Research with a Neighborhood Focus
Mapping the End of Gun Violence
Northwestern researchers and civic partners are collaborating directly with Chicago neighborhoods to co-create data-driven solutions for health and public safety.
Research Institute and Centers
Designed to work across boundaries, University-wide Research Institutes and Centers (URICs) channel strengths from across Northwestern’s schools and departments to tackle complex challenges at scale. Spanning 23 institutes and centers, more than 700 faculty from 75 departments collaborate through these interdisciplinary hubs—combining scientific excellence with entrepreneurial and translational focus.
Researchers at the Center for Synthetic Biology unite many disciplines to design life’s building blocks into solutions for global challenges in health, sustainability, materials, and biomanufacturing.
High Powered Hubs for Engagement and Excellence
Designed to complement research within Northwestern's schools, the institutes and centers connect expertise and infrastructure across campus. They partner with schools to advance shared priorities, drive collaboration, discovery, and translation, and often turn research into startups, new technologies, and real-world impact.
The Power of "Research Clusters"
Northwestern’s institutes are purpose‑built for team science, organized as interdisciplinary research clusters that move beyond departmental boundaries to tackle the world’s most complex challenges.
High-Powered Hubs for Engagement and Excellence
Designed to complement research within Northwestern’s schools, the institutes and centers connect expertise and infrastructure across campus. They partner with schools to advance shared priorities, drive collaboration, discovery, and translation, and often turn research into startups, new technologies, and real-world impact.
Researcher Spotlight
The Nano Revolution Pioneer
As the founder of the International Institute for Nanotechnology (IIN) and the inventor of Spherical Nucleic Acids, Chad Mirkin's work in nanomedicine is launching a new generation of diagnostics and cancer therapeutics.
Team Science to Unlock Cosmic Mysteries
Northwestern’s Center for Interdisciplinary Exploration and Research in Astrophysics (CIERA) brings together researchers across schools to explore fundamental questions about the universe. Led by Professor Vicky Kalogera, CIERA integrates theoretical astrophysics, observation, data science and AI, and instrumentation—advancing discovery in areas such as gravitational‑wave astrophysics and multi‑messenger astronomy through cross‑field collaboration.
Bridging Schools for Breakthroughs in Health
Northwestern’s research in the Chemistry of Life Processes thrives at the intersection of disciplines. Faculty across McCormick School of Engineering, Weinberg College, Feinberg School of Medicine, and other schools collaborate to understand the molecular mechanisms that govern life—connecting basic chemical and biological insight to disease biology, diagnostics, and therapeutic development.