{"id":681052,"date":"2025-12-01T15:37:17","date_gmt":"2025-12-01T20:37:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/?p=681052"},"modified":"2025-12-01T15:37:17","modified_gmt":"2025-12-01T20:37:17","slug":"transdisciplinary-research-centers-681052","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/transdisciplinary-research-centers-681052\/","title":{"rendered":"How URochester is redefining collaboration through transdisciplinary research"},"content":{"rendered":"

A quartet of groundbreaking new centers receives $8.5 million in institutional funding.<\/h2>\n

Transdisciplinary research is more than academic jargon\u2014it\u2019s arguably URochester\u2019s superpower. With world-class resources across the River Campus<\/a>, the Eastman School of Music<\/a>, the Medical Center<\/a>, and the Laboratory for Laser Energetics<\/a>\u2014and a community of faculty and students committed to solving humanity\u2019s most complex challenges\u2014URochester is uniquely positioned to foster innovation and collaboration that can not only reshape existing fields but also create entirely new ones.<\/p>\n

To make this vision a reality, in April 2024 the provost\u2019s office<\/a> launched a first-of-its-kind process to identify teams to receive multi-year funding to establish fully realized transdisciplinary centers. After an anonymous faculty committee selected\u00a010 out of 42 proposals to receive one\u2011year planning grants, a total of 13 teams submitted comprehensive proposals to be evaluated by faculty, administrators, and more than 60 external reviewers.<\/p>\n

Out of this rigorous process emerged four new centers<\/a> with transformative potential\u2014and a combined $8.5 million investment that drew admiration from the external reviewers themselves. \u201cI can\u2019t overstate what a wonderful idea this is,\u201d said John Aldrich \u201975 (PhD), the Pfizer-Pratt University Professor of Political Science at Duke University, when the awardees were announced in June. \u201cThe courage and commitment of the leadership team to do something bold in research right now is inspiring.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Colorful
FANTASTIC FOUR:<\/strong> Each of the four new transdisciplinary research centers is designed to become a hub of innovation and collaboration. (Illustration by Janne Iivonen)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

SoundSpace
\nAward: $4 million over five years<\/h3>\n

By combining strengths across multiple fields, SoundSpace<\/a> aims to put URochester
\nat the frontier of music and technology. Its team\u2014drawn from biomedical and chemical engineering, composition, digital media studies, computer engineering, musicology, and more\u2014will focus on developing a best-in-class hub for research, education, performance, and public engagement. \u201cWe have advantages no one else has,\u201d says the center\u2019s lead, Mark Bocko<\/a> \u201984 (PhD), a distinguished professor of electrical and computer engineering.<\/p>\n

Center for Extended Reality
\nAward: $2 million over five years<\/h3>\n

CXR<\/a> seeks to awaken the potential of AR\/VR by focusing on how we perceive and experience the world. This involves pulling from optics, engineering, natural sciences, humanities, and medicine to develop platforms that create a seamless connection between hardware and user. \u201cThe idea is that the person isn\u2019t using the device as much as the device becomes part of the user,\u201d says CXR co-lead Nick Vamivakas<\/a>, the Marie C. Wilson and Joseph C. Wilson Professor of Optical Physics. \u201cI don\u2019t know of any other places this is being done.\u201d<\/p>\n

University of Rochester Resilience Research Center
\nAward: $2 million over five years<\/h3>\n

Why doesn\u2019t stress, trauma, and adversity affect everyone the same? Why are some people able to bounce back faster than others? UR\u00b3C<\/a>\u2019s mission is to identify the factors that perpetuate stress-related health issues to develop ways to prevent and even reverse them. \u201cWe\u2019re injecting hope,\u201d says Jennie Noll<\/a>, a professor of psychology and UR\u00b3C co-lead. \u201cWe\u2019d like to build on existing research to provide optimism and sustainability that hasn\u2019t previously been available to communities facing dire circumstances or families with <\/span>generations of adversity or trauma.\u201d<\/p>\n

Center for Coherence and Quantum Science
\nAward: $500,000 over two years<\/h3>\n

URochester is the birthplace of quantum optics and key elements of quantum coherence. Soon, it may also become the birthplace of the first circuit boards for quantum computers. Combining experts in physics, optics, chemistry, and more, CCQS<\/a> intends to make the University a major national player in this space. \u201cThis is a win-win proposition,\u201d says team lead and Associate Professor of Physics John Nichol<\/a>. \u201cThe research we\u2019re proposing will have major implications for both understanding how the universe works and harnessing this knowledge for useful technology.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

A version of this story appears in the fall 2025 issue of <\/em>Rochester Review<\/a>, the magazine of the\u00a0University of Rochester<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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