Indiana University has hundreds of research centers, institutes, and museums spread across its campuses, each of them drawing people together to pursue new understandings and discoveries
These special environments for exploring allow researchers from across disciplines, departments, schools, and campuses to collaborate on pursuing important questions and ideas, from the study of religion, ethics, and society to cutting-edge information technology questions to the latest innovations in improving STEM learning among students.
Research centers are the hallmarks of great universities. Think of the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton, which was the academic home to Einstein, Oppenheimer, and Gödel, or IU’s own Kinsey Institute and the impact that Alfred Kinsey made on the field of sex research.
Centers and Institutes are necessary as a way to facilitate interdisciplinary work and attract research funding for that work. They attract and retain faculty of great renown and expand our body of knowledge about the world while addressing major societal issues.
Under the tenure of Indiana University leaders, including President Michael A. McRobbie and Vice President for Research Fred H. Cate, IU has explored a series of questions about our research centers and their impact.
While we currently have a total of 224 research centers, institutes, and museums that are actively involved in research activity, we also explore the operations, purpose and work to serve our campus community, state and beyond.
Below are highlights of the impact just a few special centers have recently made: