The talented researchers, the extensive facilities and the efficient administrative support mechanisms at SQI make it a remarkably productive place to do scientific discovery and engineering innovation.”
About
The Simpson Querrey Institute for BioNanotechnology (SQI) promotes research convergence in basic science, engineering and medicine.
Connecting Investigators
We provide an intellectual framework and environment that connects investigators across disciplines to foster research collaborations at Northwestern University and across the globe. The interdisciplinary teams at SQI use the tools of bio-inspired science and technologies in research that will translate into improving human health, well-being and quality of life.
Interdisciplinary research that cannot take place in isolation
Our laboratory is a unique environment where people from varying backgrounds and with different expertise intermingle to discover novel research solutions.
Research areasOur Impact
$415 million+ research funding
We have received generous support from numerous sources to fund research at SQI and its affiliated centers.
1,120 publications generated by SQI and affiliated centers
SQI researchers are recognized for publishing their work in high-impact journals, making their discoveries accessible to the larger scientific community.
620students, postdocs and medical fellows trained in SQI faculty labs
The SQI laboratory serves as the training ground for hundreds of young scientists who have established careers in universities, industry and startup companies. These scientists perform cutting-edge multi-disciplinary research today and they represent the future of bio-inspired science and technological innovation around the world.
5 startups launched by SQI faculty
We facilitate the translation of technology by hosting inventors and their startup companies, especially technologies that are developed in the SQI laboratories.
Meet Our Faculty

The key strength of SQI is its people. Institute members are talented, driven, highly productive scientists who are extremely active throughout the university.”

Our Story
SQI was founded in 2000 to develop bionanotechnology research and expertise at Northwestern University. A gift from the Querrey Simpson Charitable Foundation made in 2014 provides an endowment that supports growth and development of new research initiatives at SQI.