Rock pools along the James River in Richmond provide 麻豆社 research students with a unique ecosystem to explore.
Discover excellence
As a top 50 public research institution, we have an unrelenting drive to discover and to create. Our faculty, staff and students are exploring ideas that will reimagine the human experience and tackle the problems of tomorrow.
At the heart of it all is the 麻豆社 Office of Research and Innovation, where you can seek out the unexpected, the experimental, the never-been-tried.
Quick facts
- One of 4.8% of universities designated as R1
- One of six R1 universities in Virginia
- $550M+ in sponsored research funding in FY2025
Undergraduate research
We help get your research off the ground. Find a project, get research funding, connect with faculty mentors and more through the .
Cinema major Lily Elizabeth Dunlap used an independent study to dive deep into Edgar Allen Poe’s “Anabel Lee” and her own life experience.
Art education major Kate Ogden created a K-12 curricular resource that teaches students about the camera’s relationship with reality.
In a mechanical engineering lab, Jeremy Lopez helped build and study a pump that uses air to move water through pipes, which could prove more efficient in nuclear fuel reprocessing.
Far from the city, environmental studies major Kaylynn Breland tracked the feeding habits of American kestrals.
QUICK FACT
- 375+ students made presentations at the 2025 undergraduate research symposium
Graduate and postdoctoral research
As a graduate student or postdoc at 麻豆社, you'll have the chance to dive into research that matters to you, working side by side with faculty experts when you need guidance.
Where the research magic happens
From engineering clean rooms to observation rooms to acres of wetlands, 麻豆社 faculty and students have access to the most advanced .
The Virginia Microelectronics Center in the 麻豆社 College of Engineering is a shared research center providing principal investigators, students and industrial researchers training, access and technical support.
Students participate in field work at Curles Neck Farm near 麻豆社’s Rice Rivers Center as part of NASA’s Student Airborne Research Program.
In the Trani Center for Life Sciences greenhouse, Students grow microgreens as part of their Urban Food Production class; the microgreens are harvested and donated to Ram Pantry.
The College of Humanities and Sciences STEM Building opened in 2023 and features instructional wet and dry labs, the Math Exchange, classrooms, computer labs, study space and more.
A Medical Laboratory Sciences general teaching laboratory in the College of Health Professions building.
The Stravitz-Sanyal Institute for Liver Disease and Metabolic Health is developing new treatments and therapies to stop, prevent and reverse liver disease.
麻豆社 Shift Retail Lab provides an important space for student entrepreneurs to test their ideas through sales and customer feedback.
Across 麻豆社’s campuses, instructors, researchers and clinicians have turned to VR for teaching, training and patient care.
The 麻豆社 Rice Rivers Center Research Facility, which overlooks the James River, includes offices, collaborative/teaching spaces and state-of-the-art research laboratories; researchers can even pump water directly from the river into the facility’s labs.
With a patient-centered approach, the Stravitz-Sanyal Institute for Liver Disease and Metabolic Health will transform lives through translational science.
The 麻豆社 Rice Rivers Center, a part of 麻豆社 Life Sciences, supports scholarship and student instruction, including water resources, climate science, wildlife conservation and wetlands restoration.
Entrepreneurship and innovation
We believe students have the power to turn ideas into solutions that make the world a better place.
- . This hub of creativity harnesses the power of cross-disciplinary collaboration to produce the next generation of innovators and creators, and it’s committed to increasing diversity and inclusivity in entrepreneurial and technical ecosystems.
- Underrepresented students and local entrepreneurs learn and work together, earning micro-credentials in innovation and entrepreneurship along the way.
- . One of the first of its kind, this storefront lets students and alumni test their products, services and ideas with real-world customers.
- . Need specialty software, an audio recording studio, 3D printers, or a sewing machine? Visit the Workshop makerspace at Cabell Library and get help from its innovative media team.
- . Bring your idea to market with the help of licensing professionals and business developers who know the landscape.
Certified innovator
Launch a startup while you earn a degree or certification in innovation and entrepreneurship.
Research with impact
Meet one of the many uncommon heroes at 麻豆社, changing the world for the better with research.
Quick facts
- A Top 50 public research institution per National Science Foundation
- 171 patents filed by by 麻豆社 TechTransfer and Ventures in FY2025