Research Programs
At any given time, more than 6,000 funded research programs are in progress at UCLA. For more information on the Organized Research Units listed below, see https://vcr.ucla.edu/organized-research-units-orus-1.
Organized Research Units
Organized Research Units (ORUs) are campuswide research programs. Members come from more than one department and normally from more than one school, college, or division.
Brain Research Institute
The Brain Research Institute (BRI) has one of the largest programs for neuroscience research and education in the country, with nearly 300 scientists from 27 departments involved in every aspect of neuroscience research from molecular organization to human behavior. The BRI provides facilities with new technologies for research and training and sponsors affinity groups, conferences, and symposia to strengthen ties among neuroscientists. Public service activities include an elementary and secondary school outreach program and a joint educational program with UCLA Extension. See http://www.bri.ucla.edu or call (310) 825-5061.
Center for European and Eurasian Studies
The Center for European and Eurasian Studies (CEES) develops and coordinates teaching and research on Russia and the successor states of the former Soviet Union, as well as the countries of western Europe, through conferences, lectures, seminars, and academic exchange programs with European and Russian institutions. It also sponsors an interdepartmental undergraduate major and provides fellowships to graduate students in European area studies. See http://www.international.ucla.edu/euro/ or call (310) 825-4060.
 Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies
The Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies (CMRS) supports the research activities of some 140 faculty members in 28 academic disciplines dealing with the development of civilization between A.D. 300 and 1650. Programs include appointing visiting professors, organizing conferences, and supporting departments in inviting lecturers. The center sponsors two journals, Viator, with emphasis on intercultural and interdisciplinary studies, and Comitatus, with articles by graduate students and recent Ph.D. graduates. See http://www.cmrs.ucla.edu or call (310) 825-1880.
 Center for Seventeenth- and Eighteenth- Century Studies
The Center for Seventeenth- and Eighteenth-Century Studies organizes scholarly programs and workshops, publishes conference results, provides long- and short-term fellowships to students and scholars, offers graduate research assistantships and master classes, and organizes public programs and classical music concerts. See http://www.c1718cs.ucla.edu or call (310) 206-8552.
The center administers the William Andrews Clark Memorial Library, located 13 miles from UCLA, that specializes in seventeenth- and eighteenth-century British works. It also has a renowned collection centering on Oscar Wilde and his era and significant holdings of modern fine printing and Western Americana. See http://www.clarklibrary.ucla.edu or call (323) 731-8529.
Center for the Study of Women
The Center for the Study of Women (CSW) draws on the expertise of more than 200 faculty members from 10 professional schools and 34 departments. To facilitate faculty research, the center organizes conferences and lecture series on feminist theory, administers research grants, and offers an affiliation for research and visiting scholars. The center sponsors working groups, produces calendar of events posters, and hosts graduate programs, as well as an annual graduate student research conference. See http://www.csw.ucla.edu or call (310) 825-0590.
 Cotsen Institute of Archaeology
The Cotsen Institute of Archaeology studies and seeks to understand the human past through artifacts, analysis of field data, and the creation of archives. The institute, the only one of its kind in the U.S., coordinates facilities for more than 35 researchers and many graduate students and volunteers in 11 associated academic departments. Facilities include the Ceramics Research Group, Cotsen Digital Archive, Lithic Analysis Research Group, Moche Archive, Rock Art Archive, and many laboratories such as the Channel Islands Laboratory, East Asian Laboratory, Human Origins Laboratory, and Zooarchaeology Laboratory. It publishes the findings of scholars from UCLA and other archaeology centers and provides a forum for the public presentation of archaeological discoveries and advances. See http://www.ioa.ucla.edu or call (310) 206-8934.
Crump Institute for Molecular Imaging
The Crump Institute for Molecular Imaging (CIMI) brings together physical, biomathematical, chemical, biological, and clinical scientists and students to merge the principles of imaging with those of molecular and cellular biology, genetics, and biochemistry. The imaging domains range from the molecular organization of viruses and cellular subunits to the biological processes of organ systems in the living human. A major focus is the development and use of imaging technologies to collect, analyze, and communicate biological data. The institute has research and educational programs for visiting scientists, postdoctoral scholars, and Ph.D. graduate students that include the development of multimedia computer-based learning technologies. See http://www.crump.ucla.edu or call (310) 825-4903 or 825-6539.
Dental Research Institute
The Dental Research Institute (DRI) fosters excellence in research, professional research training, and public education as it focuses on the basic mechanisms of disease in the orofacial region. Members include scientists in molecular biology, immunology, virology, biochemistry, pharmacology, pathology, genetics, developmental biology, neurobiology, and neurophysiology. Research includes molecular oncology, viral oncology, molecular mechanisms of periodontal diseases, dental implantology, orofacial pain, neuroimmunology, molecular immunology, HIV immunology, and wound repair. The DRI contributes to educational activities in the form of quarterly seminars in the UCLA Center for the Health Sciences. See http://www.dentistry.ucla.edu/research/research-centers-and-institutes or call (310) 206-3048.
Gustave E. von Grunebaum Center for Near Eastern Studies
The von Grunebaum Center for Near Eastern Studies (CNES) coordinates research and academic programs related to the Near East. It sponsors the degree programs in African and Middle Eastern Studies and in Islamic Studies. Resources of the center include the largest faculty, one of the most comprehensive library holdings, and the richest variety of Near and Middle Eastern studies courses of any institution in the Western Hemisphere. The center conducts publication, community outreach, and scholarly exchange programs. See http://www.international.ucla.edu/cnes/ or call (310) 825-1181.
Institute of American Cultures
The Institute of American Cultures (IAC) oversees four ORUs associated with UCLA ethnic studies centers. Applying the University’s capabilities to the analysis and solution of social issues, the institute makes funds available for research and fellowships and promotes the study and illumination of the histories of African Americans, American Indians, Asian Americans, and Chicanas/Chicanos. See http://www.iac.ucla.edu or call (310) 825-6815.
Ralph J. Bunche Center for African American Studies
Bunche Center for African American Studies conducts and sponsors research on the African American experience, coordinates the Afro-American studies curriculum, publishes research results, and sponsors community service programming. See http://www.bunchecenter.ucla.edu or call (310) 825-7403.
American Indian Studies Center
The American Indian Studies Center (AISC) serves as an educational and research catalyst and includes a library, postdoctoral fellowship programs, a publishing unit that produces books and a quarterly journal, and a student/community relations unit. See http://www.aisc.ucla.edu or call (310) 825-7315.
Asian American Studies Center
The Asian American Studies Center (AASC) seeks to increase the knowledge and understanding of the experiences of Asian and Pacific Islander peoples in America and promotes the development of material resources related to Asian American studies. The center includes a library, publications unit, student/community projects unit, and postdoctoral fellowships. See http://www.aasc.ucla.edu or call (310) 825-2974.
Chicano Studies Research Center
The Chicano Studies Research Center (CSRC) promotes the study and dissemination of knowledge on the experience of the people of Mexican descent and other Latinos in the U.S. The center supports interdisciplinary and collaborative research and the analysis, understanding, and articulation of issues critical to the development of Chicano and Latino communities in the U.S. It seeks to establish and maintain relationships with communities with similar academic and research interests at the state, national, and international levels. The center also includes a library, academic press, and grant fellowship programs. See http://www.chicano.ucla.edu or call (310) 825-2363.
Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics
The Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics (IGPP) is a multicampus research unit of the University of California; the branch at UCLA researches climate dynamics, geophysics, geochemistry, space physics, biochemistry, and biology. Research topics include the nature of the Earth, moon, and other planetary bodies; global and regional environmental change; the origin of terrestrial life; dynamical properties of the sun and solar wind; and the nonlinear dynamics of complex systems. Facilities include analytical laboratories in geochemistry, meteoritics, glaciology, petrology, geochronology, archaeology, and the origins of life; laboratories for experiments in fluid dynamics and high-pressure physics; developmental laboratories for instrumentation in space physics and seismology; and computational laboratories for large-scale numerical modeling. See http://www.igpp.ucla.edu or call (310) 206-2285.
Institute for Research on Labor and Employment
The interdisciplinary research program of the Institute for Research on Labor and Employment (IRLE) studies employment relationships, including labor markets, labor law, labor and management relations, equal employment opportunity, occupational safety and health, and related issues. Its Center for Labor Research and Education offers social policy and employment relations programs to the public, unions, and management. The academic unit of the institute oversees the Labor and Workplace Studies minor. See http://www.irle.ucla.edu or call (310) 794-5957.
Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center
The Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center (IDDRC) provides laboratories and clinical facilities for research and training in intellectual and developmental disabilities. Interdisciplinary activities range from anthropological studies to molecular aspects of inherited metabolic diseases. See http://www.mrrc.npi.ucla.edu/iddrc/home.aspx or call (310) 825-9395 or 825-6429.
James S. Coleman African Studies Center
The Coleman African Studies Center (JSCASC) coordinates research and teaching on Africa in the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences, as well as in the schools of Arts and Architecture, Education and Information Studies, Law, Medicine, Public Affairs, Public Health, and Theater, Film, and Television. The center sponsors public lectures, seminars, publications, and academic exchanges with African institutions and an outreach service to the Southern California community. See http://www.international.ucla.edu/africa/ or call (310) 825-3686.
 Jules Stein Eye Institute
The Jules Stein Eye Institute (JSEI) is one of the best equipped centers for research and treatment of eye diseases in the world. This comprehensive facility is dedicated to the preservation of vision and prevention of blindness, the care of patients with eye disease, and education in the broad field of ophthalmology. Outpatient, inpatient, and surgical facilities are provided. See http://www.jsei.org or call (310) 825-5053.
The Doris Stein Eye Research Center houses clinical facilities as well as new research and training programs concentrating on major eye diseases worldwide.
Latin American Institute
The Latin American Institute is a major regional, national, and international resource on Latin America and hemispheric issues. The institute sponsors and coordinates research, academic and public programs, and publications on Latin America in the humanities, social sciences, and professional schools and links its programs and activities with developments in the field and in other institutional settings. By combining instruction, research, and service and by encouraging multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary approaches, the institute promotes the use of UCLA Latin American resources for the benefit of the campus, the broader community, and the public at large. See http://www.international.ucla.edu/lai/ or call (310) 825-4571.
Molecular Biology Institute
The Molecular Biology Institute (MBI) promotes molecular biology research and teaching at UCLA, with emphasis on genomics, proteomics, and chemical biology. The institute houses the laboratories of 30 MBI members and the Institute for Genomics and Proteomics, as well as the administration of the Molecular Biology Interdepartmental Ph.D. Program and the UCLA ACCESS to Programs in the Molecular, Cellular, and Integrative Life Sciences. See http://www.mbi.ucla.edu or call (310) 825-1018.
 Plasma Science and Technology Institute
The Plasma Science and Technology Institute (PSTI) is dedicated to research of plasma physics, fusion energy, and the application of plasmas in other disciplines. Students, professional research staff, and faculty members study basic laboratory plasmas, plasma-fusion confinement experiments, fusion engineering and nuclear technology, computer simulations and the theory of plasmas, space plasma physics and experimental simulation of space plasma phenomena, advanced plasma diagnostic development, laser-plasma interactions, and the use of plasma in applications ranging from particle accelerators to the processing of materials and surfaces used in microelectronics or coatings. See http://www.physics.ucla.edu/psti/ or call (310) 825-4789.
UCLA-DOE Institute for Genomics and Proteomics
The UCLA-DOE Institute for Genomics and Proteomics, funded though a Department of Energy (DOE) contract, conducts research in bioenergy, carbon capture, microbial genomics, and structural and functional studies of organisms and their constituents. Institute faculty members have joint appointments in academic departments and teach at both undergraduate and graduate levels. Major facilities include a biomedical cyclotron, advanced scanning equipment, and macromolecular crystallization, nuclear magnetic resonance, protein expression, and X-ray crystallography facilities. See http://www.doe-mbi.ucla.edu/overview or call (310) 825-3754.
Specialized Research Centers, Laboratories, and Institutes
Additional research centers, laboratories, and institutes advance scholarship in all fields. The breadth of research conducted on campus is reflected in undertakings as diverse as the Center for Astrobiology (http://www.astrobiology.ucla.edu)--which is developing new strategies for Mars exploration--and the Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center (http://www.cancer.ucla.edu)--one of only 40 comprehensive centers in the nation. For a list of research centers, laboratories, and institutes, see http://www.research.ucla.edu/labs/.
Interdisciplinary activities in the social sciences include the nationally respected UCLA Anderson Forecast (http://www.uclaforecast.com) in UCLA’s John E. Anderson Graduate School of Management and the Center for Study of Evaluation and the National Center for Research on Evaluation, Standards, and Student Testing (http://www.cse.ucla.edu) in the Graduate School of Education and Information Studies, which are at the forefront of efforts to improve the quality of education and learning in America.
In the health sciences, research ranges from improving the quality of life for Alzheimer patients and caregivers at the UCLA Alzheimer’s Disease Center (http://www.adc.ucla.edu) to epidemiology, immunology, and the clinical management of AIDS at the UCLA AIDS Institute (http://aidsinstitute.ucla.edu) and the Center for Clinical AIDS Research and Education (http://www.uclahealth.org/homepage_site.cfm?id=1926). The Fernald Child Study Center (http://www.psych.ucla.edu/center-and-programs/fernald-child-study-center/) focuses on the study and treatment of a variety of childhood behavioral problems and learning disorders.
In the physical sciences and engineering, the Institute for Pure and Applied Mathematics (http://www.ipam.ucla.edu) makes connections between a wide spectrum of mathematicians and scientists and broadens the range of applications in which mathematics is used. The UCLA Logic Center (http://www.logic.ucla.edu) fosters teaching and research in logic, broadly understood to include all areas of mathematical and philosophical logic, as well as the applications of logic to philosophy, linguistics, and computer science. On other frontiers, the Center for Embedded Networked Sensing (http://research.cens.ucla.edu), a National Science Foundation Science and Technology Center, develops embedded networked sensing systems to monitor and collect information on plankton colonies, endangered species, soil and air contaminants, medical patients, and buildings, bridges, and other man-made structures.
The Center for Study of Urban Poverty (http://www.csup.ucla.edu) initiates new research on issues related to urban poverty and sponsors seminars in the field. The Center for Policy Research on Aging (http://publicaffairs.ucla.edu/content/center-policy-research-aging) addresses the significant issues of an aging society through policy analysis, dissemination of information, and technical assistance to the public and private sectors.
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