Research
Working closely with faculty experts, our students put theory into practice through on-site and off-site research opportunities.
Our faculty are leaders in their fields and mentors in the classroom.
Our faculty and students are actively engaged in research, scholarship and creative work. They publish intriguing research articles, exhibit original artwork, share their expertise at major conferences — and so much more.
Working closely with a faculty mentor, our students conduct, present, and publish cutting-edge empirical research. You’ll gain hands-on experience in the classroom and graduate with a remarkable record of publications, professional experience, and an extensive portfolio.
Research Centers and Resources
Research Labs
Our modern teaching laboratories are designed for high-impact, active-learning teaching and research practices and are capped at 16 students to increase faculty-student interactions. Four faculty-student research clusters foster interdisciplinary collaborations and include a biomedical ultrasound laboratory; a microscopy center; a separation, quantitation, and spectroscopy center, and three level two certified tissue culture and microorganisms laboratories.
Centers with a Focus on Research
Research is at the heart of the work done in many of the centers on campus.
Programs and Funds with a Research Component
The Office of Undergraduate Research and Fellowships offers a range of programs that support undergraduate academic and professional growth.
Student Research in the News
Student in Health and Exercise Science and Physical Therapy Accelerated 3+3 Program Publishes Paper in Peer-Reviewed Journal
Amoli Vad ’28 has published her first paper in a peer-reviewed journal. We spoke with Vad about what inspired her research and why she chose the 3+3 accelerated program at Simmons.
STEM Student Receives Research Scholarship from American Chemical Society
Biochemistry major and Literature and Writing minor Reagan Cleversey ’26 received the competitive James Flack Norris / Theodore William Richards Summer Research Scholarship from the American Chemical Society. She spoke with us about her passion for medicinal chemistry and the importance of mentorship.
Accelerated Degree Student Presents Poster on ChatGPT at Technical Symposium
Raneem Emad Amer Mousa ’25 is pursuing the Dual-Degree in Engineering Simmons offers in collaboration with Columbia University. Her research project, “Is ChatGPT the Academic Catalyst We’ve All Been Waiting For?” was accepted for inclusion in the SIGCSE Technical Symposium 2024.
Chemistry/Physics Student Accepted into Research Experience at UPenn
Annabelle Hannah ’25, a double-major in Chemistry and Physics, was accepted into the 2024 summer Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program at the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn). The 10-week program is funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF).
A Mother Follows Her Child’s Footsteps to a Simmons Education
During high school, Devin Ryan ’21 toured Simmons, where they later majored in Biology. Meanwhile, someone close to Ryan was also inspired by that campus tour: their mother, Misty Neader ’25MSW.
A Multidisciplinary Education: Irish Immersion, State House Internship, and Reproductive Health Research
Sociology major Gracyn Delaune ’24 reflects on her time abroad, impactful internships and research opportunities, her favorite professors and what it is like to attend school in Boston.
Merging a Scholarly Stance with Lived Experience
Africana Studies and Political Science double major Reham Zeroual ’24 discusses her engagement with Student Senate, her favorite courses and professors, as well as her experience as a first-generation college student.
Discovering Purpose and Community through Art, Service, and Song
Arts Administration major Calla Savelson ’24 shares how she gained professional experience and build a community for herself during her time at Simmons.
Alumnae/i Research in the News
From the Muddy River to Community Farms: Research Possibilities for Simmons Students
We spoke to Samantha Margolin '23 about how her research projects at Simmons prepared her to expand her confidence, and her burgeoning career.
Simmons Alumna Shares the Challenges and Rewards of Mental Health Therapy
Christa Perry ’23MSW is a mental health therapist for Embark Behavioral Health, a national company that provides mental health treatment to teens and young adults. Based in Vienna, Virginia, Perry counsels individuals and families in the eight-week Partial Hospitalization Program and the 15-week Intensive Outpatient Program.
Finding Community at Simmons as a Transfer Commuter Student
While at Simmons, Exercise Science major and Health Care Management minor Kiani Jacobs ’23 received the 2023 Senior Scholar Award and interned at the Harvard Medical Ginty Lab on Neurological Research. She reflects on the value of time spent in the lab, planning events with student groups, and finding her place — as a transfer student and a commuter — at Simmons.
Breaking Ground with Qualitative Research in Hospice Care
Stephanie Wladkowski ’14PhD was a clinical social worker in hospice care when policy changes impacted her clinical practice. In a search for answers, Wladkowski began her PhD in Social Work at Simmons. Her dissertation, “Dementia Caregivers and Live Discharge from Hospice: What Happens When Hospice Leaves?,” has inspired further research in the field.
Nathan Brewer ’10MSW ’18PhD on Protecting College Students
Nathan Brewer ’10MSW ’18PhD is Director of the Sexual Assault Response & Prevention Center (SARP) at Boston University (BU). After receiving his Master’s in Social Work from Simmons, he returned to the University to pursue his PhD in Social Work alongside his clinical practice. We spoke to Brewer about his experience in the program, and his current work at Boston University.
Mbita Mbao ‘22PhD Offers Wisdom and Caring for an Aging Population
When Mbita Mbao ’22PhD was looking for a doctoral program in social work, Simmons met all of her requirements: a Boston location and the ability to take all of her in-person classes in one day per week. More important than these criteria, Simmons had professors she clicked with.
Dr. Beryl Irene Bailey ’81 Champions Content-Based Literacy in Educational Leadership Magazine
In a new article published in Educational Leadership, Dr. Beryl Irene Bailey identifies the reason for flailing literacy among elementary school students and proposes an innovative solution.
Kyle Ganson ’20PhD Broadens the Gender Perspectives of Eating Disorders
Kyle T. Ganson is an Assistant Professor at the University of Toronto, Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work. As part of his studies at Simmons, he created the course “Social Work Assessment and Treatment of Eating Disorders,” to be taught in Spring 2024. We spoke to Ganson about his doctoral experience at Simmons and the inspiration behind the course.
Faculty Research in the News
2024 Simmons Faculty Awards Celebrates Stellar Researchers and Educators
Simmons faculty from various disciplines received awards in undergraduate and graduate teaching, research, service, and a commitment to DEI at the 2024 Faculty Awards.
For Simmons Professor, Researching Economics Lends Insight into Tackling World Poverty
Economics Professor Niloufer Sohrabji discusses what ignited her love for economics, how she shares that excitement with students, and her own research projects.
The Ongoing Battle for Transparency in Women’s Health
Professor and Director Val Leiter shares her recent research on the FDA’s role in marketing women’s health medical devices and her efforts to determine whether gender discrimination influences the oversight of medical devices for women.
Simmons School of Management Professors Co-author New Textbook on Public Relations
In their recently published book, Public Relations Planning, Professor Edward Vieira, Jr. and Associate Professor Yulong Li offer a comprehensive guide to strategic communication, replete with rich insights and academic research. We spoke with them about their approach to PR, advances in the field, and how Simmons offers students robust career training.
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National Science Foundation Grant Aims to Retain STEM Students
Sarah Rose Cavanagh, Senior Associate Director for Teaching and Learning in the Center for Faculty Excellence, was recently awarded a four-year $496K grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF). The goal of the funded project is to tackle high attrition rates in biology education at the undergraduate level by improving assessment and feedback practices.
Associate Professor Saher Selod Historicizes Islamophobia in the United States
Simmons’ Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (ODEI) hosted “Islamophobia in the United States: Understanding Past and Present Anti-Muslim Discrimination,” a virtual lecture by Associate Professor of Sociology and Director of Research for the Institute of Social Policy and Understanding Saher Selod. This talk chronicled the history of anti-Muslim racism and demonstrated how 9/11 instituted a new era of the racialization of Muslims.
School of Social Work Professor Studies Impact of Inequity on Preterm Birth
Joanna Almeida, professor and Eva Whiting White Endowed Chair at Simmons School of Social Work, was quoted in a MedicalXpress article about her new study of factors impacting preterm birth in the Commonwealth.
Simmons Faculty Research Student Perception of Medical Marijuana
A research paper by School of Nursing faculty Clark Cassone and Patricia Rissmiller was highlighted in the HempGazette, “Survey Finds US Nurse Practitioner Students Support Medical Cannabis.”