UC Campuses Awarded Nobel Prize for Quantum Research

Earlier this month, three physicists affiliated with the University of California system — John Clarke of UC Berkeley, Michel H. Devoret of UC Santa Barbara and Yale University, and John M. Martinis of UC Santa Barbara — were awarded the 2025 Nobel Prize in Physics for the discovery of macroscopic quantum mechanical tunnelling and energy quantization in an electric circuit, according to the prize announcement.

Although the laureates’ work predates the UC Noyce Initiative, it created a foundation upon which currently funded UC Noyce Initiative researchers at UC Berkeley and UC Santa Barbara are now pursuing innovative research questions and discoveries.

Research Foundations and Institutional Significance

The prize-winning work, conducted in the 1980s, showed for the first time that quantum mechanical effects such as tunnelling and the existence of distinct energy steps could be observed in a superconducting electrical circuit large enough to hold in one’s hand. In short, their experiments on a chip revealed quantum physics in action, according to the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.

These foundational experiments laid important groundwork for superconducting qubits and many aspects of today’s quantum computing research.

“This year’s physics prize is about bringing quantum mechanics…from the sub-atomic world onto a chip,” said Goran Johnsson, member of the 2025 Nobel Prize in Physics committee.  

At UC Berkeley, Clarke’s work is celebrated as pioneering in the field of superconducting electronics. At UC Santa Barbara, Devoret and Martinis built upon and extended that foundation — underscoring how UC campuses have been key nodes in the quantum research ecosystem for decades.

Aligning with the UC Noyce Initiative’s Mission

UC Noyce Initiative Executive Director Bryan Kerner noted that this news presents an opportunity for the UC Noyce Initiative to celebrate institutional excellence at two UC Noyce-funded campuses, as well as the UC system’s leadership in quantum.

“This achievement, which is the highest level of recognition globally, is a testament to the caliber of the work that has been occurring in the quantum sciences at UC Berkeley and UC Santa Barbara for decades,” he said. “It is also a powerful example of what can be achieved when collaborations across the UC system occur. This Nobel Prize is a proof point that validates the vision of the UC Noyce Initiative.”

Kerner noted that the UC Noyce Initiative’s goal is to foster cross-campus collaboration, shared infrastructure and the training of a diverse quantum workforce.

Opening the Door for Next-Generation Quantum

The awarding body noted that the laureates’ discoveries have opened the door to next-generation quantum technologies including computers, secure communication networks and sensors that exploit quantum phenomena. The UC Noyce Initiative is aligned with that trajectory, enabling collaborative research, interdisciplinary training and integrated infrastructure across UC Berkeley, UC Santa Barbara and other participating campuses.