# Research Builds Our Future

**Source**: https://www.brown.edu/brown-research
**Parent**: https://www.brown.edu/undergraduate-programs

With discoveries in areas ranging from health and medicine, to science and technology, to security, engineering and economics, researchers at Brown generate real solutions for real people today and into the future.

# Research Builds Our Future

With discoveries in areas ranging from health and medicine, to science and technology, to security, engineering and economics, researchers at Brown generate real solutions for real people today and into the future.

Brown researchers — in teams of accomplished scientists, scholars, faculty, students and research staff who come from across the globe — generate scientific breakthroughs, shed light on social and cultural phenomena, and conduct the basic research that sets the stage for future discovery.

Contributing insights drawn from a diversity of ideas, perspectives and experiences, their work informs cutting-edge cures, advances national security, solves complex social challenges, develops new technologies and impacts individuals, communities and the nation’s leadership in science and innovation. What sets Brown’s researchers apart? Collectively, they are driven by the idea that their work will have a positive impact in the world.

## Making discoveries to save lives, create healthy communities

Brown physician-scientists, biomedical researchers and public health scholars are making discoveries that transform care in areas ranging from cancer treatment to addiction to Alzheimer’s disease. Brown researchers conduct critical studies on major health challenges, partner on clinical trials to bring life-saving medicines to people, and untangle the mysteries of human RNA, setting the stage for future treatments for complex diseases.

### [Unlocking new approaches to treating cancer](https://www.brown.edu/news/2021-12-09/legorreta)

Generous support from the Legorreta family will propel plans for a world-class, nationally designated cancer center at Brown that will turn basic science into treatments for patients in Rhode Island and beyond.

[Visit Page](https://www.brown.edu/news/2021-12-09/legorreta)

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### [Restoring movement, speech for patients with brain or spinal disorders](https://www.brown.edu/news/2024-08-14/bci-speak-again)

In a clinical trial and study supported by Brown scientists and alumni, a participant regained nearly fluent speech using a brain-computer interface that translates brain signals into speech with up to 97% accuracy.

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### [Detecting, preventing and treating Alzheimer’s](https://www.brown.edu/news/2023-08-15/biomarker-facility)

In a new fluid biomarkers laboratory at Brown’s Carney Institute for Brain Science, researchers study blood samples for biological signals of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, expanding the possibilities of brain research.

[Visit Page](https://www.brown.edu/news/2023-08-15/biomarker-facility)

Open details for Detecting, preventing and treating Alzheimer’s

### [Transforming children’s health in Rhode Island](https://www.brown.edu/news/2021-06-10/hassenfeld-five-years)

Launched five years ago with an ambitious vision, the Hassenfeld Child Health Innovation Institute is bringing together researchers, physicians, students and community partners to transform children’s health in Rhode Island and beyond.

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### [Improving care for people with dementia](https://www.brown.edu/news/2019-09-10/dementia)

Federal grant from the National Institute on Aging will fund a collaborative research incubator to support trials across the nation aimed at improving care for people living with dementia.

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### [Saving lives as the nation battles an opioid crisis](https://www.brown.edu/news/2023-12-06/beaudoin-mat-van)

A drug treatment clinic on wheels allows a Brown-affiliated E.R. doctor to treat patients and conduct research on ways to serve them and the community even more effectively.

[Visit Page](https://www.brown.edu/news/2023-12-06/beaudoin-mat-van)

Open details for Saving lives as the nation battles an opioid crisis

### [Treating military veterans contending with PTSD](https://www.brown.edu/news/2024-03-06/ptsd-veterans)

Results from a clinical trial show that an innovative combination of two treatments can be an effective, efficient and enduring way to treat post-traumatic stress disorder in military veterans.

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### [Untangling the mysteries of RNA, the key to future therapeutics](https://www.brown.edu/news/2024-02-28/rna-research)

The ambitious goal of the new Brown RNA Center is to untangle the mysteries of human RNA, which could be instrumental in preventing and developing treatments for a wide variety of complex diseases.

[Visit Page](https://www.brown.edu/news/2024-02-28/rna-research)

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### [Studying the aging process to inform healthier, longer lives](https://impact-magazine.brown.edu/2023-issue/discoveries-aging-research)

From cell studies to therapeutics to elder care, Brown researchers tackle the aging process.

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## Research at Brown: 2020 to 2024

$1.2 billion **in federal research funding**

4,052 **research awards**

$844 million **in Health and Human Services funding, including National Institutes of Health**

$168 million **in National Science Foundation funding**

$99 million **in Department of Defense funding**

$27 million**in Department of Energy funding**

482**invention disclosures**

365**provisional patent applications filed**

16**startups founded on Brown intellectual property**

## Accelerating science, technology and engineering for a more productive future

From guiding the development of artificial intelligence, to developing next-generation materials and devices, to devising approaches for cleaner energy and environmental remediation, Brown researchers are working on technologies that will power the 21st century economy and assure that people will live in healthy, secure and productive environments.

### [Building safer, more effective undersea vessels](https://engineering.brown.edu/news/2023-08-09/muse-established)

Building on the School of Engineering’s distinction in the field of applied mechanics, Brown has established a research center for the Mechanics of Undersea Science and Engineering (MUSE).

[Visit Page](https://engineering.brown.edu/news/2023-08-09/muse-established)

Open details for Building safer, more effective undersea vessels

### [Enabling humans and robots to communicate](https://www.brown.edu/news/2023-11-06/human-robot-communication)

Software developed by Brown researchers can translate expressive and complex plain-worded instructions into behaviors a robot can carry out, all without needing thousands of hours of training data.

[Visit Page](https://www.brown.edu/news/2023-11-06/human-robot-communication)

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### [Making mini-brains to study compression injuries](https://www.brown.edu/news/2024-10-16/mini-brains-compression-injuries)

A research team led by Diane Hoffman-Kim, an associate professor of neuroscience and engineering at Brown, found a way to use cortical spheroids to study a type of brain injury that develops over time.

[Visit Page](https://www.brown.edu/news/2024-10-16/mini-brains-compression-injuries)

Open details for Making mini-brains to study compression injuries

### [Pushing the boundaries of quantum computing](https://www.brown.edu/news/2025-01-08/new-quantum-particles)

A study led by a team of Brown University researchers could lead to new ways of exploring quantum phenomena, with implications for future advances in technology and computing.

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### [Developing new clean energy technologies](https://www.brown.edu/news/2021-05-06/perovskite)

In a study that could help to bring inexpensive, efficient perovskite solar cells one step closer to commercial use, researchers found a way to strengthen a key weak point in the cells, dramatically increasing their functional life.

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### [Leading discoveries that could revolutionize wireless communication](https://www.brown.edu/news/2024-04-09/curving-beams)

In a breakthrough that could help revolutionize wireless communication, researchers unveiled a novel method for manipulating terahertz waves, allowing them to curve around obstacles instead of being blocked by them.

[Visit Page](https://www.brown.edu/news/2024-04-09/curving-beams)

Open details for Leading discoveries that could revolutionize wireless communication

### [Deploying AI to detect danger in blood vessels](https://www.brown.edu/news/2022-07-15/danger)

The lab of George Karniadakis, professor of applied mathematics and engineering, leads the charge of developing physics-informed neural networks to diagnose and predict the severity of arterial aneurysms.

[Visit Page](https://www.brown.edu/news/2022-07-15/danger)

Open details for Deploying AI to detect danger in blood vessels

### [Creating nano-scale sensors for next-generation electronics](https://www.brown.edu/news/2020-06-08/ahe)

The new magnetic sensor is inexpensive to make, works on minimal power and is 20 times more sensitive than many traditional sensors.

[Visit Page](https://www.brown.edu/news/2020-06-08/ahe)

Open details for Creating nano-scale sensors for next-generation electronics

### [Mitigating the impacts of ‘forever chemicals’](https://www.brown.edu/news/2022-07-28/braun-pfas)

As communities confront the persistent presence of chemical pollutants, Joseph Braun, an associate professor of epidemiology, discusses new research findings and what individuals can do to decrease their exposure.

[Visit Page](https://www.brown.edu/news/2022-07-28/braun-pfas)

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## What’s at stake when federal research funding stops?

Since World War II, the federal government and the nation’s leading research universities have partnered to make the U.S. the global leader in scientific progress and innovation. When that partnership is threatened, it’s not just the science that is impacted: The ripple effect means the public loses access to cutting-edge medical treatments. People lose jobs. Regional economies decline. And the nation’s global leadership in science, technology and medicine suffers.

### Patient Care Declines

Clinical trials that supply life-saving medicine are ended prematurely, and breakthroughs that benefit patients facing major health challenges stall.

### Employees Lose Jobs

When grant-funded positions must be eliminated, research scientists, staff members, postdoctoral associates and student researchers lose employment.

### The Economy Deteriorates

Given Brown’s role as an anchor institution, major employer and purchaser of goods and services, ripple effects across the regional economy will be immediate.

### Scientific Progress Stops

Research with impacts for national security and human health are suspended, derailing scientific progress and ceasing positive impacts for the nation.

### Research Labs Close

Facilities shutter, impacting people like lab managers, animal care staff, custodial workers, security officers, plumbers, electricians, food service employees, clinical coordinators and research nurses.

### American Competitiveness Suffers

As top students and scholars from around the world seek research-friendly environments, the pipeline of talent that fuels generations of innovation, economic growth and workforce development declines.

## Informing solutions that shape the way we live

With a focus on studies that support the public good, Brown researchers shed light on pressing challenges facing policymakers, community leaders and individuals. Whether it’s tackling major societal issues, transforming political discourse by diving beneath ideological labels or addressing challenges like coastal resilience or the American economy, Brown scholars spark national conversations that lead to policy developments and new solutions that shape people’s lives every day.

### [Learning how social media impacts kids’ health](https://www.brown.edu/news/2024-11-13/social-media-health)

Before a conference on social media’s mental health impacts on children and families, the director of the Hassenfeld Child Health Innovation Institute spoke about the importance of grasping the true nature of social media’s grip.

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### [Bolstering coastal resilience for New England communities](https://www.brown.edu/news/2023-08-07/coastal-resilience)

The project, supported by the National Science Foundation, will focus on creating a set of tools and convening experts to address climate change related challenges faced by communities along the New England coast.

[Visit Page](https://www.brown.edu/news/2023-08-07/coastal-resilience)

Open details for Bolstering coastal resilience for New England communities

### [Shedding light on the true costs of war](https://www.brown.edu/news/2021-09-01/costsofwar)

A report from the Costs of War project at Brown University revealed that 20 years of post-9/11 wars have cost the U.S. an estimated $8 trillion and have killed more than 900,000 people.

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### [Analyzing avoidable deaths in U.S. communities](https://www.brown.edu/news/2025-03-24/avoidable-deaths)

A study by researchers at the Brown University School of Public Health found that avoidable mortality rose across all U.S. states from 2009 to 2021, while it declined in most other high-income countries.

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### [Understanding social impacts of contaminated drinking water](https://www.brown.edu/news/2023-04-12/water-health)

​​​​​​​A Brown-led research team compared boil water alerts and unexcused absence rates in Jackson’s public schools to show the wide-ranging negative effects of water contamination on children’s health.

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### [Exploring future political and economic systems](https://www.brown.edu/news/2022-11-17/ppe)

Brown’s Center for Philosophy, Politics and Economics, a new hub for research, teaching and debate, is blending old and new academic traditions to confront complex social problems facing the world in the 21st century.

[Visit Page](https://www.brown.edu/news/2022-11-17/ppe)

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### [Tracking economic mobility in all U.S. neighborhoods](https://www.brown.edu/news/2018-10-01/opportunity)

Working with researchers from Harvard and the U.S. Census Bureau, Brown economics professor John Friedman created a tool that traces the roots of social and economic outcomes to childhood neighborhoods.

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### [Building stronger K-12 schools](https://www.brown.edu/news/2022-01-19/schools)

A virtual event hosted by the Annenberg Institute convened experts to discuss how Providence and Rhode Island can build stronger, healthier K-12 schools, both amid and following the COVID-19 pandemic.

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### [Deciphering biological mechanisms behind political polarization](https://www.brown.edu/news/2021-05-13/polarization)

A new study on political polarization led by a Brown University team showed how an aversion to uncertainty is often associated with black-and-white political views.

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## Cultivating Talent

No. 1 **student Fulbright-producing university in the U.S. in 2024**

Top 10 **employer in Rhode Island**

Top 100 **institution for U.S. patents granted in 2024**

$374 million **in total research and development spending in 2024**

6,000+ **faculty, scientists, staff, postdocs and graduate students conducting research**

950+**undergraduates collaborating with faculty on research and teaching each year**

25+**MacArthur “Genius Grant” Fellows who have been affiliated with Brown**

11**Nobel Prize winners who have been affiliated with Brown**

11**Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers recipients**

## Scientific progress paving the way for the future

Across a wide spectrum of fields, Brown researchers are generating scientific breakthroughs, shedding light on social and cultural phenomena and conducting the basic research that sets the stage for future discovery.

### [Keeping data secure in a quantum era](https://www.brown.edu/news/2022-09-21/cryptography)

The federal government selected four algorithms to serve as standards for public key security in the pending era of quantum computers, three of which are based on technology devised by a team of Brown experts.

[Visit Page](https://www.brown.edu/news/2022-09-21/cryptography)

Open details for Keeping data secure in a quantum era

### [Planning new missions to Mars](https://www.brown.edu/news/2021-02-18/mars)

The Perseverance rover will look for signs of ancient life in Jezero crater, a spot Brown researchers have studied for years and championed during the landing site-selection process.

[Visit Page](https://www.brown.edu/news/2021-02-18/mars)

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### [Bridging the civilian-military divide](https://www.brown.edu/news/2022-11-02/militaryfellows)

The Watson Institute’s expanding Military Fellows program brings U.S. and international defense professionals to Brown for a year of courses, seminars and problem-solving conversations with policymakers and researchers.

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### [Reducing noise pollution in American cities](https://www.brown.edu/news/2022-12-11/providence-noise-pollution)

By reporting noise levels across the city, Brown's Community Noise Lab is aiding local community members who are working to build awareness, action on the public health consequences of excessive noise exposure.

[Visit Page](https://www.brown.edu/news/2022-12-11/providence-noise-pollution)

Open details for Reducing noise pollution in American cities

### [Revealing the deepest mysteries of the universe](https://www.brown.edu/news/2025-04-07/breakthrough-cms)

This year’s Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics was awarded to experimentalists at the Large Hadron Collider, where Brown physicists have played key roles in revealing the deepest mysteries of the universe.

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### [Using data to navigate questions about pregnancy and family decision-making](https://www.brown.edu/news/2024-05-14/emily-oster)

Emily Oster’s new book uses data to help pregnant women make informed decisions related to complications ranging from miscarriage to postpartum depression.

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### [Learning how earthquakes happen](https://www.brown.edu/news/2024-06-05/earthquakes-fault-lines)

Findings published in Nature by a team of Brown-led researchers challenge traditional beliefs about the cause of earthquakes and suggest that it depends not on friction, but on the ways faults are aligned.

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### [Understanding the global legacies of slavery](https://www.brown.edu/news/2024-12-18/slaverys-wake)

“In Slavery’s Wake: Making Black Freedom in the World” at the National Museum of African American History and Culture prominently features Brown University research, scholarship and artifacts.

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### [Uncovering ancient Maya cities](https://www.brown.edu/news/2025-04-08/altar)

A newly discovered altar, buried near the center of the ancient Maya city of Tikal, is shedding new light on the 1,600-year-old tensions between Tikal and the central Mexican capital of Teotihuacan.

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## Advocate for Brown Research

Want to help? Contact your members of Congress to talk about protecting research at universities. Engage with colleagues, family and friends about the positive impact of work that takes place at Brown.

[Visit the Brunonian Advocacy Page](https://alumni-friends.brown.edu/volunteer/advocacy)

- [More Research News](https://www.brown.edu/news/all)

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- [Industry Engagement](https://www.brown.edu/brown-research/industry-engagement)