WSU Pullman—the heart of the university’s research enterprise
We’re proud to be one of the nation’s leading research universities. Our faculty and students—at all campuses, research centers, and Extension offices in every Washington county—are encouraged to explore old problems and discover new solutions in the arts, humanities, and sciences.
The university’s flagship campus in Pullman serves as the foundation for WSU’s statewide $350 million-plus annual research enterprise. Here you’ll receive multiple opportunities as an undergraduate, graduate, or professional student to help world-class scientists research topics ranging from the environment to cannabis policy, from reproductive biology to energy systems.
Student research opportunities
Enhance classroom experiences
Undergraduate and graduate students in all degree programs receive opportunities to participate in a broad variety of research activities. The university provides a variety of research awards to support mentored student research, scholarship, and creative activities.
Undergraduate and graduate students join faculty, along with global partners, in researching infectious diseases that move from animals to humans. WSU is one of the few U.S. research institutions that specifically studies and monitors zoonotic maladies such as coronaviruses, Lyme disease, brucellosis, salmonella, and bubonic plague.
Research funding
Renewable forest materials have spawned an aviation biofuels industry, thanks to WSU research leadership and funding from industry partners like Alaska Airlines.
Research that improves lives
Of the more than $350 million in research funding we receive annually, some $150 million comes from the federal government, with the remainder provided by the state and industry. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Department of Agriculture are the leading sources of federal funding, awarding WSU about $100 million annually.
Facilities and research centers
Specialized units tackle today’s challenges
Our nearly 40 specialized research centers, 8 institutes, and 9 laboratories—most located on the WSU Pullman campus—focus on topics ranging from entrepreneurial skills to reproductive biology, social and environmental justice, sleep, and drug addiction. We work hard to ensure our research community has access to the newest scientific equipment and latest research technology.
The WSU Bear Research, Education, and Conservation Center is a one-of-a-kind facility that aims to provide information and the necessary understanding to conserve bears around the world. The center is one of 40+ WSU research centers, institutes, and laboratories.
Economic development and commercialization
The world runs on electric power and WSU research keeps it going by commercializing smart grid technology that incorporates renewable energy and energy storage solutions.
We help move leading research discoveries and inventions from the lab to the marketplace. WSU’s annual licensing revenue from university-originated research is nearly $7 million annually.
