Research
Boldly innovating to impact society and transform the world.
Northeastern University has achieved the prestigious recognition as a top-tier R1 institution for research activity among U.S. colleges and universities by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. Our tradition of partnership and engagement guides a use-inspired and interdisciplinary research enterprise that is strategically aligned with three global imperatives: health, security, and sustainability. Our annual Annual Report highlights pioneering research and achievements over the past year.
The College of Engineering has over 240 tenured/tenure-track faculty, each bringing complementary areas of research expertise to address pressing global challenges. Their state-of-art-research looks at critical issues in materials, processes, systems, infrastructure, hardware and software at every scale—nano to macro to global—grounded in a translational approach that integrates the values of fundamental and applied research.
Our faculty boldly innovate by collaborating across engineering disciplines and the university, as well as with government, academia, and industry. The College of Engineering has more than 20 multidisciplinary research centers and institutes with funding from eight federal agencies. Our commitment to conducting transformative research to better the world can be seen by our growth in external research funding, which exceeds $100 million annually, and by an investment in research facilities such as our 223,000 square foot, six-story Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering Complex and 367,000 square foot, eight-story EXP facility for teaching and research.
Research At-A-Glance
External Research Funding (FY2024)
Research Centers and Institutes
Young Investigator Awards (as of Aug. 2024)
Patents 2018-Aug. 2024
Related Resources
Understand how Northeastern partners with industry for research and workforce development
View the faculty directory for more information on individual researchers.
Recent News
Researchers Observe Axion Quasiparticles for the First Time
COS/ECE Associate Professor Kin Chung Fong and more than a dozen researchers from across the globe published “Observation of the Axion Quasiparticle in 2D MnBi2Te4 ” in Nature, revealing how they were able to observe axion quasiparticles for the first time, adding to their understanding of dark matter.
Once Extinct Plant Gene Could Impact New Drug Discovery
COS/BioE Professor Jing-Ke Wen applied a new method called molecular gene resurrection to repair a defunct gene found in the coyote tobacco plant that encodes cyclic peptide nanamin. This peptide could be used in new cancer treatments, antibiotics development, and insect protection for crops. The research was published in PNAS.
New Class of CMOS Chips To Address Quantum Computing Bottlenecks
ECE Associate Professor Cristian Cassella and Professor Marvin Onabajo are developing CMOS-based chips that are smaller and more energy efficient than current technology used to address quantum computing bottlenecks. High school students in Northeastern’s Young Scholars program will participate in this project.
Patent for Crack-Resistant Composites Utilizing Herringbone Architecture
MIE Professor Randall Erb and BioE/MIE Affiliated Faculty Alain Karma were awarded a patent for “Ceramic-reinforced polymer composites with herringbone architecture.”