The Princeton Center for Complex Materials, a Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC), brings together teams of scientists and engineers from several different fields to discover and design novel materials for next-generation technologies that will be responsive to modern society needs. The Center pursues two complementary lines of research. The first creates novel electronic materials that can lead to faster and more energy-efficient electronics, more sensitive sensors, and the building blocks of future quantum computers. The second takes inspiration from the way living cells organize themselves to build programmable, life-inspired materials that can advance medicine and more sustainable manufacturing. Beyond these discoveries, the Center is also a hub for hands-on education and training. It offers research experiences for students from high school through graduate school, trains postdoctoral researchers, hosts a summer science camp for local high school students, and reaches undergraduates at community colleges, helping to develop a skilled materials workforce for the future. Each year these activities reach more than a thousand people of all ages, making the Center a major science resource for its region. By combining frontier research with wide public engagement, the Center delivers both new knowledge and lasting benefits for the economy, for national security, and for the well-being of the public.
