A Utah Programmable Cloud Laboratory Node

Autonomous research infrastructure for quantum materials.

AURORA connects robotic 2D materials fabrication, characterization, AI-driven scientific reasoning, and CloudLab-proven cyberinfrastructure into an open facility for reproducible discovery.

Explore the platformMeet the team
1,500+van der Waals crystals in reach
24/7remote access model for programmable experiments
AIclosed-loop planning, analysis, and decision support
Opentraining, data provenance, and shared user workflows

Programmable laboratory

Automation-ready instrumentation with provenance from the first experiment.

Self-driving 2D heterostructure fabrication

Robotic exfoliation, stacking, characterization, and sample archiving create a repeatable loop for building 2D materials.

Closed-loop characterization

Optical cataloging, device fabrication, and transport measurements connect sample state to experimental performance.

AI-guided science

Physics-informed descriptors, cross-modal models, and interpretable learning help propose and refine the next experiment.

Fork-validate-merge for reproducible lab autonomy

Users can fork production workflows into isolated sandboxes, validate changes, and merge improvements back into stable PCL operation.

Workflow diagram for 2D Quantum Materials Pipelines showing equipment for exfoliation, cataloging, stacking, and transfer, followed by nanolithography and wire bonding for device fabrication, and cryostats for parallelized testing. Workflow diagram for 2D Quantum Materials Pipelines showing equipment for exfoliation, cataloging, stacking, and transfer, followed by nanolithography and wire bonding for device fabrication, and cryostats for parallelized testing.

Ubiquitous 2D workflow

AURORA connects synthesis, exfoliation, optical metrology, heterostructure fabrication, device packaging, cryogenic measurement, and AI-driven hypothesis generation into one programmable workflow.

Scientific focus

Reproducibility as a measurable standard.

Manual assembly of 2D samples can produce different electronic behavior even within the same lab. AURORA turns fabrication parameters, observation, and analysis into a programmable loop, making materials discovery easier to repeat, compare, and scale.

01

Magic-angle twisted bilayer graphene

Reproducible phase diagrams for correlated, superconducting, and topological phases.

02

Room-temperature quantum anomalous Hall effect

AI-guided materials selection across topological insulator and ferromagnetic interfaces.

03

Twisted TMD semiconductors

Open access to moire superlattices, Hubbard-model simulators, and systematic phase mapping.

Preview

See the laboratory workflow.

Personnel

The AURORA team brings together materials discovery, automation, AI, and user-centered research infrastructure.

Professional headshot of Taylor Sparks smiling against a red brick wall background. Professional headshot of Taylor Sparks smiling against a red brick wall background.

DIRECTOR: TAYLOR SPARKS

University of Utah

Director and Broader Impacts for Students Lead

Lab Website

Leadership & Core Team

Headshot of Nick Borys, a man with glasses and a beard wearing a blue and white plaid shirt. Headshot of Nick Borys, a man with glasses and a beard wearing a blue and white plaid shirt.

Nicholas Borys

Associate Director and Automation Lead, University of Utah

Lab →
Headshot of Vikram Deshpande wearing glasses and a dark blue collared shirt. Headshot of Vikram Deshpande wearing glasses and a dark blue collared shirt.

Vikram Deshpande

Science Lead, University of Utah

Lab →

Hannah Cohoon

User Engagement Lead, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

Profile →
Tyrel McQueen examining a small sample in front of a chalkboard with technical diagrams. Tyrel McQueen examining a small sample in front of a chalkboard with technical diagrams.

Tyrel McQueen

Synthesis and PARADIM at JHU, Johns Hopkins University

Lab →
Professional headshot of Khoa Luu wearing glasses and a dark suit. Professional headshot of Khoa Luu wearing glasses and a dark suit.

Khoa Luu

AI and Automation, University of Arkansas

Lab →
TBD

User Manager

To be determined

TBD

Utah MonArk Engineer

To be determined

TBD

Arkansas MonArk Engineer

To be determined

TBD

Lab Manager

To be determined

Open facility

Designed for national users from day one.

AURORA pairs hands-on training with remote experiment control, isolated compute environments, and user research practices shaped by years of operating CloudLab for academic and industry communities.

Connect by filling out this user interest form and help us shape what's next!

  • Recruitment, onboarding, and safety training
  • Remote workflows for exfoliation, stacking, and device fabrication
  • Large datasets for AI training and optical cataloging
  • Cross-node coordination with the PCL network