Our Research

BU research crosses disciplines, defies convention, and transcends borders.

We’re not just making an impact, we’re transforming the world. For the better. As a member of the Association of American Universities (AAU), an invitation-only group of 71 of North America’s most prestigious research universities, BU is committed to leading breakthroughs in everything from African studies to zebra fish genetics.

Featured Research

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Biomedical Engineering

Rethinking Antibiotic Resistance Through Engineered Biology

At Boston University’s Biological Design Center, researchers are rethinking how engineering biology can illuminate—and ultimately help […]

Biomedical Engineering

What Is the Cocktail Party Problem—and Can New Boston University Research Solve It?

Why it can be hard to separate sounds in noisy places and how BU research […]

Psychiatry & Psychology

Finding Her Voice, in Song and Healing Research at Boston University

Being an ordained Jewish cantor informs Laura Stein’s studies of clergy burnout

Three people watching television together

Arts

TV Viewership Is Down. The Oscars Are YouTube-Bound. Is TV Dying?

Not so fast, says Boston University media historian Charlotte Howell

BU researchers Alice Cronin-Golomb and Plamen Ch. Ivanov

Accolades

Two Boston University Researchers Elected AAAS Fellows

Prestigious honor given to neuroscientist who studies diseases of aging and physicist whose work spans […]

Blood pressure monitor and stethoscope lying on top of medical bag

Research Stories

Boston University: A History of Invention and Innovation

To mark the 150th anniversary of BU faculty member Alexander Graham Bell’s invention of the […]

SPH Associate Professor of Epidemiology, Eric Rubenstein (right) Dan O'Donnell and lab manager Ashley Scott

Medicine

Including People with Down Syndrome and Intellectual Disabilities in Research That Affects Them

Boston University epidemiologist Eric Rubenstein on why lived experience belongs in the research lab

Close-up of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bacteria

Environment & Ecology

WHO Joins Forces with BU Center on Forced Displacement to Help Vulnerable Populations at Risk of Antimicrobial Resistance

Collaboration will study link between environmental pollution and drug-resistant infections among refugees and asylum seekers

Facts & Figures

The significant breadth and depth of our research capabilities. At a glance.

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AAU

1 of 71 members of the Association of American Universities

200 +

companies developing and selling products based on BU discoveries

65.8 %

of federal funding is from the National Institutes of Health (FY25)

$ 574.25 M

total research awards in FY25

7,609

publications in 2024

Student Research

We don’t just support student research, we fund it through our Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP). With the guidance of faculty advisors, students can get involved in groundbreaking research from their very first year at BU. See how.

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Annual Report

What do our researchers accomplish in 365 days? Even more than you may think.

Read our annual report