Research Resources
As GW’s research capabilities and activities continue to grow, we’re keeping up by building innovative new spaces and reinforcing our support offices.
Research at GW does not stop when our scientists and students leave the labs. Instead, their work and knowledge is shared beyond campus and the city. Researchers report their findings to Congress and industry to inform changes to national and international policy. People from around the world recognize GW research when it provides new treatments for their diseases, makes their drinking water cleaner, or their hearts beat stronger and when it collectively changes our lives.
Research Administration
Event Highlights
Discovery in the District
Science and Engineering Hall: Our Center for Discovery
Science and Engineering Hall, the largest academic building dedicated to these fields in the city, is our hub for discovery and provides countless opportunities for collaboration among researchers and students. With state-of-the-art facilities, including our nanofabrication clean room, high bay and microscopy suite, as well as the greenhouse on the roof, there is no limit to what we can find and learn here.
The Columbian College of Arts and Sciences, School of Engineering and Applied Science, Milken Institute School of Public Health and School of Medicine and Health Sciences currently have research space and classes in the building, making it possible for people in fields like chemistry, mechanical engineering, HIV research or climate change to easily collaborate and move the world forward.
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Small Matter on a Huge Scale
Researchers in our Nanofabrication and Imaging Center investigate some of the world’s smallest mysteries that have the largest impact on people. Five rooms, specially built to dampen vibrations from the nearby Metro, house high-resolution microscopy equipment so researchers can study nanometer-sized samples in ultra-fine detail and create 3-D reconstructions of specimens.
When you’re examining matter at a billionth of a meter, contaminants like dust, hair and dead skin are not welcome partners. In our Class 100 Nanofabrication Clean Room, our researchers don’t have to worry about these risks, instead focusing on discovery at the smallest levels of the world. In the cleanest parts of the room, each cubic foot of air has no more than 100 particles larger than 0.5 microns — roughly one-tenth the width of a red blood cell.
Research without Boundaries: Virginia Science & Technology Campus
While our partnerships and proximity in D.C. are a key part of our identity, innovation also happens outside of the city on our Virginia Science and Technology Campus. Our researchers there influence many areas, including biological and health sciences, safety engineering, big data and data analytics and high-performance computing.
Earthquake Resilience
In the Earthquake Engineering and Structures Laboratory, researchers study how structures like buildings, bridges and nuclear reactors will respond to the stress of a disaster, ultimately advancing the safety of the general public. Our own “Shake Table” is among the most powerful earthquake simulators in the country and helps us truly understand how to make structures reliable and stand up to the force from such powerful natural disasters.
Expanding Biological and Neurodevelopmental Research
On VSTC, our researchers are looking for new ways to understand the brain. Our Computational Biology Institute combines GW’s strengths in life and computational sciences to understand how our biological systems manage our genetic information. We’ve also invested more than $5 million in creating the GW Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disorders Institute, which has a dual presence in Virginia and D.C. The institute supports collaboration between GW faculty and external partners, and conducts research on the full spectrum of autism, with a focus on adults and females. It also focuses on policy and offers clinical services and support.
