Research
We’re proud to be one of the nation’s leading research universities.
Student research opportunities
We offer a broad range of research opportunities to both undergraduate and graduate students in all degree programs. The university provides a variety of research awards to support mentored student research, scholarship, and creative activities.
Undergraduate and graduate students join faculty, along with global partners, in researching infectious diseases that move from animals to humans. WSU is one of the few US research institutions that specifically studies and monitors zoonotic maladies such as coronaviruses, Lyme disease, brucellosis, salmonella, and bubonic plague.
Research Funding
Of the more than $360 million in research funding we receive annually, some $180 million comes from the federal government, with the remainder provided by the state and industry. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Department of Agriculture are the leading sources of federal funding, awarding WSU about $100 million annually.
Renewable forest materials have spawned an aviation biofuels industry, thanks to WSU research leadership and funding from industry partners like Alaska Airlines.
Facilities and
RESEARCH CENTERS
Our nearly 40 specialized research centers, 8 institutes, and 9 laboratories focus on topics ranging from entrepreneurial skills to reproductive biology, social and environmental justice, sleep, and drug addiction. We work hard to ensure our research community has access to the newest scientific equipment and latest research technology.
Sleep and fatigue have tremendous impacts on human health. The Sleep and Performance Research Center at WSU Spokane helps uncover the mysteries of sleep and how it affects performance and wellness.
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
and commercialization
We help move leading research discoveries and inventions from the lab to the marketplace. WSU’s annual licensing revenue from university-originated research is nearly $7 million annually.
The world runs on electric power and WSU research keeps it going by commercializing smart grid technology that incorporates renewable energy and energy storage solutions.
