Read the latest Research News & Stories.

Illuminating the Health Effects of 'Forever Chemicals'

UMass Amherst researchers are studying the myriad ways PFAS chemicals affect human health—and pursuing strategies to mitigate their harm.

Ensuring Social Justice in Journalism

Carlie LaFauci ’25 studies the media’s depiction of trans individuals and gender-affirming care to identify opportunities to improve accuracy and reduce bias.

Expanding Access to Knowledge Around the Globe

Mia Klotz '25 is helping students around the world gain access to educational information through her research and outreach work with the World Librarians club.

Research to Protect Language Diversity

Evan Owens ’25 conducts linguistics research to uncover the inner workings of languages and studies biases people may hold against certain languages or ways of speaking.

Inspiring Authentic and Inclusive Theater Performance

Lindsay Forauer ‘25 marries linguistics and theater research to inform her work as a dialect coach to actors performing in theater at the high school, collegiate, and professional levels.

Research to Illuminate Protein Structure

Chemical engineering major Yaozu Chen '25 creates microfluidics to determine the structure of proteins, a precursor to designing drugs to target certain proteins.

Research to Promote Conservation of Pollinators

Shakira Ebian ’25 studies Crithidia bombi, a common gut parasite that infects bumblebees, affecting their foraging behavior and reproductive success.

Toward a More Sustainable and Ethical Food System

Shuli Rosenfeld’s [’25] research aims to improve the qualities of plant-based meat and dairy alternatives to make them more appealing to consumers. 

Exploring Architecture from Multiple Perspectives

Pari Riahi conducts interdisciplinary scholarship at the intersection of environmental humanities and the built environment.

Pioneering AI Research to Address Complex Challenges in Society

Since the field’s earliest days, UMass Amherst has been on the leading edge of reinforcement learning, a branch of AI which is now poised to disrupt numerous sectors of society. UMass computer scientist Andrew Barto and his former graduate student Richard Sutton were awarded the highly prestigious Turing Award from the Association for Computing Machinery for their pioneering work in this field.

Bridging Engineering and Medicine

Through the BEAM program, UMass Amherst biomedical engineering undergraduates conduct translational research in a clinical setting at UMass Chan Medical School.

Challenging Conceptions of Musical Modernism

Erinn Knyt’s research has revealed Ferrucio Busoni’s immeasurable, yet overlooked, influence on important musical trends of the 20th century.

A Revolution in Computer Hardware

UMass Amherst electrical and computer engineer Qiangfei Xia is developing memristor-based hardware technology with the potential to advance AI while dramatically reducing energy usage and costs. 

Detoxifying Lithium-Ion Battery Manufacturing

UMass Amherst alumnus Derrick Maxwell is tapping into the university’s robust venture development resources to launch his start-up, which seeks to replace toxic and “forever” chemicals in battery manufacturing.

Ushering in the Future of Water Treatment Technology

UMass Amherst’s Water and Energy Technology (WET) Center supports research aimed at developing new methods and products to address challenges in water treatment and energy.