Research and Innovation

Utah State Aggies create transformational impacts through meaningful research, particularly in space, water, land, air, and quality-of-life questions.

Students working in a research laboratory

Research Facts

Utah State is aCarnegie-recognized R1 institution and was namedone of the best undergraduate research programs in the nation by the Council for Undergraduate Research in 2021. From sustainability and climate studies to agriculture and business, USU research changes lives around the world.

38
Goldwater Scholars
$495M
Research Funding
50+
Research Institutes and Centers
51
New Inventions in 2020

Renowned Faculty

Faculty researchers at Utah State University arerecognized nationally and internationally for their expertise. USU is home to more than 50 research programs, centers, and facilities such as ASPIRE, the Utah Water Research Lab, and the Digital Folklore Project.

Undergraduate Research

Each year, more than 1,000 students engage in undergraduate research with institutional support and over 500 share their research at USU events. Asone of the country's top undergraduate research programs, USU is constantly evolving to improve inclusion and excellence of our award-winning student opportunities.

Technology Development

USU researchers are innovators with51 newly disclosed inventions in 2020, 19 of them by faculty filing for the very first time. USU has received80 patents in the last five years, continuing a long line of faculty innovations.

Research Near and Far

From environmental impacts to unlocking the mysteries of space, USU researchers are changing the world — and beyond.

Land, Water, and Air
Growth, recreation, water, agriculture, and air quality — these are core values and key struggles for Utah. More than 140 USU faculty are addressing these issues. USU shares this research with our community through the Janet Quinney Lawson Institute for Land, Water and Air and the Research Landscapes initiative.
Student with horse
Health and Well-Being
More than 50 USU researchers investigate health and well-being, making USU a Utah authority on wellness. In partnership with Regence BlueCross BlueShield of Utah, USU researchers share their findings for living well at Blue Plate Research events.
Environmental testing at the Space Dynamics Lab
Space Research
In 1959, Utah State University and the Space Dynamics Laboratory started a meteoric rise as a leader in aerospace research and innovation. In that time, USU and SDL have sent more than 430 experiments into space, many of them by students, and achieved space-grant university status.

Graduate Studies

As one of two flagship research universities in Utah, USU offers more than 130 master’s and doctoral degrees. Multiple graduate programs have ranked within top 100 — some even in the top 50 — programs in the United States, including Audiology, Aerospace, Biological Engineering, Education, and Rehabilitation Counseling.

Portrait of Jade Snyder Echard
Jade Snyder Echard
Graduate student Jade Snyder Echard's research focuses on designing innovative solutions for drinking water and wastewater problems.
Portrait of Idowu Atoloye
Idowu Atoloye
Can compost affect how many crops are grown? Idowu Atoloye is a post-doctorate research fellow (PDRF) studying soil plants and climate, and his research focuses on organic wheats and how compost can enhance yield in the long term.

Innovation

Utah State University nurtures innovation and embraces possibility. The university provides anunparalled environment with facilities, services and technology, as well as programs and expertise that stimulate and support the growth of research and technology-based enterprises.

Growing plants in space

Utah Water Research Lab engineers tested a new type of hydrodynamic turbine modeled after Archimedes’ screw.

Utah Water Research Laboratory

TheUtah Water Research Laboratory (UWRL) at Utah State University has been a leader in water and environmental research for over 50 years. It is the oldest and one of the largest university-based water research facilities in the United States and is considered one of the most respected facilities of its kind.

The Aspire Lab is working on an electric bus.

The ASPIRE Center plays a critical role in transforming the nation's transportation and electric utility industries.

ASPIRE Center

TheASPIRE Engineering Research Center focuses on developing new infrastructure that facilitates widespread adoption of electric vehicles.

Aerial view of the Space Dynamics Lab on the USU Logan campus.

USU’s Space Dynamics Laboratory has been a trusted partner for the government, solving technical challenges faced by the military, science community, and industry for more than 60 years.

Space Dynamics Lab

TheSpace Dynamics Laboratory works with the Department of Defense and industry in defending and protecting the nation as well as supporting NASA’s vision to “reveal the unknown for the benefit of humankind.”

Research Centers and Institutes

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Work in a ersearch laboratory