. Also: Julianna Bourgeois, NU PhD candidate and Nanomedicine Subgroup Leader in the Mirkin Lab, explores how structural nanomedicine is transforming drug design for cancer and infectious diseases. Watch her 2025 Kabiller Award Dinner talk, “Blueprints for Better Drugs,” hosted by the International Institute for Nanotechnology.

AI breakthrough enables “shape-shifting” proteins

A Northwestern collaboration with Harvard's Paulson School of Engineering has achieved a breakthrough in the design of intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) — flexible biomolecules that make up about 30 percent of the human proteome and are central to many biological processes and diseases. Led by Northwestern's Krishna Shrinivas (chemical and biological engineering), the team developed a new machine learning framework that tailors IDP properties, offering powerful new tools for therapeutic design and fundamental insights into disease mechanisms. Shrinivas is an affiliate of NU's interdisciplinary Center for Synthetic Biology. The work appeared in Nature Computational Science.

NNCI seeks AI/data science leads: Applications open

The Northwestern Network for Collaborative Intelligence (NNCI) invites nominations and applications for leadership roles in its three strategic pillars: Research, Education, and Infrastructure. The pillar leads will play a pivotal role in shaping and implementing Northwestern's strategy for advancing data science and artificial intelligence (AI) research, education, and collaboration. Pillar leads will be drawn primarily from Northwestern's tenured faculty, though instructional faculty and staff leaders with relevant expertise are also encouraged to apply. Apply or nominate a candidate.

Investing in climate solutions and communities

Former White House Climate Advisor Ali Zaidi delivered Northwestern's Distinguished Public Policy Lecture, co-hosted by the Institute for Policy Research (IPR) and the Paula M. Trienens Institute for Sustainability and Energy, both University-wide research institutes. At the recent event, he urged the campus community to transform climate challenges into opportunities, noting rising economic and human costs while emphasizing the potential for innovation, policy, and collaboration to build resilient, equitable communities. “The solutions are within reach,” Zaidi said. “We can get after them if we do it together.” Find the full story.

NU astro-AI conference attracts thought leaders

From Sept. 2–5, the NSF-Simons Foundation-funded National AI Institute for the Sky (SkAI) hosted its inaugural annual conference, Open SkAI 2025, drawing more than 180 researchers from 51 institutions. Held on the 35th floor of 875 N. Michigan Ave. (John Hancock Tower), the event featured keynote lectures, invited talks, and posters on cutting-edge astro-AI research. Founded in 2024 and led by Northwestern with core partners UChicago and UIUC, SkAI is directed by Vicky Kalogera (physics and astronomy), with Aggelos Katsaggelos (electrical and computer engineering) as co-PI. SkAI also hosted the first-ever POSYDON School in Chicago, where international astronomers gathered for intensive training on POSYDON, a software platform for modeling binary star systems developed by Kalogera, Katsaggelos and collaborators.

Students as Tech Ambassadors: Bridging generations, supporting stroke survivors

Supported by NIH and NUCATS, the ACROSS project — co-led by Northwestern's Lesli Skolarus and community principal investigator Tonya Roberson — connects stroke survivors with practical recovery resources. Partnering with Student Karma and Chicago Public Schools, the team empowered students to design digital tools and materials that help families navigate stroke care, bridging generations and making community health resources more accessible. The project develops simple, personalized interventions to optimize stroke outcomes within the context of people's everyday life.

Sponsored Research moves aim for increased efficiency

As part of ongoing efforts to strengthen operations, Sponsored Research will implement an internal restructuring that will specifically impact the Proposal and Award Acceptance and Contracts and Negotiations teams. The primary goal of this change is to improve turnaround times, clarify roles, strengthen partnerships with the research community, and streamline processes. Teams will be reorganized into a Pre-Award team, a Contracts and Award Acceptance team, and an Award Management team. This change will take effect on November 18. Learn more.

NIH issues new biospecimen security policy

Effective October 24, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) implemented a new biospecimen security policy (NOT-OD-25-160) aligned with Executive Order 14117 and 28 CFR Part 202. The policy restricts the sharing or distribution of NIH-supported human biospecimens to entities in countries of concern — China, including Hong Kong and Macau; Cuba; Iran; North Korea; Russia; and Venezuela — except under narrowly defined exceptions. All exceptions must be documented and available to NIH upon request. Researchers are urged to review protocols and consult with the Export Controls and International Compliance office before initiating international transfers. Use Northwestern's EShipGlobal platform for all international shipments. Review the guidance on this policy.

Collaborating, traveling, or shipping to higher-risk countries? Contact ECIC. Researchers planning travel to, shipping items to, or engaging with higher-risk countries should consult with the Export Controls and International Compliance (ECIC) team in advance. These countries include Belarus, Burma, Cambodia, China (including Hong Kong and Macau), Cuba, Iran, Nicaragua, North Korea, Russia, certain regions of Ukraine, and Venezuela. ECIC can quickly determine if you need a federal license, run Restricted Party Screenings on collaborators, and help mitigate risks. Even short-term trips, such as conferences, meetings, or workshops, or sharing unpublished research data can trigger research security considerations. Use EShipGlobal for domestic and international shipments to ensure an export control review. Learn more at the Export Controls and Research Security websites or contact ECIC with questions.

Reminder: Chemical and biological shipping requirements

Shipping hazardous materials requires specific authorization and training. All chemical shipments must be initiated through Research Safety’s Intent to Ship form found in LUMEN, and all biological shipments require completion of the Safe Shipping of Biological Materials and Dry Ice Certification offered by Research Safety. These steps help ensure compliance with federal transport regulations and protect the campus community.