Welcome to CNI

Columbia University’s Research Initiative in Nanotechnology

Beginning in the Fall Semester of 2014, Columbia University developed the Columbia Nano Initiative to build upon and maintain Columbia’s strong and successful experiences with highly multidisciplinary and collaborative research programs in nanoscale science and engineering.  The research strcture at CNI stimulates the development of new major research programs and interdisciplinary centers and assures the maintenance of the specialized facilities that support and enable these groundbreaking programs.

Purpose of the CNI

The CNI represents an interdisciplinary community within Columbia University dedicated to the support and development of research efforts in nanoscale science and engineering.  The primary activities of the CNI include:

• CNI provides a faculty-based intellectual foundation and support for the development of new research concepts, direction, and programs.

• CNI provides an administrative and business infrastructure for the development of new research program concepts, proposals, and programs, with special emphasis on large-scale, interdisciplinary research centers.

• CNI manages, operates, and maintains three user-shared lab facilities to support research activities that are available to the entire Columbia community at modest cost. 

These lab facilities currently include: (1) a Cleanroom for micro- and nanofabrication; (2) a Materials Characterization Facility; and (3) an Electron Microscopy Facility. In addition to being open to the Columbia community, these facilities are open to external users from other academic institutions, government, start-ups, and industry. CNI also collaborates with other universities to make additional capabilities available to the entire Columbia research community, including the CUNY Advanced Science Research Center (ASRC).