Our Research
Moving science forward
Jerri Bartholomew, Emile F. Pernot Distinguished Professor of Microbiology, received the American Fisheries Society S.F. Snieszko Distinguished Service Award for her outstanding accomplishments in the field of aquatic animal health.
Research fuels our core mission: To advance science and build global leaders for a healthy people, living on a healthy planet, in a healthy economy. We are home to the most promising minds who embrace scientific challenges and have the tenacity to tackle the world's toughest problems.
Collectively, we plumb a vast breadth of research topics, from aging to zooplankton, from supernovae to superbugs. We pursue scientific research wherever our curiosity leads.
Research across disciplines
Aging
Understanding how cells detoxify from the cumulative stresses of everyday life opens the door to a host of age-related health interventions.
Air pollution
A better way to scrub carbon dioxide from smokestack emissions, which could be a key to mitigating global climate change.
Ancient amber discoveries
Entomologist George Poinar, the original inspiration behind the book and movie Jurassic Park, unearths insights from plants and animals frozen in time 100 million years ago.
Arthropods
Three million specimens of spiders, butterflies, beetles and other insects reside in the Oregon State Arthropod Collection (OSAC), making it the largest entomological research collection in the Pacific Northwest.
Astrophysics
Physicist Davide Lazzati’s research made world headlines when he predicted that a gamma ray burst from a union of binary stars could be seen from Earth – one month before it was observed in real life!
Better batteries
OSU chemists have found that a chemical mechanism first described more than two centuries ago holds the potential to revolutionize energy storage for high-power applications like vehicles or electrical grids
Area of Distinction
Biomedical Science
An interdisciplinary effort to understand the physiological and biochemical processes that underpin human health. Researchers deconstruct disease, probe the gut microbiome, engineer new genetic solutions, model smarter public health interventions and more.
Cancer
Our researchers investigate the causes behind cancer metastasis, uncover new sources of drugs and have discovered novel therapeutic interventions against different cancers.
Climate change
One of the key scientific goals is is expanded public awareness about ocean acidification and local adoption of solutions. Sometimes called “climate change’s evil twin,” ocean acidification is an insidious and unseen effect of rising carbon dioxide (CO2) levels in the atmosphere.
Coral reefs
Scientists in the College are taking action against coral bleaching with the help of genomics and gene editing techniques.
Area of Distinction
Data Science
Data science drives research across all disciplines at the College of Science, from plumbing the gut microbiome to accurately predicting weather to cracking the code of RNA and much more.
Genetics
Big data and deep machine learning are powerful new tools in genetic research that continue to produce novel discoveries.
Herpetology
Our world-renowned garter snake specialist, biologist Robert Mason, was the first to isolate and identify a pheromone from a reptile, a discovery which has shed a lot of light into snake behavior, including their sexual behaviors.
Mathematics Education
Elise Lockwood is a globally renowned expert on the role played by students’ computational thinking and activity in mathematical and STEM learning.
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Marine Science
The College Science forms the intellectual core of Oregon State’s Marine Studies Initiative, a bold, campus-wide effort to address the threats facing our oceans with world-leading marine science research.
Microbiome
A hot area of research worldwide that is poised to transform society as we understand more about how the invisible world of the microbiome – including the human gut microbiome – influences health and our planet’s natural resources.
Ocean acidification
How are organisms responding to ocean acidification, which is one of the effects of global warming?
Paleoecology
Rebecca Terry's interdisciplinary research involving paleontology, ecology, and geography reveals important insights into the past that can inform the future of our planet during the Anthropocene.
Particle Physics
Physicist Heidi Schellman is a leader in the world of neutrino physics, the smallest elementary particle sometimes called ghost particles due to their elusive nature. Schellman leads the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE) Collaboration Computing Consortium.
Parasites
A broad and multifaceted area of research across many species, from bacteria to snails, fish and humans, that is leading to surprising insights into evolution and adaptation as well as innovative solutions for halting disease transmission, bolstering fish health, predicting global warming with greater accuracy and more.
Pigments
Everyone loves colors, and chemist Mas Subramanian’s discovery of the first true blue pigment in 100 years made headlines around the world and inspired a new Crayola crayon! But pigments are not only pretty to look at – they can serve as semiconductors, heat reflectors and more.
Protein Structure
The biomedical implications of understanding protein structure are wide and far-reaching, from aging research to innovative cancer drugs and more.
Research Pedagogy
OSU Physics leads a a five-year, multimillion dollar effort to help physics departments at colleges and universities nationwide improve their programs and instruction.
Salmon/fisheries
Our John L. Fryer Salmon Disease Lab is part of a collaborative effort in the Pacific Northwest and beyond to preserve wild salmon stock and diversity while strengthening the ocean farming efforts that many feel are needed to feed a growing human population.
Seismology
Drawing from 44 years of seismic data, statistical science reveals some surprising forecasts about earthquakes.
Semiconductors
Organic semiconductors derived from natural products can benefit the planet in a number of ways. Physicist Oksana Ostroverkhova has discovered a sustainable, low-cost, easily fabricated alternative to silicon in certain optoelectronic applications.
Starfish
Seastar wasting disease on the West Coast hit the headlines in 2014 when 50% or more of the population was decimated, followed by a baby boom two years later. The population remains under stress from global warming and is the focus of much research on climate change.
Area of Distinction
Sustainable Materials
Researchers investigate new materials and methods to address current societal needs and build the foundation for a productive future. We unlock new technologies to advance the performance of batteries, solar cells, quantum information systems, and the many devices associated with the Internet of Things.
Zooplankton
Plankton, the tiny creatures at the bottom of the ocean food chain who drift at the mercy of ocean currents, have outsize influence on not only all other sea creatures but on the regulation of carbon in our planet’s atmosphere. They play a critical role in global warming — and cooling.Related Stories
Across the College
Faculty and Staff
New integrative biology hire examines the mechanisms of evolution
Biochemistry & Biophysics