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.
- Over $1 million spent annually on undergraduate student research
- $16.2 million received in grant funding in FY 2024
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.
Research News
Climate Warming Effects on Marine Mussels
Loyola Marymount University Frank R. Seaver College of Science and Engineering brings together faculty and student researchers to explore the world’s big, prescient questions. One of those, climate change, led to the cross-discipline research project. This featured project examined the impacts of climate change on marine mussel physiology while enriching our students’ learning experience off campus.
Read more
Two Ed.D. Students are Named to Prestigious Jackson Scholars Network
Two SOE scholars have been accepted into the Jackson Scholars Network for the 2024-26 cohort. The program, administered by the University Council for Educational Administration (UCEA), provides formal networking, mentoring, and professional development for graduate students of color who intend to pursue a career in educational leadership. Rebekah Kang, Ed.D. ’26 and Tonya Taylor, Ed.D. ’27 are enrolled in SOE’s doctoral program in educational leadership for social justice. They were nominated by faculty members Manuel Ponce and Rebecca Stephenson, both clinical associate professors.
Professor Amanda Apgar Works with Students to Launch Open Access Database of Nearly 500 Memoirs by Parents of Disabled Children
Over the course of researching her book The Disabled Child: Memoirs of a Normal Future, Amanda Apgar, associate professor of women’s and gender studies, compiled a large database of memoirs written by parents of disabled children. Originally, Apgar meant to keep the database just for her personal research use. However, after a conversation with her research assistant Isabelle Aquino ‘24, Apgar decided to undertake the process of making the database public.
Revitalizing Critically Endangered Languages via Large Language Models
Loyola Marymount University Computer Science Assistant Professor Jared Coleman, along with a small team of researchers, has developed an innovative AI-powered translation tool to help revitalize Owens Valley Paiute, an endangered Indigenous language.