A powerhouse for research just got even stronger.
Introducing the Grand Challenges Research Building.
Designed to Empower and Improve Everyday Lives
The Grand Challenges Research Building is designed to address society’s most pressing challenges in areas including engineering, medicine, planetary science, and optics. This state-of-the-art space supports the expansion of the Optical Sciences and the U of A-led Center for Quantum Networks.
The new Grand Challenges Research Building is a seven-story, 115,000-square-foot interdisciplinary masterpiece with every inch designed to promote a culture of collaboration and innovation, featuring public spaces, study areas, meeting rooms, and three floors of laboratories and offices to support faculty and student engagement in cutting-edge research.
The facility will leverage and amplify the University of Arizona’s greatest core research strengths: in the areas of engineering, optical science, lunar & planetary science, medicine, and much more.
In this building, world experts from a range of growing and cutting-edge fields will come together with undergraduate and graduate students to make discoveries and to teach the next generation of scientists, doctors, entrepreneurs and engineers.
GCRB Research in the News
Acoustics
How topological acoustics can help us better understand a warming climate
U of A researchers are using topological acoustics, the study of sound wave behaviors in complex structures, to gain insights into climate change, helping to better understand and predict the impacts of a warming climate.
French scientific agency selects Pierre Deymier for prestigious fellow-ambassador role
New Frontiers of Sound (NFoS) Director Pierre Deymier has been selected as a fellow by the French Scientific Agency, recognizing his contributions to science and appointing him as an ambassador to strengthen international research collaborations.
Engineering
Civil engineering researcher looks to remedy inequities in traffic safety
A U of A civil engineering researcher is working to address inequities in traffic safety by developing solutions that aim to improve road conditions and reduce accidents in underserved communities.
$35.5M awarded to UArizona College of Engineering for tech center expansion
The U of A’s College of Engineering has been awarded $35.5 million from the Arizona Commerce Authority to expand its tech center, a move that will enhance the university's capacity for cutting-edge research and innovation in engineering.
Medicine
U of A College of Medicine – Tucson advances in US News Best Medical Schools rankings
The University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson has once again been recognized as one of the best medical schools in the nation by the U.S. News & World Report’s Best Graduate Schools for Medicine rankings. The college was recognized for its strength in diversity and its graduates, who are filling a national need for physicians in rural and health professional shortage areas.
Colleges of Medicine lead initiatives focused on anti-racism in medicine
U of A’s Colleges of Medicine are leading new initiatives focused on anti-racism in medicine, aiming to address systemic inequities in healthcare and promote more inclusive medical practices.
Optical Sciences
Freeze-frame: U of A researchers develop microscope that can see electrons in motion
U of A researchers have developed a groundbreaking microscope capable of capturing electrons in motion, providing unprecedented insights into the behavior of matter at the atomic level.
Good vibrations: New tech may lead to smaller, more powerful wireless devices
U of A scientists have developed a new technology that harnesses vibrations to create smaller and more powerful wireless devices, potentially revolutionizing the design and efficiency of future electronics.
A new method for creating 3D images
U of A researchers have pioneered a new method for creating 3D images, offering a more efficient and detailed approach to visualizing complex structures, which could significantly impact fields like medicine and engineering.
Quantum
CQN Faculty Tapped to Lead New Journal
Members of the Center for Quantum Networks (CQN) including U of A Associate Professor of Optical Sciences Matthew Eichenfield have been selected to lead a new journal dedicated to advancing the field.
University of Arizona quantum technologies to generate $220m for the region
According to a report from Rounds Consulting Group, U of A’s advancements in quantum technologies, led by the Center for Quantum Networks, are projected to generate an estimated $220 million for Southern Arizona over the next decade.
Space
UArizona’s Space4 Center Part of International AI Space Sustainability Project
The U of A’s Space4 Center is part of a $1.9 million international collaboration exploring how artificial intelligence (AI) can be harnessed to improve space operations, safety and sustainability. The project will accelerate the development of AI technologies from concept to adoption in the space sector.
University of Arizona project improving space safety through AI
Roberto Furfaro, U of A systems and industrial engineering professor and Space4 Center deputy director, is part of an international partnership using artificial intelligence to help predict and avoid collisions with space debris.
Taking Law to the Final Frontier
A new U of A course launches students into an emerging legal frontier: space law. Co-taught by faculty in the James E. Rogers College of Law and the College of Science, the course introduces students to issues raised by human activity in outer space, including asteroid mining, space tourism, traffic management, communications satellites and national security.
In the words of Senior VP of Research
"The Grand Challenges Research Building is a testament to fostering a culture of collaboration that results in real-world impacts. The GCRB allows us to further expand our research capabilities and to attract partners in industries such as biomedicine, engineering, and optical science. We are excited about the scientific and technological breakthroughs that will take place here."
—Elliott Cheu
Research and centers that will be located in the GCRB:
UArizona faculty, staff, and students across all disciplines work to unlock new research solutions and accelerate breakthrough discoveries using the power of information technologies enabled by The Institute for Computation and Data-Enabled Insight (ICDI) and other data-related units that will be housed at GCRB.
At UA major research is ongoing related to the development of advanced optical microscopes, endoscopes, and micro-endoscopes. Several faculty members are involved in multi-modality imaging (optical, MRI, ultrasound, photoacoustic, nuclear) which is a technique that enables scientists to study the microenvironment of a tumor.
Optical sciences research includes the use of lasers, lenses, spectrometers and other light-manipulating systems to design equipment for manufacturing, medicine, communications and space exploration. GCRB will greatly expand UA’s capacity in optical sciences, below are two areas that highlight UA’s research potential. The College of Optical Sciences has over 50 active research programs and generates approximately $20 million in new research awards per year.
In August 2020 the NSF selected UA to lead and establish the Center for Quantum Networks. The quantum approach to computing is new to the physics of transferring information, it merges quantum mechanics and information theory. Quantum computing is expected to transform medicine, break encryption and revolutionize communications and artificial intelligence. In addition to developing the quantum internet, the Center is charged with creating the curriculum for the new discipline, “quantum information science and engineering.”
Researchers at UA are world-leaders in designing and fabricating highly specialized optics. Students work alongside faculty on projects of global significance, such as the Giant Magellan Telescope, the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope, and OSIRIS-REx.
Established in 2023 with a $30 million grant from the National Science Foundation, NFoS is poised to revolutionize technology, transforming everyday life. Partnering with top-tier institutions like Caltech, UCLA, and the University of Colorado Boulder, the center conducts cutting-edge research in topological acoustics—a rapidly growing field focused on innovatively manipulating sound waves.
The first floor of GCRB will include large multi-functional space intended to support student engagement and will be capable of supporting some instructional activity. The GCRB will house the state-of-the-art equipment and technologies required to successfully carryout the research detailed above.
Technologies:
Many large air-tables are required to provide the space and stability needed to conduct most optical experiments.
Laser systems drive most optical experiments and have specific power, cooling, shielding and other related requirements.
The facility will have at least one quantum networking testbed and specialized equipment for quantum network element prototyping.
There will be smart spaces hardware prototyping and human testing laboratories Remote sensing prototyping laboratories, and biomedical optics hardware prototyping laboratories.