Research Overview
Making an impact—for the difference
At DU, we empower students and faculty to solve the challenging problems of our time. Involvement in scholarly research gives our students the opportunity to gain valuable experience and make new discoveries in our labs and communities. That’s why we’re among the latest to be recognized as a Very High Research University (or “R1”) by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, a distinction that means more opportunities for you, greater impacts for the communities we serve and more of the same great research for us.
Our relationships and resources allow us to provide our student and faculty researchers with access to funding and laboratories that make innovation possible. Combining those relationships and resources with our campus-wide dedication to discovery promotes innovative research that goes beyond traditional boundaries.
What Will You Discover?
Research Across Campus
Whether you find your purpose in the liberal arts or the sciences, we’ll provide resources, support, and research opportunities.
Centers & Institutes
Discover new ideas and methods in social entrepreneurship, business, law, service learning, and sports-injury rehabilitation.
Health & Wellness
Help children cope with abuse and neglect, study new treatment methods for traumatic brain injury, and improve the technology used to treat hip and knee replacements.
Society & Culture
Promote diversity and international peace initiatives, find new ways to approach and improve social inequities, and develop effective ways to teach young children mathematics.
Technology & Science
We're pushing the envelope in unmanned systems, manipulating light in new ways, and envisioning the future of energy transfer. DU students are award-winning research contributors and founders of successful spinoff companies.
In The News
Watch coverage of our academic research endeavors across local and national news media.
Our faculty constantly produce remarkable work.
Explore our faculty recognition book to learn more about recent accomplishments in scholarship, research and creative work.
3-D Printed Artifacts
Anthropology professor Bonnie Clark is using new 3-D printing technology to give students a taste of what it's like to examine ancient artifacts. By printing 3-D models of ancient objects, students can conduct research on a physical object without worrying about harming a one-of-a-kind relic.
Studying STEM in Ethiopia
A PhD student in our Higher Education program, Meseret Hailu researches the persistence of women in undergraduate STEM majors in Ethiopia. Meseret conducted interviews with 30 women studying STEM in Ethiopia. She also surveyed 275 women electronically to ensure the reliability of her data.
Undergrads Team with Nike
DU undergraduate engineering students teamed up with Nike to assess the stability of athletic shoes. Combining medical science and engineering, their work could help reduce injury and improve performance.
Research Funding & Support
DU invests more than $1 million annually to support faculty and student research projects. One out of five students on campus receive payment from research grants, with faculty and graduate students bringing in over $25 million in external research funding annually. The support we offer isn't limited to the financial realm, with graduates identifying the one-on-one research interactions with faculty as the most valuable part of their college experience.
$40M Total research funding at DU is over $40 million.
275 DU is currently home to 275 funded faculty members.
$11m Graduate Teaching and Research Assistant Stipend Funding: $11,467,127
A Research Model That Benefits Everyone
Work Alongside Corporations & Nonprofits
From Arrow Electronics to the Peace Corps, corporations and nonprofits from Colorado and across the world rely on our students and faculty as problem solvers. These relationships enrich our research community and empower our students to develop skills and techniques they’ll carry into the workforce.
Our Research Advantage
As a private institution, we protect corporate trade secrets while performing high-value research. DU's commitment to a teacher-scholar model means that students work directly with faculty on solving problems. Our size and access to resources allows students to perform cross-disciplinary research.
Related Stories
Contact
Office of Research & Sponsored Programs
2601 E Colorado Avenue
Hours: 8:00 am - 4:30 pm
Corinne Lengsfeld
Senior Vice Provost for Research & Graduate Education