Research

Research in the School of Engineering and Applied Science at Princeton aims to develop fundamental knowledge and to solve global problems. In particular, efforts are focused on four key areas of societal need: energy and the environment, health, security, and the preparation of leaders who will make wise use of technology. Each of these areas is built on a foundation of fundamental research in materials science, information technology, biological engineering, and applied math and physics.

Interdisciplinary partnerships that leverage and complement Princeton’s strengths in other research areas are crucial for success. Recognizing the need to bring the tools and technologies of numerous disciplines to bear on some of the biggest societal challenges, Princeton engineers regularly collaborate with scholars from across the disciplines in multidisciplinary projects and research centers.

Through the arts, languages, philosophy and history, research in the humanities at Princeton seeks to broaden and transform our comprehension and experience of the world.

The projects underway tap the pages of literary works and the artifacts of ancient civilizations for new knowledge, and lead to the development of theories and ideas to explain the human condition. Beyond expanding fundamental human understanding, academic inquiry in the humanities has implications for policy-making as well as for wide-ranging interdisciplinary endeavors involving the social sciences, natural sciences and engineering. 

Princeton has a longstanding and continuing tradition of excellence in the natural sciences, including astrophysics, biology, mathematics and physics. Following in the footsteps of the intellectual leaders before them, scientists at the University today continue to explore the knowledge frontier and broaden the realm of human understanding. As knowledge expands, Princeton's scientific research efforts are constantly evolving, and major new initiatives in chemistry and neuroscience are currently underway.

Whether a theorist or experimentalist, in a molecular biology laboratory on campus or at a field station on the African savannah, Princeton’s scholars are involved in inquiries across the scientific spectrum. As basic research becomes increasingly interdisciplinary, expertise and technology from many traditional disciplines are often combined to address the most compelling questions.

Whether improving national security, exploring issues of poverty, explaining human behavior or taking a critical look at international trade, research in the social sciences at Princeton strives to advance of knowledge of human society and address some of the largest societal problems of the 21st century. Princeton’s Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs is a major center of education and scholarship in public and international affairs, with more than 20 research centers and programs examining critical issues including global public health, demography and education policy.

The innovative social sciences research efforts at Princeton are often interdisciplinary, harnessing the strengths of diverse but complimentary fields, including anthropology, economics, sociology, and international affairs, to develop a comprehensive understanding of the world and effectively inform public policy.