USF is a modern, high-tech university with an impressive research enterprise. From developing clean sources of energy to enhancing the quality of life for people with disabilities, USF researchers seek to make the world a better place. We are currently ranked 50th in the nation for research expenditures, among all U.S. universities, public or private.
Students are encouraged to pursue interdisciplinary research opportunities as early as their freshman year. And “research” here takes many forms, from classroom to community, laboratories to internships. Faculty and staff prepare students for the future, focusing on local, national and global solutions to society's most difficult problems.
What are our students and researchers studying? These are just a few of the projects!
- New techniques to combat malaria
- The use of cactus as a natural dispersant in the Deepwater Horizon Gulf oil spill
- Shape shifting body armor surfaces to protect police and soldiers
- The science behind therapy dogs and their contribution to wellness
- The diets of people in prehistoric Portugal
- See-through windows that generate electricity
- An affordable Smart Pot that turns contaminated water into potable water in developing nations
- Quality of life improvement in breast cancer survivors
- A new mobility device to help in the rehabilitation of knee-injury patients
- The social aspects of hurricanes and other natural disasters
- Reverse 911 calls to mobile phones
- The Dancing Wheelchair 2.0, a hands-free mobility device
- Tracking red tide algae and its effects on the health and the economy of Gulf of Mexico coastal communities
- The cyber security of personal information in local governments
- New therapies to prevent Alzheimer’s disease
- The science behind what fuels deadly rip currents