Search site Office for Research Search site Search Search Research Centers The most significant transformation at Rensselaer over the past two decades has been the creation of a research portfolio of a size, significance, quality, and prominence that positions us to impact global challenges. View all our centers and experts below, or filter by the following criteria INSTITUTE-WIDE RESEARCH PLATFORMS Learn more about our world-class research platforms and how they push the boundaries of individual disciplines. Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies (CBIS) A collaborative research facility where more than 200 scientists and engineers perform fundamental, applied, and translational research to address human health and mitigate disease. BIOTECHNOLOGY AND THE LIFE SCIENCES ENERGY, WATER, FOOD DISEASE/DISEASE MITIGATION Center for Computational Innovations (CCI) We serve a vital resource for a broad range of Rensselaer researchers and partners from industry, academe, and government, providing the technical capability and expertise to perform low-cost, high-performance cluster computing. COMPUTATIONAL SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING DISEASE/DISEASE MITIGATION ENERGY, WATER, FOOD Center for Materials, Devices, and Integrated Systems (CMDIS) Our Center promotes next-generation development of electronic and optical devices, manufacturing and robotics, integrated biomaterial devices, energy harvesting and storage, and nanostructured composite materials, among other leading-edge technologies. NANOTECHNOLOGY AND ADVANCED MATERIALS ENERGY, WATER, FOOD CLIMATE CHANGE INFRASTRUCTURE SUSTAINABILITY, RESILIENCE DISEASE/DISEASE MITIGATION Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center (EMPAC) Through its world-class studios and research facilities, this unique Center enables artists, researchers, and audiences to come together under one roof to inquire, develop, and experience the ever-changing relationships among our senses, technology, and the worlds we create around us. MEDIA, ARTS, SCIENCE, AND TECHNOLOGY Institute for Data Exploration and Applications (IDEA) This Center enables new lines of research in web science, high-performance computing, artificial intelligence, data science, and predictive analytics and links them to applications in a vast range of areas, from cybersecurity to health and environmental preservation. COMPUTATIONAL SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING DISEASE/DISEASE MITIGATION NATIONAL/GLOBAL SECURITY Institute for Energy, the Built Environment, and Smart Systems (EBESS) The Institute for Energy, the Built Environment, and Smart Systems, based in New York City, uses the most advanced digital technologies to drive decarbonization of urban environments at the systems level. ENERGY, ENVIRONMENT, AND SMART SYSTEMS ENERGY, WATER, FOOD INFRASTRUCTURE SUSTAINABILITY, RESILIENCE CLIMATE CHANGE NATIONAL/GLOBAL SECURITY INSTITUTE-WIDE CENTERS Learn more about each of our research centers and the global challenges they seek to address. Center for Architecture Science and Ecology (CASE) We unite design and engineering experts to create new building systems, structures, and ecologies with the mission of radically changing the way we use energy, water, and other resources. ENERGY, ENVIRONMENT, AND SMART SYSTEMS CLIMATE CHANGE INFRASTRUCTURE SUSTAINABILITY, RESILIENCE Center for Automation Technologies and Systems (CATS) Originally established as a NY State-designated Center for Advanced Technology in 1989, the Center assists client companies with applied manufacturing R&D to help them meet specific business objectives so that they can grow and create jobs. ENERGY, WATER, FOOD Center for Future Energy Systems (CFES) We are a locus of research at Rensselaer, partnering with industry, government, and academic institutions to accelerate renewable energy research, move technologies from the laboratory to the marketplace, and, ultimately, build and sustain economic value. ENERGY, ENVIRONMENT, AND SMART SYSTEMS CLIMATE CHANGE INFRASTRUCTURE SUSTAINABILITY, RESILIENCE Center for Modeling, Simulation and Imaging in Medicine (CEMSIM) Our Center is developing advanced modeling, simulation, and imaging technology to rapidly translate biomedical research from the lab to clinical practice in highly collaborative, bench-to-bedside approaches. BIOTECHNOLOGY AND THE LIFE SCIENCES DISEASE/DISEASE MITIGATION Cognitive and Immersive Systems Lab (CISL) Housed within Rensselaer's Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center (EMPAC), this Center serves as a collaboration between Rensselaer and IBM Research to lead the frontier of research in immersive cognitive environments to augment group intelligence in real-world scenarios, such as boardroom meetings, diagnosis rooms, design studies, and classrooms. MEDIA, ARTS, SCIENCE, AND TECHNOLOGY Darrin Fresh Water Institute (DFWI) This multidisciplinary environmental research center is dedicated to understanding the structure and function of aquatic, terrestrial, and atmospheric systems, with a primary focus on studying the impact of human activities on these interconnected environments. ENERGY, ENVIRONMENT, AND SMART SYSTEMS CLIMATE CHANGE Network Science and Technology Center (NeST) This Center partners with universities, national laboratories, and industry in large scientific programs to conduct fundamental research in natural and technological networks, ranging from social and cognitive networks to computer networks. COMPUTATIONAL SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING Rensselaer Astrobiology Research and Education Center (RARE) This Center provides a platform for astrobiologists to collaborate on research that spans from the origin and composition of organic compounds in space and the emergence of life on Earth, to the study of Earth’s extreme ecosystems and the potential for life beyond our planet. BIOTECHNOLOGY AND THE LIFE SCIENCES Scientific Computation Research Center (SCOREC) SCOREC researchers develop reliable simulation technologies for engineers, scientists, medical professionals, and other practitioners to enable them to employ, appraise, and evaluate the behavior of mechanical, chemical, and biological systems of interest. COMPUTATIONAL SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING SCHOOL CENTERS The research centers at Rensselaer are at the core of the work we do to tackle the urgent global challenges of today. Baruch Center for Biochemical Solar Energy Research Researchers work to develop bio-inspired artificial photosynthetic devices for solar fuel production through research that promotes a fuller understanding of the chemistry behind the biological solar energy conversion of plants. BIOTECHNOLOGY AND THE LIFE SCIENCES ENERGY, ENVIRONMENT, AND SMART SYSTEMS CLIMATE CHANGE ENERGY, WATER, FOOD INFRASTRUCTURE SUSTAINABILITY, RESILIENCE SCHOOL OF SCIENCE Center for Deep Listening (CDL) We cultivate a heightened awareness of the sonic environment through experimentation, interactive performance, meditation, improvisation, and collaboration. MEDIA, ARTS, SCIENCE, AND TECHNOLOGY SCHOOL OF HUMANITIES, ARTS AND SOCIAL SCIENCES Center for Earthquake Engineering Simulation (CEES) We are part of the Network for Earthquake Engineering Simulation, an NSF initiative aimed at revolutionizing earthquake engineering research in the United States. SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING Center for Financial Studies We advance research in financial engineering, risk management, corporate finance, financial intermediation, and capital markets. LALLY SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT Center for Flow Physics and Control (CeFPaC) We provide a platform for interdisciplinary research in fluid dynamics, with projects spanning from the design and testing of smart blades for wind turbines to developing new techniques for reducing drag in aircraft, ground, and underwater vehicles. ENERGY, ENVIRONMENT, AND SMART SYSTEMS INFRASTRUCTURE SUSTAINABILITY, RESILIENCE CLIMATE CHANGE SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING Center for Infrastructure, Transportation, and the Environment (CITE) We are internationally known for our research in freight transportation, humanitarian logistics, intelligent transportation systems, network modeling, traffic simulation, and traffic signal system control. ENERGY, ENVIRONMENT, AND SMART SYSTEMS INFRASTRUCTURE SUSTAINABILITY, RESILIENCE SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING Center for Initiatives in Pre-College Education (CIPCE) We serve as the pre-college outreach arm of Rensselaer that works with K-12 students and teachers on inquiry-based teaching approaches in the STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) disciplines. SCHOOL OF SCIENCE Center for Mobility with Vertical Lift (MOVE) Our Center conducts breakthrough research in vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) technologies to advance vertical lift aircraft, such as military helicopters, unmanned drones, air taxis, rotorcraft, and high-speed electric VTOL aircraft. COMPUTATIONAL SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING Center for Modeling, Optimization and Computational Analysis (MOCA) We promote collaborative research involving the integration of modeling, optimization, and computation to solve complex problems emerging in science and engineering. The key to understanding the multifaceted and multidisciplinary aspects of these problems, and to creating new solution strategies, is the development, analysis, and simulation of mathematical models. Designed to establish new modes of operation for applied mathematicians, scientists, and engineers by cutting across the boundaries of traditional approaches, our Center provides new avenues of research and collaboration. COMPUTATIONAL SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING SCHOOL OF SCIENCE Center for Ultra-Wide-Area Resilient Electric Energy Transmission Networks (CURENT) Rensselaer serves as a key partner of this Center, which is at the forefront of developing a nationwide or continentwide transmission grid that is fully monitored and controlled in real time for high efficiency and reliability, full energy storage utilization, and better renewable energy integration. ENERGY, ENVIRONMENT, AND SMART SYSTEMS ENERGY, WATER, FOOD SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING Gaerttner Linear Accelerator Center (LINAC) A major research facility for Rensselaer's School of Engineering, this center supports research in nuclear engineering, nuclear physics, radiation effects in electronics, radiation processing of materials, computed tomography, and other industrial processes. NANOTECHNOLOGY AND ADVANCED MATERIALS ENERGY, WATER, FOOD SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING Lighting Enabled Systems & Applications NSF ERC (LESA) The Center develops next-generation solid-state lighting systems that combine lighting sources, sensors, and controls that have the power to transform the way we live, work, and communicate. ENERGY, ENVIRONMENT, AND SMART SYSTEMS DISEASE/DISEASE MITIGATION ENERGY, WATER, FOOD SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING Lighting Research Center (LRC) Our Center is a leading global institution that advances the effective use of light for health, the environment, and overall society through product development, testing, and evaluation. ENERGY, ENVIRONMENT, AND SMART SYSTEMS DISEASE/DISEASE MITIGATION ENERGY, WATER, FOOD SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE New York State Center for Polymer Synthesis Our Center collaborates with industry to design, produce, and test novel polymers that can be applied to the study of protein folding and its effect on disease, the use of enzymes for polymer synthesis, the creation of more sustainable plastics, and polymer membrane development for fuel cells. NANOTECHNOLOGY AND ADVANCED MATERIALS DISEASE/DISEASE MITIGATION INFRASTRUCTURE SUSTAINABILITY, RESILIENCE ENERGY, WATER, FOOD SCHOOL OF SCIENCE Rensselaer Exploratory Center for Cheminformatics Research (RECCR) By advancing data generation, mining, and analysis of chemical information, this Center emphasizes the central role of cheminformatics in modern biotechnology efforts, molecular design projects, and bioinformatics programs. NANOTECHNOLOGY AND ADVANCED MATERIALS SCHOOL OF SCIENCE Severino Center for Technological Entrepreneurship This Center fosters new generations of budding and successful entrepreneurs through outreach programs, education and support systems, connecting those who are starting businesses to resources and networks within and beyond the Rensselaer community. 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