Research

Brown's research network features advanced academic institutes, centers, and facilities that make our world-renowned research possible. Available to faculty and students alike, these facilities encourage discovery and innovation by providing state-of-the-art equipment and resources.

Never before in Brown's history has research in the life sciences been so dynamic. Driven by external funding that has more than doubled since 1999, the research enterprise of Brown's Division of Biology and Medicine – which includes the Program in Biology, the Public Health Program, Alpert Medical School, and seven affiliated teaching hospitals – attracts almost $200 million annually.

Brown's research is constantly expanding.

• In 2009 Brown and IBM announced the opening of a multimillion-dollar supercomputer at Brown’s Center for Computation and Visualization. Capable of performing more than 14 trillion calculations per second, the supercomputer is the most powerful computational system in Rhode Island and is used for research in genomics; investigation of the mechanics of human and animal movement; and exploration of the web of animal life and ocean ecosystems.
• The 168,800-square-foot, $95-million Sidney E. Frank Hall for Life Sciences, which opened in 2006, houses more than 60 new laboratories, a functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging facility, and an electron microscopy suite.
• The 2004 opening of the Laboratories for Molecular Medicine added 105,000 square feet of life sciences research space. This laboratory is the site of leading-edge multidisciplinary work, from basic molecular research to the development of new approaches to clinical care. It houses transgenic, x-ray diffraction, and mass spectrometry facilities.
• Brown's Science Center is a state-of-the-art facility that supports teaching and learning in the sciences. The Center, which opened in 2009, houses academic mentoring and support programs and serves as the campus clearinghouse for information about research and fellowship opportunities at Brown and around the world.
• In addition, Brown has a research and educational affiliation with the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, Mass., and is the site of several major interdisciplinary research programs, including the Environmental Change Initiative and the Center for Computational and Molecular Biology.