Research
Boldly innovating to impact society and transform the world.
Northeastern University has achieved the prestigious recognition as a top-tier R1 institution for research activity among U.S. colleges and universities by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. Our tradition of partnership and engagement guides a use-inspired and interdisciplinary research enterprise that is strategically aligned with three global imperatives: health, security, and sustainability. Our annual Annual Report highlights pioneering research and achievements over the past year.
The College of Engineering has over 240 tenured/tenure-track faculty, each bringing complementary areas of research expertise to address pressing global challenges. Their state-of-art-research looks at critical issues in materials, processes, systems, infrastructure, hardware and software at every scale—nano to macro to global—grounded in a translational approach that integrates the values of fundamental and applied research.
Our faculty boldly innovate by collaborating across engineering disciplines and the university, as well as with government, academia, and industry. The College of Engineering has more than 20 multidisciplinary research centers and institutes with funding from eight federal agencies. Our commitment to conducting transformative research to better the world can be seen by our growth in external research funding, which exceeds $100 million annually, and by an investment in research capabilities such as our 223,000 square foot, six-story Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering Complex and 367,000 square foot, eight-story EXP facility for teaching and research.
Government and Industry Partnerships
Industry and government partner with Northeastern for basic and applied research. The reason is simple: they know that at Northeastern, our two guiding principles are interdisciplinary collaboration and engagement with the real world. These principles are reflected in our research programs, which are driven by critical issues in materials, processes, systems and infrastructure. Our research collaborations are a win-win-win: our partners receive knowledge and products tailored to their needs, our researchers validate and extend their work, and our students receive training and experience to become the next generation of effective technologists.
Research At-A-Glance
Recent News
Improving the Strength and Toughness of Soft Materials
MIE Assistant Professor Ruobing Bai, in collaboration with Michigan State University, is leading a $705,664 NSF grant for the “Mechanics of End-Linked Polymer Networks With Strain-Induced Crystallization Regulated by Topological Defects.” The research will facilitate emerging applications such as soft robotics, medical devices, and wearable electronics.
Patent for Closed-Loop GNSS Simulation
ECE Associate Professor Pau Closas was awarded a patent for “System for closed-loop GNSS simulation.”
Spring 2025 AJC Merit Research Scholars
Several engineering and science students mentored by COE faculty are recipients of Northeastern’s AJC Merit Research Scholarship, which will fund a co-op in the laboratory of a Northeastern University STEM faculty member.
Research Uncovers Wi-Fi Security Vulnerability
ECE Assistant Professor Francesco Restuccia is one of several authors of new research that has uncovered a significant security vulnerability in wireless technology found in nearly every Wi-Fi system. The findings will be presented in May at the IEEE International Conference on Computer Communications (INFOCOM).