At NYU, research thrives across 15 schools and campuses and dozens of centers and programs—in New York and around the world. In fact, University faculty conducted research in 107 countries, as well as in Greenland and Antarctica, during the 2023–2024 academic year alone. From sustainability to inequality and human health to artificial intelligence, research at NYU spans disciplines and crosses borders—and the University’s profile is rapidly rising. Today, NYU ranks 15th among all universities on the National Science Foundation’s annual Higher Education Research and Development survey, with the biggest year-over-year surge in rankings of any top 50 school (as measured by research expenditures).

“NYU’s ascent as a leading research university helps set the stage for President Mills’ visionary strategic pathways, which includes a focus on global science and technology that will enable NYU to continue to thrive and drive impact,” affirms Stacie Bloom, chief research officer, vice chancellor, and vice provost for global research and innovation. “By fostering interdisciplinary collaboration, expanding global education opportunities, and investing in innovative research, President Mills has positioned NYU to be at the forefront of academic excellence and discovery. This holistic approach not only enhances NYU’s research capabilities but also cultivates a diverse and inclusive academic community that reflects the University’s values.”

Here are just a few of the projects positioning NYU to lead the world in global education and research.

J. Lawrence Aber, the Willner Family Professor of Psychology and Public Policy at the Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development, and Hirokazu Yoshikawa, the Courtney Sale Ross Professor of Globalization and Education at NYU Steinhardt, co-led and co-found the Global TIES for Children Center at NYU, stewarding the center’s research for a decade. Their team conducts research in 14 conflict-affected countries, including Colombia, Peru, Lebanon, Jordan, Niger, and Bangladesh, to improve program and policy action that promotes children’s holistic learning and development. Effective this fall, Florencia Lopez Boo, has taken over duties as the director. Prior to her role at NYU, Lopez Boo spent 15 years evaluating, designing, and implementing early childhood development, social protection, and health programs with the Inter-American Development Bank.

Meredith Dank, a clinical associate professor and director of the Human Exploitation and Resilience program at the NYU Marron Institute of Urban Management, has led nearly two dozen human trafficking studies. Recently, she ran a randomized controlled trial in two regions of India to address the high risk of human trafficking among the country’s Denotified Tribes. The research aims to reduce trafficking by developing economic alternatives and new livelihoods for the tribal communities.

Donna Shelley conducts research on tobacco use treatment and tobacco control policies in public healthcare networks for underserved populations. The professor of public health policy and management, vice dean for research in the Department of Public Health Policy and Management, and founding codirector of the Global Center for Implementation Science at the NYU School of Global Public Health recently studied high smoking rates among people living with HIV/AIDS in Vietnam. Her research seeks to develop a scalable, culturally appropriate model for implementing evidence-based treatment for tobacco users in outpatient HIV clinics in Vietnam.

Joo H. Kim is an associate professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and affiliated faculty of NYU’s Center for Urban Science and Progress and the NYU-KAIST Global Innovation and Research Institute. In collaboration with Korea University, his research in South Korea uses advanced 3D fall-threshold algorithms and intelligent surrogate models to develop wearable robotic devices to prevent falls and enhance safety.

Written by Dana Guterman