At Northwestern, groundbreaking research and scholarship happen daily, often fueled by federal funding. Our innovative work pushes boundaries, opens new lines of inquiry and leads to lifesaving results. Our researchers look to cure disease, tackle tough questions and improve lives.
Engineering and medical researchers collaborate on breakthroughs that help us live longer and healthier.
Developed at Northwestern, the soft, flexible, robotic probe could dramatically improve safety during fetal surgeries, procedures in which physicians operate on a fetus before birth.
The tiny device can be inserted with a syringe, then it dissolves after it’s no longer needed.
A Northwestern team has developed soft wireless body sensors that replace the tangle of wire-based sensors that currently monitor babies in neonatal intensive care units and obstruct parent-baby cuddles.
Professor Samuel Stupp’s lab is leveraging a big discovery to enhance tissue regeneration to reverse paralysis in a preclinical model of acute spinal cord injury.
Northwestern research is a catalyst for job growth and economic development in the Chicago region, nation and world.
From new strategies to reverse aging to a drug that removes protein buildup, Northwestern discoveries have enormous potential.
Northwestern scientists have developed an injectable regenerative nanomaterial that helps protect the brain during the vulnerable window after a stroke.
Chemist Richard Silverman and neurologist P. Hande Ozdinler created an experimental drug to remove protein buildups that inhibit brain function. Originally developed to treat ALS, the drug shows promise in treating Alzheimer’s and other diseases.
On a quest to end the scourge of neurodegenerative disease, researchers led by Tamar Gefen are working to reveal the secrets to understanding memory and aging.
An international team of investigators has made a discovery that challenges the current understanding of Alzheimer’s disease and may inform the development of new targeted therapies that reduce amyloid plaque formation.
Why does research matter to you? Our community members reflect on the scope and impact of Northwestern research across many disciplines.
“My research is driven by the stark reality that we will never have enough clinicians to solve our world's mental health problems. Instead, I create apps to tackle these problems, like for depression, anxiety and eating disorders. Not only are apps more accessible than a clinician, but they can offer support right away, so people can get the help they need in the moments that matter most.”
“Research in a university setting is always a team effort and benefits from young minds with new and creative ideas. The journey for a lab director and the final outcome when success is achieved are both immensely rewarding, particularly when it improves the quality of our lives. I consider it a privilege to have been able to dedicate my life to educating young people while also helping humanity solve some of its most pressing challenges."
“As a veterinarian, I witness firsthand how life-saving advancements – like those at Northwestern – not only revolutionize human medicine but also improve the health and well-being of pets, livestock, and other animals facing similar diseases."
“I conducted research on the domestic localization of the international legal doctrine of command responsibility in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Serbia. In the face of war crimes, research teaches us how international criminal law can do better.”
"Research informs everything I do in my teaching practice. Northwestern educates the teachers and scholars who will then develop the leaders of tomorrow—research is critical in helping them do this effectively!"
Northwestern researchers are developing more effective screening, improving drug delivery and fighting to find cures.
This new device uses microbubbles to open the blood-brain barrier and treat glioblastoma in humans.
An unexpected finding could help scientists better understand how cancer grows — and how to fight it.
A newly developed scoring system could enhance risk prediction and guide treatment decisions for colorectal cancer.
Northwestern researchers have discovered a new way to potentially treat cancer by targeting and removing harmful proteins from cells.
Life-saving clinical trials revolutionize patient care, transforming medicine and training the physicians who will deliver it.
Looking ahead to find solutions that could revolutionize our lives today and for years to come.
Northwestern engineers have developed a new soft, flexible device that makes robots move by expanding and contracting — just like a human muscle.
Northwestern chemists have introduced a new plastic upcycling process that can drastically reduce — or perhaps even bypass — the chore of pre-sorting mixed plastic waste.
With worker shortages predicted in healthcare and social services, Northwestern engineers are developing dexterous, intelligent robot hands to assist humans with manufacturing, caregiving and handling precious materials.
Using seawater, electricity and carbon dioxide, Northwestern scientists have developed a new carbon-negative building material.
Leading-edge research that seeks out and removes everything from pesticides, pollutants and forever chemicals from our water sources.
Professor Julius Lucks and his team have created a device to quickly test water for 17 different contaminants, including lead, antibiotics, cosmetics and cleaning products.
Scientist Will Dichtel has developed a low-cost, sustainable water purification method that acts like a magnet to remove pesticides, pharmaceuticals and “forever chemicals.”
Northwestern researchers have demonstrated that brewing tea naturally adsorbs heavy metals like lead and cadmium, effectively filtering dangerous contaminants out of drinks.
Scientists reimagine the lifecycle for non-renewables like metals and phosphate thanks to a special sponge that slurps pollutants, offering a reusable and cost-effective solution to water contamination.
Research and scholarly work from across the University that taps into how we live fuller and richer lives.
What if your smart watch could sense when you’re about to raid the fridge?
Early exposure to civic education is essential to a functioning society, says Matt Easterday
Scientists want to develop ways to improve the human lifespan
A new study finds that singing — in person or in a virtual setting — has plenty of benefits, especially for those with dementia
Northwestern research explores the interplay between a child’s mind and environment
Our innovations maximize social benefit and promote economic growth.
Getting the story out to local, national and global audiences.