Research

Six-month-old grizzly bear cubs run in the Washington State University Bear Research, Education, and Conservation Center yard Friday, July 17, 2015 in Pullman.
Research is conducted in the Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences lab of Dr. Travis Denton
on the Spokane campus of Washington State University, Friday, January 18, 2019.
PhD student on the campus of Washington State University, Monday, June 17, 2019.
Students learn about the Viticulture and Enology Program in the Ste Michelle Wine Estates WSU Wine Science Center in Tri_Cities, Thursday, June 13, 2019.
Graduate student showing minerals he discovered glow, on the campus of Washington State University, Tuesday, September 3, 2019.
New solutions
WSU tackles tough problems facing the world

Research that benefits communities

  • Improved health for you—and your pets.
  • Better tasting and more nutritious tree fruit.
  • New, sustainable sources of energy to power future generations.
  • Innovative programs to create more equitable and just communities.

These are just a few of the many results of the diverse, life-changing research that WSU carries out each day in the effort to fuel prosperity across the Pacific Northwest and beyond.

We’re proud to be one of the nation’s leading research universities. Our faculty and students—at all campuses, research centers, and Extension offices in every Washington county—are encouraged to explore old problems and discover new solutions in the arts, humanities, and sciences.

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.

368 Million + Research funding we receive 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.

40 + Research centers, institutes, and laboratories

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.

RESEARCH NEWS