Research at Purdue 

Purdue’s thriving culture of innovation dates to its earliest days 

As a land-grant institution, Purdue University was created in part to conduct research that improves the lives of people in Indiana and beyond. Whether feeding the hungry, healing the sick or introducing the next great technological innovation, researchers remain persistent in their pursuit of knowledge that will change the future. 

Discover why we’re one of the world’s top-ranked research facilities and learn about life-changing breakthroughs. 

Top 10
Most Innovative School in the U.S. Six Years Running U.S. News & World Report, 2024
$613M
Secured in Research Funding
#5
in the U.S. for Patents U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, 2023

Purdue scientist reflects on her passion for studying Mars’ geology, landscape

Briony Horgan grew up in Portland, Oregon, where, enjoying the mountains and volcanoes that surrounded the region, she developed a love of geology. A long-standing interest in space made Horgan realize she wasn’t confined to study rocks simply on Earth.

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The whitest paint is here – and it’s the coolest. Literally.

In an effort to curb global warming, Purdue University engineers have created the whitest paint yet. Coating buildings with this paint may one day cool them off enough to reduce the need for air conditioning, the researchers say.

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Engineering professor Andrew Whelton contributes to recovery efforts at communities impacted by wildfires like Maui, Hawaii.

Purdue professor ‘brings the world’ to help after Maui, Hawaii, wildfires

The sense of purpose that initially inspired Andrew Whelton still pushes him to help at disaster sites today.

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Imaging agent illuminates
lung cancer tumors

Surgery, especially surgery to remove cancerous tumors, relies on a range of tools and techniques, as well as on the skill of the surgeon. Now, new imaging agent Cytalux will make surgery to remove lung cancer tumors a little more exact.

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The Podcast Ep 85: Purdue Research Series | A Look Into Semiconductors With Mark Lundstrom

In this episode of “This Is Purdue,” we’re featuring the first guest in our Purdue Research Series, Mark Lundstrom, Purdue University’s chief semiconductor officer.

Purdue has developed a culture where discovery is the first step, not the final destination. Industry partners and entrepreneurs are aware of Purdue resources to bring innovations to the marketplace.

Mung Chiang

President, Purdue University

Research is about innovation. It’s the innovation engine that drives the country. That’s why it’s important. It is the thing that continues to give the U.S. a competitive advantage as a country, because we’re the ones on the leading edge making new discoveries that make a difference across the world.

Karen Plaut

Executive Vice President for Research, Purdue University

This MOU (memorandum of understanding) signed with Purdue University holds great significance for imec. It provides us with a unique opportunity to act as a major catalyst of worldwide semiconductor R&D in collaboration with a world-class American research university. This collaboration between these two R&D powerhouses from the U.S. and Europe underscores my strong conviction that international collaboration in semiconductor research and development is imperative for expediting progress by building on our strengths and innovating faster together.

Luc Van den hove

President and CEO, imec

Universities aren’t just places that present new knowledge; they’re places that create new knowledge, and students are essential to that. One of the things you see here at Purdue is that students at all levels — PhD, graduate and undergraduate students — are involved in research directly and will be involved directly in the activities at HARF (Purdue’s Hypersonics and Applied Research Facility).

Mark Lewis

CEO, Purdue Applied Research Institute

Read about the latest research breakthroughs from Purdue.

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Purdue baseball team hopes Intel partnership will help Boilermakers become ‘the fastest show on dirt’

Purdue is nation’s first college baseball program to make use of Intel’s innovative 3DAT human performance technology Purdue’s baseball team aims to be “the fastest show on dirt.” A partnership with Intel is helping the Boilermakers turn that aspirational motto…
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Podcast Ep. 49: Purdue-Discovered Drug Strengthens Fight Against Cancer

In this episode of “This Is Purdue,” we’re featuring a Boilermaker whose innovations are changing and saving lives across the world. Philip Low, Purdue University’s Presidential Scholar for Drug Discovery and the Ralph C. Corley Distinguished Professor of Chemistry, developed…
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Purdue scientist helps guide the eyes of soon-to-launch Webb Space Telescope, successor to Hubble

UPDATE: As of January 24, the JWST has reached its orbit. Now that the telescope is where it needs to be, it is beginning to turn on, test and calibrate instruments. This process will take about five months, with the first photos probably…
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Training computers to tease out the subtext behind the text

Computer scientists use machine learning to connect real-world events with text on social media and in news articles    It is hard enough for humans to interpret the deeper meaning and context of social media and news articles. Asking computers…
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FDA approves pioneering drug for ovarian cancer surgery

Purdue-developed imaging drug allowed surgeons to find additional cancer lesions Ovarian cancer patient Carol Giandonato admits to being apprehensive when her oncologist told her he wanted to make her cancer cells turn fluorescent green.  “Am I going to glow in the dark?…
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FDA Approves New Ovarian Cancer Detection Drug by Purdue Researcher

The latest cancer detection discovery by Philip Low of Purdue University could change outcomes for ovarian cancer patients forever. He developed a new drug called Cytalux that binds a fluorescent marker to cancer cells. This illuminating compound is the first…
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Podcast Ep. 45: Purdue’s Whitest Paint Appears in Guinness World Records

In this episode of This Is Purdue, we’re sharing a new update from our conversation with Xiulin Ruan, professor of mechanical engineering at Purdue University.  In an effort to curb global warming, Xiulin and his team created the whitest white…
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Researchers study the link between vitamin D and inflammation

An active metabolite of vitamin D—(not the over-the-counter version) — is involved in shutting down inflammation, which could potentially be beneficial in patients with severe COVID-19. Scientists recently gained insights into how vitamin D functions to reduce inflammation caused by…
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Expert on space junk: When spacecraft explode, answers may be in the debris left behind

Much of the space junk orbiting Earth won’t clean up itself – or tell you how it got there. Purdue University’s Carolin Frueh and her team are investigating what causes spacecraft to become space junk. Their findings are revealing ways to prevent…
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Electric vehicles could fully recharge in under 5 minutes with new charging station cable design

Purdue University engineers have invented a new, patent-pending charging station cable that would fully recharge certain electric vehicles in under five minutes – about the same amount of time it takes to fill up a gas tank. Today, chargers are…
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Purdue ranked #5 nationally for most STEM graduates

According to rankings announced by Forbes on August 20, 2021, Purdue ranked fifth nationwide for the most STEM undergraduate degrees awarded during the 2019-20 school year. The ranking further reinforces Purdue as Indiana’s STEM school and a national driver for innovation, committed to enhancing…
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Spacecraft deorbiting device developed at Purdue ready for upcoming test launch

UPDATE: The unmanned rocket carrying this drag sail exploded shortly after launch on Sept. 2. A drag sail that a team at Purdue University developed to pull launch vehicles in space back to Earth is scheduled to undergo a test launch on…
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