Research Institutes, Centers, and Initiatives

Columbia Engineering is at the forefront of many strategic areas of research, from environmental sustainability and the human genome to infrastructure sensors, nanotechnology, and data sciences. Our professors and students collaborate with other leading experts not only within the Columbia research community but also at other world-renowned universities and institutions, bringing together the best minds from myriad disciplines to tackle and solve the most challenging problems in society, technology, the environment, infrastructure, and more.

The many interdisciplinary institutes, centers, and initiatives at the School are equipped with the latest technology, tools, and equipment, giving our professors and their students the ideal environment to be creative and thrive. Here is a sample list of the School’s institutes and centers as well as links to university initiatives, showcasing some of the broad subject areas in which the School is conducting cutting-edge research.

Multidisciplinary Research Institutes and Centers

Columbia Nano Initiative (CNI)

Columbia University Materials Research Science and Engineering (MRSEC): Center for Precision Assembly of Superstratic and Superatomic Solids (PAS³)
previous centers)
Energy Frontier Research Center (EFRC): Redefining Photovoltaic Efficiency Through Molecular Scale Control
Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative (MURI): New Materials Approaches for Future Graphene-Based Devices
Nanoscale Science and Engineering Center (NSEC): Columbia Center for Electron Transport in Molecular Nanostructures

Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute

Columbia Precision Medicine Initiative

The Earth Institute at Columbia

Data Science Institute

Research Centers