Research
CFANS professor receives NSF grant to support microbiome research network
The grant will lead to the creation of an international network working on plant-associated microbes.
Researchers transform conservation tool with gold nanotechnology, lasers
Cryopreservation study results have sweeping implications for wildlife conservation and human health
Energy Storage Paired with Solar More Cost Effective in MN Today
Energy Storage Paired with Solar Found to Be More Cost Effective in Minnesota Today than Natural Gas Peaking Plants
At a Glance
Our Faculty
- Our 4,000 faculty include members of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine, plus the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, among other bodies.
- Current and former faculty have won Guggenheim Fellowships, MacArthur Fellowships ("genius grants"), and Nobel Prizes.
- The U of M ranks 8th among public universities in research spending, with more than $870 million annually.
- Patent powerhouse: Our faculty led Forbes magazine to name Minneapolis one of the top 10 innovative cities.
- Our faculty is primed for research that crosses disciplines. The U of M is one of only four universities in the country with schools of engineering, medicine and veterinary medicine, law, and agriculture on a single campus.
Innovations
- Biomedical engineers pioneered a noninvasive way to control robots with thoughts.
- A mechanical engineering professor invented and patented a "black box" flight recorder in the U.S.
- Medicinal chemists developed Ziagen, one of the most effective AIDS drugs.
- The U of M has developed 26 apple varieties, including Honeycrisp.
- Research-based medical "firsts" include the first open-heart surgery and first pancreas and human bone marrow transplants.
- The U of M generates an estimated annual economic impact of $8.6 billion in Minnesota. From 2009 to 2015, inventions by U researchers generated more than $320 million in revenue for Minnesota.
Spanning the Globe
- U of M and industrial researchers have joined forces to tackle some of the world’s biggest challenges, including securing a sustainable global food supply, finding new treatments for brain diseases, advancing robotic technology, and purifying waters affected by mining and runoff.
- Studies in such areas as animal behavior and ecology, anthropology and archaeology, and physics take faculty and students to every corner of the globe.
- The U of M ranks sixth nationally for students learning abroad and offers programs in 76 countries.
All above data is current as of December 2015
Partnerships and Business Resources
Our faculty and students work with partners across disciplines, Minnesota, and the world to meet the grand challenges of our diverse and changing world.
Dynamic Partnerships
- MN-IP - Minnesota Innovation Partnerships
- Globalizing teaching, learning, research, and community engagement
- Community engagement
Cross-Discipline Collaboration
Business Resources
Centers and Institutes
The University's many centers and institutes connect researchers with similar interests to strengthen the quality and funding of research.
For me, the best part of research is when I have just discovered something and during that moment I am the only one in the world who knows it.
Bryce Crawford Jr., U of M Professor of Physical Chemistry and National Academy of Sciences member
- You can do research with a professor—and get paid for it.
- You can do summer research here or around the world.
- Engage with communities through service learning, volunteering, and leadership opportunities.
Graduate Research
Graduate students perform research through more than 200 master’s and doctoral degree programs at the U of M.