Research
Research at LMU tackles important questions, large and small. Across the arts, sciences and humanities, faculty and students explore challenges that stand to make the world a better place. Student research provides an opportunity for high-impact, active learning through one-on-one interaction with faculty mentors, and grows students as critical thinkers, problem solvers, and intellectual independents.
Research Centers & Institutes
LMU is home to 19 interdisciplinary research centers and institutes, where students and faculty wrestle with some of the most pressing social, economic, and spiritual issues of our time.
CURes
The Center for Urban Resilience is committed to improving the quality of life in our urban communities, especially those that have been historically underserved.
Coastal Research Institute
The Coastal Research Institute brings together expertise from LMU's Seaver College of Science and Engineering and The Bay Foundation to restore and enhance Santa Monica Bay and local coastal waters.
StudyLA
StudyLA advocates for a better, more equitable Los Angeles through research, student mentorship, and engagement with its residents and leaders.
Academy of Catholic Thought and Imagination
The Academy of Catholic Thought and Imagination is a community of scholars who work in dialogue with the Catholic intellectual tradition by developing, critically examining, communicating, or engaging the rich resources of Catholic thought and imagination, especially as it is informed by Jesuit and Ignatian vision.
Psychology Applied Research Center
The Psychology Applied Research Center is a grant-funded center that collaborates with a variety of community-based organizations and groups to inform social change and community empowerment through applied, action-oriented research.
Center for International Business Education
The Center for International Business Education, funded by the U.S. Department of Education, supports programs, instruction and research on issues of importance to U.S. trade and competitiveness.
Faculty and Student Research
LMU is a National University/High Research Activity (R2), which reflects our commitment to high-level research. Our faculty value the opportunity to conduct research and scholarship with undergraduate and graduate students to provide mentorship and guidance while furthering their expertise. Students have ample opportunity to participate in cutting-edge research and take part in unique academic experiences in Los Angeles and throughout the world.
- Number of full-time faculty: 751
- Number of endowed chairs: 25
- Faculty awards include 31 Fulbright Scholars, one Nobel Prize winner, one Pulitzer Prize winner, and two Princeton Fellowships
Faculty Directory
Research News
Faculty, Students Contribute to LGBTQ+ Candidates Report
LGBTQ+ Victory Institute, a national organization dedicated to elevating out LGBTQ+ leaders at all levels of government, partnered up with LMU to learn more about LGBTQ+ political candidates in the U.S. One in five LGBTQ+ candidates from the past five years participated in the “When We Run” survey, making it the largest of its kind ever conducted. The survey originated with Gabriele Magni, assistant professor of political science and founding director of the LGBTQ+ Politics Research Initiative at LMU.
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Digital Veterans Legacy Project Exemplifies Engaged Learning
The project works with LMU’s undergraduate and Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps students, along with local K-12 schools and community-based organizations to research the history of the Buffalo Soldiers and Asian American veterans. Students learn how to conduct genealogical research, to think critically about history, and to uplift the stories of these veterans through media projects. Students also take guided field trips to the Los Angeles National Cemetery.
Extinction of California Megafauna a Result of Climate Change
A study co-authored by Biology Professor Wendy Binder and colleagues working at the La Brea Tar Pits found that massive fires started by humans, in a drying, warming, and increasingly fire-prone ecosystem, may have caused the extinction of saber-toothed cats, dire wolves, and other large mammals in the region nearly 13,000 years ago. The study, recently featured on the cover of Science, challenges several long-standing notions, including the theory that these animals perished primarily due to overhunting.
Amanda Herring Selected for Prestigious Getty Scholars Program
Amanda Herring, associate professor of art history, has been selected for the Getty Scholars Program. Herring is the first faculty member to be selected for the prestigious program and will be in-residence in the Getty Villa in fall 2023. For her research, Herring will examine “Bowl with a Medallion Depicting Dionysos and Ariadne” from the Getty Villa’s collection.
Research and Creative Work
Students conduct research projects that are supported by our world-class faculty experts and other university resources. These opportunities translate discoveries into knowledge, technologies and programs that make the world a better place.
The Office of Research and Creative Arts is committed to inclusive excellence and strives to increase engagement from the entire student body, including first generation college students and students from underrepresented groups.
Learn how students are supported in faculty-mentored research and creative works.