Across campus facilities such as the Science and Engineering Building, the Harry Reid Center, and CLB3, researchers collaborate to push the boundaries of science and engineering. These shared research themes reflect the university’s commitment to multidisciplinary discovery, innovation, and technology development. Key themes include:
The main concentration of this research group is on electroactive materials. Electroactive materials are those that change shape and/or size when an external stimulus is applied. There is interest in these types of materials as actuators and sensors. At AMPL, engineering of interesting materials such as artificial muscles, other biomimetic materials, high performance condenser coatings and membranes for hydrogen fuel cell applications are only some of the research interests of this lab. This research group also has interests in working with private industry to link research to real world application.
This research group is focused on uncovering the mechanical factors that contribute to the aging process, with the goal of advancing treatment strategies for age-related diseases. The team explores the intersection of aging mechanobiology and tissue engineering, with a particular emphasis on how aging tissue environments influence cellular behavior, signaling pathways. And gene protein expression. To support this work, the lab utilizes advanced technologies including 4D holotomography and 3D bioprinting, enabling high-resolution analysis and precision modeling of biological systems.
This research group adds a robust research program contributing to the interdisciplinary neuroscience PhD program. Faculty actively investigate the treatment, detection (biomarkers), and mechanisms underlying neurodegenerative diseases, as well as biomedical interventions for brain regeneration. The multidisciplinary faculty forges multiple collaborations within the university and surrounding community and expands the university’s existing neuroscience and population health research initiatives.
This research group is trying to address “unique health needs” of a diverse, urban population in Southern Nevada, offering specialized cardiology services and research to a region that may lack access to certain advanced cardiovascular technologies or trials. By combining basic science (stem-cell biology, cardiac remodeling) with clinical trials and care, UNLV hopes to close the gap between research advances and real-world treatments-especially important in a region historically underserved by academic medical centers.
The Center for Applied Mathematics & Statistics focuses on three main areas: 1. Scientific Computation, 2. Control and Optimization, and 3. Probability & Statistics. Scientific Computation is a field of study concerned with constructing mathematical models and numerical solution techniques and using computers to analyze and solve scientific and engineering problems. Control and Optimization includes inter-disciplinary mathematical and computer modeling efforts, optimization and application of advanced technologies to decision-aiding, scientific and engineering problems from conceptual design through implementation. Finally, Probability & Statistics focuses on the scientific method of decision making in the presence of uncertainty through theoretical and data-driven techniques. This primarily pertains to collection, interpretation, modeling and analysis of data.
The Center for Energy Research (CER) focuses on a broad range of solar and renewable energy projects with the goal of advancing renewable energy technologies, developing concepts that could evolve into commercial products, and working with private partners to refine and improve renewable energy equipment. The researchers focus on such areas as utility scale power generation, building applications, and advanced vehicular systems (hydrogen and fuel cells), utilizing a wide range of techniques and types of analysis. Their research involves several engineering disciplines, environmental studies, business, and architecture. Researchers in this area have received more than $23 million in funding in the last five years.
The goal of the research in this area is to develop and analyze new materials and structural components that help optimize the performance of machines, vehicles, manufacturing equipment, and large engineering systems. Most of the research projects in this area involve making materials or components, measuring their physical and mechanical properties, and developing computational simulations of their behavior, including failure analysis under extreme environments such as high temperature, multi-axial loading, impact, and blast loading. The researchers in this group utilize well-equipped labs with sophisticated systems to measure material properties and test their components. They employ sophisticated control and data acquisition systems for tests in tension, compression, bending, fatigue, impact, and high temperature. They also use high-speed cameras and 3-D digital scanners, as well as several different commercial software programs for design and computational simulations. The research team has received more than $11 million in research funding since 2000 from both government agencies and private-sectors sponsors.
The goal of the chemical biology and proteomics group focuses on the structure and function of proteins. One aspect of this goal is to look at how proteins interact with each other and how this interaction impacts cells. Knowing how proteins interact gives more insight on cell metabolic pathways, cell division and other cell mechanisms. This knowledge can allow researchers to better understand disease mechanisms such as cancer and how to inhibit or inactivate it. Another aspect of proteomic research focuses on understanding protein structure and how to design specific drug delivery to inactivate protein interactions that lead to disease.
This research group concentrates on the design and analysis of all aspects related to hardware, software and operating systems for computers. In this area computer engineering is supplemented by aspects of electrical engineering to gain a broader understanding of how computers function. Another aspect of computer engineering is the design and refining of algorithms to run smoother with fewer errors to accomplish a specific task.
The goal of Big Data Hub at University of Nevada Las Vegas is to enable multidisciplinary research in big data science that is translational, reproducible, transferable, validated and useable real-world applications.
Some of the research done by this research theme revolves around a phenomenon known as a Plasma Pinch. This is a compression of conducting filaments (in this case plasma) by magnetic forces. This research looks into applications for nearly equilibrium Plasma Pinch; some of these include, characterizing non-equilibrium Plasma Pinch, designing an auto-triggered plasma shield to mitigate electronic attacks, designing a noisy communication transmitter for camouflaging communication, and increasing the mechanical longevity of diamond dust. Some research related to non-equilibrium Plasma Pinch are studying dense plasma focus pinch physics and designing a plasma cathode for high power microwave devices. Other than Plasma Pinch applications, this group has been working on calibrating the UNLV patented EM-dot for commercial applications and developing means to confound improvised electronic detonators. Some of the work will be done in conjunction with Kyma Technologies and possibly the Remote Sensing Laboratory.
This multidisciplinary group strives to give students an education that has a broad knowledge of engineering concepts with a focus on theatrical quality. The group gives students hands on knowledge of creating stages and other aspects of entertainment design that prepares them to work in the entertainment industry, like the one found Las Vegas, with large and spectacular stage shows.
This research group studies how radiation causes cancer and damages DNA, focusing on the molecular repair processes and how to predict individual responses to radiation therapy, using tissue cultures to understand radiation's effects on cells, DNA repair, and cancer risk.
The research interests of this research team focus on the use of experimental and theoretical methods to investigate solids, surfaces, and interfaces in a variety of materials systems. This research has applications in a variety of fields, including nanoscale light-emitting devices; renewable energy conversion (e.g., solar cells and hydrogen fuel cells); chemical sensors; nuclear waste management and stockpile stewardship; and combustion science. These investigations cut across several fields of science and engineering, requiring, by their very nature, interdisciplinary research collaborations. This involves chemists and physicists, engineers, spectroscopists, and theoreticians; the team also collaborates with industrial and national laboratory partners, helping to raise the profile of UNLV in the research and business communities.
SEB researchers who focus on integrative physiology take a multi-disciplinary approach to how animals interact with their environment, from the level of individual genes to entire ecosystems. These internationally recognized faculty members investigate how long-term and short-term climatic changes affect a wide variety of animals, and how animals respond to these changes. They study behavioral and physiological responses to environmental stress, working from the whole animal to tissues to cells to specific genes. The animals investigated include species adapted to desert habitats and non-desert model species that are ideally suited to test hypotheses about gene-environment interactions. The IP group is highly collaborative and works closely with other UNLV research groups and scientists at other universities. Their research is funded by the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, and other sponsors.
This research aims to better understand fluid dynamics at very small scales. Understanding how electrostatic forces and how fluids move at the micro and nanometer scale have important implications to the electronics industry, innovations in chemistry, biology, engineering and physics, fabrication of small devices as well as many other applications.
This research group develops targeted mRNA delivery systems using carbohydrate-based nanoparticles (glycolipids) to precisely deliver therapies, especially to the pancreas for diabetes and cancer, creating personalized treatments, smarter vaccines, and improving CAR-T cell therapy by making it cheaper and more efficient, aiming to overcome limitations of current methods like broad side effects or complex manufacturing.
The Neurogenetics and Precision Medicine Laboratory develops and deploys a broad range of in vitro, in vivo, and in silico tools to understand the fundamental pathomechanisms of human genetic disorders. We collaborate with clinicians to recruit patients with rare/undiagnosed and developmental disease conditions, so as to identify changes in DNA that are responsible for phenotypes. Using mice, zebrafish, human cells, and computational tools, we also generate animal, cellular, and machine learning models to identify new therapeutic screening paradigms.
This research group integrates genetics, genomics, cell signaling, and computational biology to investigate human disease. Using advanced sequencing, bioinformatics, and model systems, the group identifies genetic and molecular mechanisms underlying neuropsychiatric, neurological, infectious, and inflammatory diseases, with the goal of improving diagnosis, understanding disease etiology, and developing novel therapeutic strategies.
The PARAVEC Laboratory advances research and training in medical parasitology and veterinary entomology, with a focus on vector-borne diseases that impact human and animal health. Utilizing a One Health approach, the lab investigates the complex interactions among pathogens, hosts, and environments to support regional public health efforts and inform global disease control strategies. PARAVEC integrates field sampling with advanced molecular techniques to study infectious diseases and their transmission by vectors. The lab also plays a key role in education and workforce development, training the next generation of parasitologists and entomologists through hands-on experience in cutting-edge research. Laboratory facilities include a dissection, microscopy, and specimen morphology lab, a PCR, genomics, and diagnostic assay molecular lab, and a shared space equipped for insect rearing, sample storage, and surveillance research.
The Public Health research group unites experts dedicated to advancing understanding and solutions in environmental and global health. Faculty and researchers focus on detecting and analyzing microorganisms that impact human health, including airborne fungi and antibiotic-resistant bacteria, using enhanced detection methods to address risks in indoor environments and healthcare settings. The group also investigates atmospheric aerosols and air pollution from natural and human sources, developing monitoring and modeling techniques to assess public exposure and health risks, with a special emphasis on environmental health challenges in developing countries. Research on pollen and mold allergens explores the effects of changing environmental and weather patterns on respiratory health. This multidisciplinary team leads several laboratories including the UNLV Public Health Laboratory, Emerging Diseases Laboratory, and Pollen Monitoring Laboratory, while engaging in education, public health policy, and community outreach. Their work addresses pressing local and global public health issues through innovative research and collaborative partnerships.
Radiochemistry and Health Physics focus on radioactive isotopes. The main focus of radiochemistry is overall study of radioactive isotope chemistry and physical properties, the nuclear fuel cycle, waste treatment, and the behavior of radioactive isotope sin the environment, including speciation. Health Physics also concerns radioactive materials but looks more specifically at the impact of radiation to people and the environment but perhaps more importantly how to protect people and the environment from radiation.
Security Science and Engineering is a vibrant laboratory that studies fundamental and state of the art research to help guard the nation. Looking at a wide range of topics including, lasers and optics, high speed electronics, scientific computing, space instrumentation and nuclear stockpile stewardship, the Security Science and Engineering group collaborates with National Securities Technologies (NSTec), Department of Energy (DOE) national laboratories, and some National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) research centers. Recently, the main focuses have been regarding Gallium Nitrite (GaN) detectors.
Geosciences research in the SEB focuses on two different areas: 1) Petrology and Geochemistry and 2) Climate and Earth Surface Processes. The first group utilizes the disciplines of geology, physics, chemistry, mathematics, biology, and engineering to better understand volcanic activity, mountain formation, and mineral resources. They apply their studies to such areas as causes of earthquakes, mining of unique gold deposits, and understanding the forces that create continental super-volcanoes. The Climate and Earth Surface Processes group uses the fields of geology, chemistry, biology, and mathematics to produce records of Earth's changing climate over timeframes from decades to billions of years. They seek to determine the composition and sources of airborne dust in the area and investigate the processes of soil formation, landscape development, and climate change.
This team of researchers focuses on how arid land plants adapt to stressful environments with the goal of advancing crop and landscape water conservation, water reuse for urban applications, breeding crops for tolerance to marginal (desert) lands, and restoration of disturbed desert areas. Researchers conduct studies on a variety of subjects, including utilizing urban reuse water to grow turfgrass and ornamental trees; inserting plant genes that promote stress tolerance into crops to make them more resilient; and restoring the ecology of desert lands after devastating wildfires. Their work involves scientists in the areas of plant physiology, ecology, and soil science. Each of the principal investigators in this group conducts extensive outreach activities associated with their research; they have formed partnerships with such off-campus organizations as the Southern Nevada Water Authority, Nevada Cooperative Extension, Las Vegas Master Gardeners, and Lake Mead National Recreation Area.
This group of researchers seeks to address a wide range of transportation issues, including safety and congestion on the highways and surface streets; traffic flow and incident management; roadway access; and strategies for traffic control, to name a few. The group’s goal is to contribute scientific data and analysis to traffic and pedestrian issues through multi-disciplinary research in order to bring solutions to fundamental and applied transportation problems. This research involves faculty from civil engineering, electrical engineering, statistics, mathematics, finance, and marketing, among others. The team garners approximately $2 million per year in sponsored program funding.
This research group researches atmospheric aerosol and co-pollutants from natural and anthropogenic sources, focusing on development of monitoring and modeling methods for assessing public exposure and health risks.
Researchers in the Water Research and Environmental Engineering group concentrate on water issues facing arid regions of the world, particularly those in Southern Nevada. Research topics include those related to managing water resources taking into consideration climate change, water recycling, impacts from population increases, the carbon footprint of bringing water from distant locations and impact of conservation programs on water resources.