Research
As a leading research institution, we encourage creative and analytical inquiry. UW–Madison provides students opportunities to work alongside world-renowned scholars in pursuit of groundbreaking research with the potential to change lives.
Your path to discovery starts here
UW–Madison is distinct for its breadth of disciplines and cross-campus research collaborations. Hands-on research opportunities abound for undergraduate students and span the social sciences, medicine, humanities, and STEM fields.
It’s been really monumental for me to realize there are people who are really excited to help me get to where I want to go.
We help researchers become innovators
Our entrepreneurial campus is its own Silicon Valley. We help our scientists and scholars navigate every step of the commercial path from discovery to market, and bring their life-changing innovations to the masses. Whether it’s applying for a patent, attracting investors, or creating a spinoff company, our business engagement professionals guide the way.
A large research institution with an even larger mission: to improve lives around the world
Latest news
Featured research
Carousel of 3 notable research advancements. Use the headings or arrow keys to navigate between slides.
Slide 1 Finding a new human ancestor
UW–Madison anthropologists discovered fossils of Homo naledi, a new species on the human family tree, in 2013. A series of partnerships in South Africa continue to explore the beginnings of our universe, our species, and life on Earth.
Slide 2 Cultivating the first embryonic stem cells
In 1998, UW–Madison biologist James Thomson introduced the world to the first laboratory-derived human embryonic stem cells. The all-purpose cells are now used worldwide to test drugs and develop treatments for diseases.
Slide 3 Solving the mystery of cosmic rays
Stationed at the South Pole, UW–Madison researchers were among the first to find evidence of a source of high-energy cosmic neutrinos in 2017. Their discovery deep in the Antarctic ice helped to solve a century-old question of the origins of cosmic rays.