Research
Boldly challenging the boundaries and reimagining what is possible
About
Bold new ideas are born in our labs. Our faculty and students are committed to translating cutting-edge research into transformative innovations.
Extraordinary research is underway in the College of Engineering. Our faculty are developing lifesaving medical devices and therapeutics and designing the smart infrastructures of the future. We are tackling climate change and sustainability and revolutionizing materials science, computing, and cybersecurity.
Find out more about our programs and apply now.
Our research is organized across:
- eight cross-college thematic research areas that are central to our mission
- interdisciplinary research centers and initiatives occurring at the campus level
- faculty-led research projects within our five departments
Our world-class faculty are key collaborators in numerous campus-based research centers, institutes, and lab groups including the Institute for Applied Life Sciences. Engineers help lead the Center for e-Design, the Elaine Marieb Center for Nursing and Engineering Innovation, the Paros Center for Atmospheric Research, the UMass Transportation Center, the Wind Energy Center, the National Center for Innovative Small Drinking Water Systems, and Robotics @UMass Amherst.
For more information about faculty research, explore the College of Engineering's individual departments.
faculty members
annual research expenditures
public university in New England
Research areas
DEPARTMENTAL AND FACULTY LABS
Our innovative nurse-engineer approach
What possibilities exist when engineers partner with nurses in real time to tackle everyday health-care challenges, with each discipline bringing forth its own perspectives and expertise? In the Elaine Marieb Center for Nursing and Engineering Innovation, we are unleashing that untapped potential.
Can a computer steer a car safer than us?
Working closely with the UMass Transportation Center, the Human Performance Lab uses a high-fidelity advanced driving simulator, along with sensors and eye trackers, to conduct research on driver behavior and safety—and to study the impact of new vehicle technologies and automated driving systems.
Breaking boundaries
Within the Institute for Applied Life Sciences, our faculty are working to create state-of-the-art wearable devices, developing new biomolecule/delivery vehicle combinations, and discovering novel disease-related cellular pathways, drug targets, and therapeutic candidates.
Undergraduate Research
