Research

In the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, how do we find strength in numbers? Do low-calorie sweetened beverages really sour children’s health? Can we stop the spread of hate online by putting it on the map? What can we do to keep the Earth from being haunted by ghost forests? What happens when tourists meet tribes in Petra, Jordan? What could Jane Goodall teach people 100 years from now? Can the intersection of research, advocacy and filmmaking help turn up the heat on climate activism? Is it possible to silence schizophrenia?

These are just some of the questions that researchers at the George Washington University are trying to answer, but the possibilities for what they will discover are limitless. Home to traditional disciplines as well as more than 70 centers and institutes, our research spans science, technology, health, policy, global security, arts and humanities. Our faculty are driving progress in many different fields — everything from advancing human health and improving current technologies to expanding our understanding of the universe. But no matter what the field, given our influence in the nation’s capital, the work conducted here is sure to have an impact far beyond our campus.

With support from the Office of the Vice President for Research (OVPR), cross-disciplinary work is highly encouraged. OVPR facilitates the interdisciplinary research performed by several institutional research initiatives.

GW’s research enterprise has been growing over the past decade, and in 2015, we opened Science and Engineering Hall (SEH), the epitome of GW’s investment in infrastructure that enables cutting-edge research and teaching.

GW’s unparalleled location and state-of-the-art facilities encourage students, faculty and staff to cultivate new collaborations and innovative solutions as they work with fellow researchers and policymakers alike.

If you’re destined to make a discovery, you’ll be right at home at GW. Here opportunities are endless and our partnerships with powerful institutions are longstanding.

15,000+

600+

Research Highlights

GW faculty and student researchers are using robots to simulate social and emotional situations to help children with autism learn to cope. By interacting with the robots, which can communicate signals that are easier to interpret, the children grow more comfortable making eye contact and emotional connections in their day-to-day lives.

Diana Burley

As the gap between the number of qualified cybersecurity professionals and the need for them grows, management of this much-needed worldwide resource is critical. Researchers at GW are helping to professionalize the field and develop future talent.

Women with raised hands and books

Our Global Women’s Institute conducts research to advance gender equality, empower women economically and improve the lives of women and girls around the world. Researchers tackle challenges from all angles to mitigate issues facing women and girls, including violence and access to education.

Rhinoceros

To help a critically endangered species like the black rhinoceros stave off extinction, every factor matters. Working with partners at the Smithsonian National Zoo, GW researchers studied the differences of microbiomes between captive and wild black rhinos by sequencing and analyzing the metagenomic DNA samples. As a result, the research gained key insights into the rhinos’ health and nutrition, helping to possibly prolong the species.

Glass Flutes

By employing cutting-edge medical imaging and analysis techniques—such as infrared, x-ray, and other methods—GW researchers are not only developing life-saving medical interventions but also are discovering solutions that provide art conservators with invaluable information and will help preserve some of art’s greatest masterpieces.

A GW professors who is advancing AIDS research

Researchers at GW have long been at the forefront of our nation’s study of AIDS, including diagnosis of the first AIDS patient in D.C. in 1981. The National Institutes of Health-funded D.C. Center for AIDS Research (CFAR), lead by two GW professors, continues to advance research to prevent the spread of HIV among highly impacted populations and focuses on finding a cure for the virus.

Ribbon cutting for GW's Cancer Center

Bringing all of the university’s cancer-fighting efforts under one big, interdisciplinary umbrella, GW’s Cancer Center is positioned to be a pioneer in cancer research, policy, education and outreach. With its team of expert researchers and doctors focusing on immunology and precision medicine, the Cancer Center aims to bring us that much closer to a cure.

GW researchers are studying biological phenomena, like sea lion swimming and human birth, to engineer solutions for a variety of problems. Faculty members interested in fluid dynamics, the study of how objects and animals travel through liquids, gasses and plasmas, sometimes look to phenomena of the natural world to better understand the basics of movements such as swimming.

Research Administration

Illustration of a microscope

Bethany Perez

Class of 2018
Major: Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences

“In my first semester of freshman year, I was able to do research with one of my professors at the National Building Museum every week working with children. It was really exciting to be involved in research so soon because I wasn't really sure where speech and language could take me.”