Columbian College Research Hero

At Columbian College, scholars and scientists join student researchers to challenge assumptions and

Advance the forefronts of knowledge.

 

 

Research

 

Discovery and innovation are a Columbian College tradition—from our century-long research partnership with the Smithsonian Institution to our state-of-the-art Science and Engineering Hall. Whether our scholars are observing celestial bodies light years from Earth or examining the roots of diseases like tuberculosis and malaria, Columbian College faculty and students are uncovering age-old mysteries and finding solutions to 21st-century challenges.

 

20 research centers & institutes

 

$15.7 million in total research expenditures in FY20

 

500+ Tenure-Track, Full-Time Faculty Members

 

50 faculty books published (annual average)

 

 

Impact

CCAS Faculty research

Faculty Research

Columbian College faculty are prolific authors, awarding-winning scholars and noted innovators and artists. They are recipients of prestigious awards like Guggenheims, Pulitzers and NEH fellowships, and are published in top media outlets and leading academic journals.

CCAS Student Research

Student Research

From labs and classrooms on campus to field sites around the globe, Columbian College students work side-by-side with world-renowned researchers and scholars on a journey of cultural and scientific discovery.

GW CCAS top research centers and institutes

Centers & Institutes

Columbian College is home to top research centers and institutes that explore an array of issues and ideas such as the origins of humankind, the inner workings of the brain and the growth of solar energy.

Maggie Teliska

Maggie Teliska

PhD '04

"GW is a great place to be a scientist."

 

Faculty Books

  • Book cover of "Women's Leadership Development: Caring Environments and Paths to Transformation" by Gelaye Debebe

    Women's Leadership Development: Caring Environments and Paths to Transformation

  • Book cover of "African Americans & Africa: A New History" by Nemata Amelia Ibitayo Blyden.

    African Americans and Africa: A New History

  • Book Cover of Workforce Readiness and the Future of Work by Tara Behrend

    Workforce Readiness and the Future of Work

  • Where I Have Never Been

    Where I Have Never Been: Migration, Melancholia, and Memory in Asian American Narratives of Return

  • The Mathematics of Politics, Second Edition 2nd Edition

    The Mathematics of Politics, Second Edition

  • The Internet Trap book cover

    The Internet Trap: How the Digital Economy Builds Monopolies and Undermines Democracy

  • Soccer Thinking for Management Success: Lessons for Organizations from the World's Game

    Soccer Thinking for Management Success: Lessons for Organizations from the World's Game

  • Linguistic and Material Intimacies of Cell Phones

    Linguistic and Material Intimacies of Cell Phones

 

 

Faculty Research Conversations

Brandon Bartels and Paul Wahlbeck seated on stage in front of the GW Columbian College of Arts and Sciences logo

A Changing Supreme Court: Politics and Polarization

January 03, 2022
How has public pressure and the increasingly politicized nomination process changed perceptions of the Supreme Court? Political Science Professor Brandon Bartels spoke with CCAS Dean Paul Wahlbeck about today’s controversial court.
Adelina Voutchkova and Paul Wahlbeck sitting in chairs on stage and talking, with the Columbian College logo behind them

Green Chemistry Forges Path Forward

December 06, 2021
CCAS Dean Paul Wahlbeck spoke with Associate Professor of Chemistry Adelina Voutchkova-Kostal about creating a more sustainable future through the design of safer, eco-friendly chemicals.

 

Research Making Headlines

Four sulfur butterflies in shades of orange and yellow against a black background.

Researchers Switch Off Gene to Switch On Ultraviolet in Butterfly Wings

January 12, 2022
A new study led by Biology’s Arnaud Martin reveals how species develop distinctive traits and offers a one-of-a-kind opportunity to witness evolution in action.
Dr. King reuniting with his family upon his release from prison. Coretta kisses his cheek and his two children hug him.

Saving MLK: Alumnus Author Recounts King’s Days of Peril

January 12, 2022
In 1960, Martin Luther King, Jr., faced a harrowing nine days in a dangerous prison. In his book, Paul Kendrick, BA ’05, MPA ’07, tells how King’s ordeal changed politics as we know it.
A mother holding her baby while looking at her computer

Online Parenting Communities Pulled Closer to Extreme Groups

January 12, 2022
A team of GW researchers led by Professor of Physics Neil Johnson revealed how dangerous misinformation has spread during the pandemic and why Facebook’s safeguards are not working.
Professor Bill Adams in Antarctica

Around the World: TSPPPA’s Adams Completes “Mind-Expanding” Journey

January 12, 2022
Globe-trotting professor joined an ultra-exclusive club as a visitor to all 196 nations on earth.
Brandon Bartels and Paul Wahlbeck seated on stage in front of the GW Columbian College of Arts and Sciences logo

A Changing Supreme Court: Politics and Polarization

January 03, 2022
How has public pressure and the increasingly politicized nomination process changed perceptions of the Supreme Court? Political Science Professor Brandon Bartels spoke with CCAS Dean Paul Wahlbeck about today’s controversial court.
A gamma-ray burst’s jet emanating from a collapsing hyper-massive star

NASA Pact Rockets Astrophysics Impact

December 08, 2021
An agreement with NASA will propel faculty and students from the GW Astrophysics Group to new heights in space exploration science.