image: Boston College Assistant Professor of Physics Qiong Ma, whose research focuses on the discovery of new materials and emergent quantum phenomena, has been named a 2025 Moore Inventor Fellow by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation.
Credit: Boston College
Chestnut Hill, Mass. (9/23/2025) – Boston College Assistant Professor of Physics Qiong Ma, whose research focuses on the discovery of new materials and emergent quantum phenomena, has been named a 2025 Moore Inventor Fellow.
Ma is among five creative scientists chosen for the tenth cohort of fellows selected by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, marking the fulfillment of a ten-year, $35-million commitment to support “50 inventors to shape the next 50 years.” The award comes with $675,000 over three years.
“Over the past 10 years, this fellowship has recognized the ingenuity and creativity needed to meet today's challenges and create a better future,” said Harvey V. Fineberg, M.D., Ph.D., president of the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation. “These early-career visionaries are poised to develop tools and inventions that can make a positive difference."
Ma, who earned her doctorate at MIT, joined the Boston College faculty in 2021. She has been recognized with AFOSR Young Investigator Award, ONR Young Investigator Award, a Sloan Fellowship, CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholar, an IUPAP Early Career Scientist Award, and an Early Career Award from the National Science Foundation.
“I am thrilled to be selected as a Moore Inventor,” said Ma. “I have always seen myself not only as a materials physicist but also as a hardware inventor. Receiving this award is both a recognition of that vision and a significant support for my group to pursue research at the interface of fundamental science and impactful applications.”
This award will support the purchase of new scientific equipment, provide funding for postdocs and student researchers, and help establish new collaborations, Ma said.
Ma’s invention of twistronic artificial synapses is connecting discoveries in advanced materials directly with neuroscience-inspired computing.
“I create new semiconductors using so-called twistronic methods,” said Ma. “These materials can mimic the way neurons and synapses operate in the human brain. By engineering them into intelligent transistors—what we call neuron transistors—we can assemble networks that function like the brain itself, following the principles of neuroscience to build brain-inspired computers.”
This year’s five fellows were selected from nearly 250 applicants. Learn more about these scientist-inventors as well as the previous cohorts here.
The fellowship was launched in 2016 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Moore’s Law, the groundbreaking prediction of exponential growth in computing power. It honors and embodies Gordon Moore’s enthusiasm for science and innovation by nurturing the next generation of scientist-inventors. Over the years it has been supporting breakthrough tools and technologies that accelerate progress in scientific discovery, environmental conservation, and patient care.
“Ten years ago, we set out to identify 50 inventors to shape the next 50 years,” said Adam Jones, Ph.D., Science program officer. “We look forward to supporting these final five outstanding individuals as they advance their inventions.”