Research

Faculty in the Department of Biological Sciences (DBS) lead research programs in ecology, evolution, organismal biology and neuroscience, applying quantitative approaches to discover the structure and organization of the living world from the level of molecules and cells, up to entire ecosystems.

Our Department of Chemistry & Environmental Science (CES) has faculty working at the frontiers in biophotonics, biosensors, nanotechnology, environmental microbiology, atmospheric & climate science, analytical & forensic chemistry, and quantum & computational chemistry.

Research within the Department of Physics has particular strengths in solar & terrestrial physics, imaging & photonics, and materials science & condensed matter physics, with state-of-the-art research facilities both on- and off-campus (most notably the Big Bear Solar Observatory in California).

The Department of Mathematical Sciences (DMS) is a national leader in applied mathematics research. Its faculty conduct research in a broad range of application areas using techniques of scientific computation & numerical analysis, partial differential equations, mathematical modeling, dynamical systems theory, and statistics. DMS faculty collaborate across HCSLA and NJIT with their colleagues from the experimental sciences to solve real-world problems.

Finally, our Federated Department of History and Department of Humanities & Social Sciences host a vibrant community of researchers in areas as diverse as sustainability, psychology, communications, literature & digital poetry, the relationship between humanity and nature, the history of science and medicine, sexuality, and feminism.

HCSLA also houses or has faculty closely involved with, a number of Research Centers and Institutes, whose members conduct focused, collaborative, leading-edge research of national and international repute. More information on these Centers and Institutes can be found by following the tabs to the left.

In recent years, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine have identified a number of Grand Challenges for the country, and research priorities of the Endless Frontiers Act have been codified in the United States Innovation and Competition Act for the National Science Foundation (NSF) as ten key technology focus areas. In the same spirit of directing and harnessing the nation’s research talent, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) developed a “Roadmap for Medical Research,” and the United Nations announced Sustainable Development Grand Challenges. Informed by these national and global priorities, HCSLA will direct future research efforts to address pressing issues related to sustainability, the environment, health, and the big data revolution, with a focus on:

• biotechnology, genomics, and synthetic biology
• natural or anthropogenic disaster prevention, including space weather sciences
• materials science and advanced energy, modeling and simulation
• creating efficient, healthy, secure, resilient communities
• developing an understanding of and creating new technologies for detecting and treating disease to improve health and the quality of life
• quantum computing
• developing the cyberinfrastructure, data science methods, artificial intelligence, machine learning, data storage technologies, and security for the 21st century
• fostering informed policies, decisions, and actions