Research
Research at LMU tackles important questions, large and small. Across the arts, sciences and humanities, faculty and students explore challenges that stand to make the world a better place. Student research provides an opportunity for high-impact, active learning through one-on-one interaction with faculty mentors, and grows students as critical thinkers, problem solvers, and intellectual independents.
Research Centers & Institutes
LMU is home to 19 interdisciplinary research centers and institutes, where students and faculty wrestle with some of the most pressing social, economic, and spiritual issues of our time.
CURes
The Center for Urban Resilience is committed to improving the quality of life in our urban communities, especially those that have been historically underserved.
Coastal Research Institute
The Coastal Research Institute brings together expertise from LMU's Seaver College of Science and Engineering and The Bay Foundation to restore and enhance Santa Monica Bay and local coastal waters.
StudyLA
StudyLA advocates for a better, more equitable Los Angeles through research, student mentorship, and engagement with its residents and leaders.
Academy of Catholic Thought and Imagination
The Academy of Catholic Thought and Imagination is a community of scholars who work in dialogue with the Catholic intellectual tradition by developing, critically examining, communicating, or engaging the rich resources of Catholic thought and imagination, especially as it is informed by Jesuit and Ignatian vision.
Psychology Applied Research Center
The Psychology Applied Research Center is a grant-funded center that collaborates with a variety of community-based organizations and groups to inform social change and community empowerment through applied, action-oriented research.
Center for International Business Education
The Center for International Business Education, funded by the U.S. Department of Education, supports programs, instruction and research on issues of importance to U.S. trade and competitiveness.
Faculty and Student Research
LMU is a National University/High Research Activity (R2), which reflects our commitment to high-level research. Our faculty value the opportunity to conduct research and scholarship with undergraduate and graduate students to provide mentorship and guidance while furthering their expertise. Students have ample opportunity to participate in cutting-edge research and take part in unique academic experiences in Los Angeles and throughout the world.
- Over $1 million spent annually on undergraduate student research
- $14.5 million received in grant funding in 2022
Research News
Students in “Black Politics” Course Present Research at National Conference
What is the Black manosphere, and how does it impact political discourse? How important is your community identity in comparison to your racial and ethnic identity? These are some research questions that students in Assistant Professor Chaya Crowder’s “Black Politics” course selected and explored, and they presented their research at the National Conference of Black Political Scientists.
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Faculty-Student Research Illuminates Crucial Issue Affecting the Farming Industry
When thinking about the agricultural industry and how our food is produced, the radio is not usually what comes to mind in understanding how farmers are able to successfully run their businesses. However, this topic was explored by Paola Martin ’23 whose research project blossomed to a student-faculty research study about the use of media, and in particular, the radio, for farmers and agricultural businesses.
NIH Awards Grant to Study mRNA Regulation
The National Institutes of Health National Institute of General Medical Sciences awarded Sarah Mitchell, assistant professor in the Chemistry and Biochemistry Department, a grant for her project titled “The Role of Inosine Monophosphate Dehydrogenase in mRNA Regulation: Identification of mRNAs Bound and Functional Consequences.” The grant is for approximately $300,000 over three years for Mitchell and a team of undergraduate researchers to study why an enzyme with an unrelated function binds to messenger RNA.
Faculty Awarded Research Grant to Study Aging
Health and Human Sciences Assistant Professor Robert Musci is set to commence a six-month collaborative research project titled “Investigating the Turnover Dynamics of mtDNA with Stable Isotop Deuterium Oxide” thanks to a $10,000 pilot grant awarded by the Oklahoma Nathan Shock Center on Aging, which is funded by the National Institute on Aging. The focus is on mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), the circular chromosome found inside the cellular organelles that is the “blueprint” to construct mitochondria.
Research and Creative Work
Students conduct research projects that are supported by our world-class faculty experts and other university resources. These opportunities translate discoveries into knowledge, technologies and programs that make the world a better place.
The Office of Research and Creative Arts is committed to inclusive excellence and strives to increase engagement from the entire student body, including first generation college students and students from underrepresented groups.
Learn how students are supported in faculty-mentored research and creative works.