Research

The ASRC is designed around its five dynamic research initiatives. Each occupying an entire floor, the initiatives bring together established scientists, ambitious early-career researchers, and students to collaborate on expansive new research yielding practical benefits for society. They pursue fundamental research leading to breakthrough discoveries that in turn influence technology, medicine, environmental management, and more.

Two scientists in protective suits work in a cleanroom with lab equipment and monitors, focused on research tasks.

Director: Rein Ulijn, Ph.D.

Exploring on the tiniest scale, using the living world for inspiration to create new materials and devices that advance fields ranging from biomedicine to energy production | Learn more »


A photo of lasers in a CUNY ASRC lab

Director: Andrea Alù

Discovering new ways to control light, heat, radio waves, and sound for the next generation of optical computers, ultrasensitive cameras, and cell phone technology | Learn more »


Two scientists in lab coats work at benches filled with equipment and supplies in a modern laboratory setting.

Director: Kevin H. Gardner, Ph.D.

Drawing on physics and chemistry, exploring biology at the molecular and cellular levels, and ultimately identifying new ways to treat diseases | Learn more »


A technician monitors MRI scans on multiple screens while a person is inside the MRI machine, illuminated in red light.

Director: Patrizia Casaccia

Understanding how metabolic signals, physical forces, environmental cues, and social experiences induce molecular changes in brain cells, with the goal of developing novel diagnostic tools and therapeutic approaches to cure neurological and psychiatric disorders | Learn more »


A NASA device with cables on a rooftop, with a blurred cityscape and cloudy sky in the background.

Director: Charles J. Vörösmarty, Ph.D.

Addressing urgent environmental challenges with cutting-edge research, sensor technology, and interdisciplinary solutions | Learn more »