QML is a research center based at Rice University, comprising research groups from multiple departments in the Natural Sciences and Engineering Divisions of Rice University and collaborators from several nearby Universities. It fosters research efforts in the broadly construed area of modern magnetism.

Quantum Magnetism is the science and engineering of magnetic phenomena conceived from the atomic scale up through the collective properties that emerge in macroscopic materials.

The research directions currently being pursued at QML include:

1. Strongly correlated electron systems: Electron possesses spin, and strong correlations between the electrons underlie the magnetic phenomena of condensed matter systems. Superconductivity often occurs in the vicinity of magnetic states. Ongoing work includes theory and experiment of magnetic heavy fermion metals, high-temperature superconductors, dilute magnetic semiconductors, spin Hall effects and quantum Hall systems.

2. Magnetism in confined structures: Nanostructures often contain confined electronic spins, and a rich array of nanomagnetic phenomena ensue. Examples include synthesis and magnetic characterization of magnetic fullerene materials, molecular and atomic-scale magnetic nanostructures, magneto-optical studies of fullerenes, and measurements and manipulation of single spins.

3. Magnetism in fluidic and biological environments: Magnetism appears in many applied settings. Current efforts include magnetic nanoparticles for chemical separations, as MRI contrast agents and magnetothermal therapeutic agents, for biological manipulation, and for catalysis.

A fourth area, magnetism in trapped atomic and molecular gases, has significant potential for collaborative and cooperative work with the research groups specializing in ultracold atoms.