Research
Leverage our world-class research expertise
Expand your organization’s research capabilities by partnering with Northeastern’s faculty.
How we can help
Benefits of a Northeastern research partnership
case study
Building safer autonomous navigation systems
With $7.5 million from the Department of Defense, Northeastern’s Dennis Picard Trustee Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering Mario Sznaier is leading the development of AI-driven systems that can safely navigate complex environments in real time.
Sznaier and collaborators from the University of California-Berkeley, University of Michigan, and Johns Hopkins University are designing control systems to guide first responders to disaster areas and help people monitor coastlines and forests for hazardous situations.
cASE STUDY
Improving smart phone batteries
To understand the electrochemical processes inside the lithium-ion batteries that power smart phones, Northeastern physics professor Arun Bansil teamed with faculty at seven universities and institutes in Japan, Finland, and the U.S. Their findings about the behavior of subatomic electrons and oxygen molecules could help researchers improve the battery materials that are in high demand worldwide.
Case Study
Safeguarding surgical patients
Maine Medical Center, part of the MaineHealth system, seeks better ways for caregivers to analyze patient health data in order to predict negative outcomes and save lives.
It has partnered with Raimond Winslow, director of life science and medicine research at Northeastern University’s Roux Institute in Maine. First, Winslow and MaineHealth are conducting a retrospective study of patients and outcomes in the cardiothoracic intensive care unit. Next, they’ll apply computational medicine—Winslow’s area of expertise—to develop strategies that help caregivers know when and how to intervene before a patient’s condition becomes dire.
Case Study
Expanding cancer drug options
Many light-activated cancer drugs can only be used in areas of the body that light reaches, such as the skin or esophagus.
Steven Lopez, a materials chemistry expert and an assistant professor at Northeastern’s Boston location, is working to expand this approach, known as photodynamic therapy, to a wider range of cancers. He’s teamed up with Kebotix, a company that uses AI and other tools to speed the discovery of new molecules. Together, Lopez and Kebotix are training algorithms to identify the molecular patterns of potentially suitable photodynamic therapy drugs. A few promising possibilities have already emerged.
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