Qualcomm Institute

09/02/2026

This summer, the Qualcomm Institute at UC San Diego was a hub of hands-on learning for students from very different backgrounds.

Community college students trained in semiconductor manufacturing. Neurodivergent students designed original video games. And undergraduates visiting from South Korea built working AI applications, from a skin-lesion classifier to a solar power forecasting tool.

Three programs, one goal: turning classroom knowledge into real workforce skills.

Read the full story: https://qi.ucsd.edu/a-summer-of-learning-by-doing/

San Diego San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering San Diego Electrical and Computer Engineering Social Sciences

08/28/2026

Students will be here before we know it! ☀️

In the meantime, we’re enjoying the beauty and quiet around Qualcomm Institute. If you find time, take a stroll around our usual views before campus is back in full swing!

-The Bear
-Warren Mall
-Eucalyptus Trail
-Canyon Vista

📸Areli Alvarez /Qualcomm Institute

08/12/2026

New World screwworm — a flesh-eating parasite once eradicated from the U.S. — is spreading again, reaching Texas and New Mexico. Researchers from UC San Diego School of Medicine and have teamed up with County of San Diego - Government to build a new risk-tracking dashboard that combines outbreak reports, environmental data and media coverage to help public health officials anticipate where it's likely to turn up next.

A companion Q&A with UC San Diego Biological Sciences geneticist Omar Akbari explores next-generation genetic technologies that could shape the future of screwworm control.

Read more: https://go.ucsd.edu/4xzzlND

A new New World screwworm tracking dashboard from UC San Diego and San Diego County helps officials anticipate outbreak risk.

07/28/2026

We were delighted to welcome the Global Federation of Competitiveness Councils (GFCC) to last week to explore how cutting-edge research can help inform real-world decisions.

During the visit, UC San Diego economists Fabian Trottner and Marc-Andreas Muendler (joining virtually from Brazil) of UC San Diego Social Sciences demonstrated a model that predicts how local disruptions — from a potential closure of the Strait of Hormuz to other supply chain shocks — can ripple through the global economy.

This kind of collaboration is at the heart of QI, where experts from across disciplines come together and leverage technology to solve society's most pressing challenges.

Council on Competitiveness

07/15/2026

For many people with Parkinson's disease, the medication that restores movement can also stop working as reliably over time — and cause involuntary movements of its own.

A new drug candidate from Sinopia Biosciences, a San Diego biotech with roots in UC San Diego research that launched in the QI innovation space, may offer a way around both problems. In preclinical trials, the compound boosted the benefits of L-dopa while reducing dyskinesia, one of the treatment's toughest side effects.

Human trials could begin as early as next year. Read the full story here: https://qi.ucsd.edu/drug-candidate-could-help-l-dopa-work-better-for-patients-with-parkinsons/

UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering UC San Diego School of Medicine

A UC San Diego-born biotech's drug candidate boosted L-dopa's benefits and reduced dyskinesia in preclinical Parkinson's disease trials, offering a new approach to a longstanding treatment challenge.

07/13/2026

What is happening within the top few nanometers of a material’s surface?

A new X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy instrument at UC San Diego’s can help researchers find out. The system identifies which elements are present, how they are chemically bonded and whether hidden impurities could affect a material’s performance.

Housed in QI’s Nano3 shared research facility, the instrument is already being used by the university's engineering and chemistry investigators and industry researchers working on batteries, semiconductors, solar cells, LEDs, coatings and medical devices.

Learn more: https://qi.ucsd.edu/new-xps-instrument-at-qualcomm-institute-gives-researchers-a-closer-look-at-material-surfaces/

UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering Physical Sciences | UC San Diego UCSD MATS Program UC San Diego Electrical and Computer Engineering

A new XPS instrument at UC San Diego’s Qualcomm Institute helps researchers analyze material surfaces for batteries, semiconductors, coatings and medical devices.

07/13/2026

What a year it's been at Qualcomm Institute!

From inspiring conferences and groundbreaking exhibitions to gallery openings, interactive installations, and unforgettable moments where art and technology came together, our halls have been filled with creativity, innovation, and discovery throughout the academic year.

Thank you to the incredible researchers, staff, artists, performers, collaborators, and community members who helped make Qualcomm Institute a place where ideas come to life, connections are forged, and creativity thrives.

We're already looking forward to welcoming a new season of events in the upcoming academic year. We can't wait to see what's next—and we hope you'll join us for another year of inspiration, collaboration, and discovery.

Here's to the memories we've made and all the exciting moments still to come. See you this fall!

07/09/2026

Campus may be a little quieter this summer, but we're keeping good company. 🐻 While we miss seeing all of our students, we're enjoying the sunshine with one of our favorite neighbors. We can't wait to welcome everyone back for another exciting year at Qualcomm Institute!

06/22/2026

The technologies that will shape this century may not have names yet.

At this year’s Future In Review (FiRe) conference, hosted by the UC San Diego , scientists, entrepreneurs and public-sector leaders explored what comes after AI — from basic research and higher education to the microbiome, quantum security, critical infrastructure and startups.

The conference included insights from former NSF Director Sethuraman “Panch” Panchanathan, UC San Diego Chancellor Pradeep K. Khosla, QI Director Ramesh Rao and other leaders and entrepreneurs working to turn future signals into real-world systems.

Read more: https://qi.ucsd.edu/the-next-breakthrough-doesnt-have-a-name-yet/

UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering UC San Diego School of Medicine

The technologies that will define the second half of this century don’t have names yet. That was a central proposition that Sethuraman Panchanathan, former director of the National Science Foundation (NSF), brought to the opening session of this year’s annual…

06/18/2026

Congratulations to bioengineer Bernhard Palsson on his induction as a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors! His election represents the highest professional distinction awarded to academic inventors, honoring innovators whose work has made a tangible impact on quality of life, economic development and society.

Palsson, who has made pioneering innovations in metabolic research, systems biology and genome engineering, was honored during this month's NAI 15th Annual Conference in Los Angeles.

Here, Palsson, center, stands with NAI founder Paul Sanberg, left, and former NSF Director Sethuraman “Panch” Panchanathan.

Read more about Palsson’s work turning systems biology into tools for biomanufacturing and medicine: https://go.ucsd.edu/4mTQWfh

UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering UC San Diego Bioengineering National Academy of Inventors UC San Diego School of Medicine