Research

Working closely with faculty experts, our students put theory into practice through on-site and off-site research opportunities.

Faculty member and student working in a lab

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.

“Faculty research and creative work are key ingredients for achieving the goals of our small university.”

— Provost Russell Pinizzotto

Research Centers and Resources


Students in a lab

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.

A student doing an experiment using a pipette in the science lab

Centers with a Focus on Research

Research is at the heart of the work done in many of the centers on campus.

Student Research in the News

Headshots of the 2024 Senior Scholar Award winners

Congratulations to the 2024 Senior Scholars

The annual Senior Scholar Award is sponsored by the Provost's Office and the Office of Undergraduate Research and Fellowships. The award recognizes six graduating seniors for their outstanding scholarship and contribution to a field of study.


Sunei Clarke ’24

Student Researcher Sunei Clarke ’24 Reflects on Simmons Black Oral History Project

Public Health major and Chemistry minor Sunei Clarke ’24 participated in the Simmons Black Oral History Project, conducting interviews with alumnae/i to document and memorialize the experiences of Black students at Simmons through the generations. Clarke spoke with us about the process of creating oral histories and the value of Africana Studies for all majors.


Tomb effigy for Eleanor of Aquitaine (d. 1204) at Fontrevaud Abbey, France. Wikimedia Commons.

Diana Myers ’24MS Aspires to Increase Access to Medieval Archives

Graduate student Diana Myers is pursuing a Master’s in Library Science and Information Science with a concentration in Archives Management. She plans to combine her archival experience with her research on medieval Europe to facilitate the public’s access to rare, premodern materials.


National Period Day 2019 in Boston from the Massachusetts Menstrual Equity Coalition website

Researcher-Activist Katarina Sousa ’24 Promotes Menstrual Equity in Massachusetts

Menstrual equity is an under-discussed and under-researched topic within academia, politics, and the general populace. Katarina Sousa ’24 is breaking the silence with her groundbreaking research and activism in Massachusetts.


Lauren Murphy (2nd from right) with a group of UN interns and staff at the 79th Commission Session

Laurel Murphy ’24MS Supports UN Delegates with a McGrath Research Grant

Laurel Murphy received a McGrath Global Research Grant to cover travel expenses for her internship at the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UN ESCAP) Library in Bangkok, Thailand, a collection of UN official documents...


Piper Alyea-Herman in front of posterboard

Piper Alyea-Herman '24 Presents Research at the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Conference

Biology major Piper Alyea-Herman has developed a deep interest in genetic research. In March, she gave a poster presentation at the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Conference (ASBMB) in Seattle, for which she received a competitive travel award...


Dusk shot of the Simmons MCB

Caitlin Curry '24 and Charlotte Rice '23 Co-present Research at the Eastern Psychology Association Annual Conference

On March 3, Caitlin Curry '24 and Charlotte Rice '23 delivered a poster presentation, "A Qualitative Analysis of Parenting Young Children during the COVID-19 Pandemic," at the Eastern Psychology Association Annual Conference in Boston. Their research reveals how families were...


The main campus building at Simmons University

Announcing the 2023 Senior Scholar Awards

The annual Senior Scholar Award is presented to six graduating seniors in recognition of outstanding scholarship and contribution to a field of study.


Faculty Research in the News

Illustration from the Daoyin tu demonstrating exercises for improving health, as part of the “nourishing life” branch of Chinese medicine

Assistant Professor of History Yunxin Li Examines Gendered Foundations of Ancient Chinese Medicine

In a recent article published in The Bulletin of the Jao Tsung-I Academy of Sinology, Assistant Professor of History Yunxin Li explores the role of women and gender in the theory and practice of medicine in ancient China. She spoke with us about her research and what she will reflect on during Women’s History Month.


Protestors holding signs at an anti-Islam protest in Washington D.C., March 3, 2011

Associate Professor Saher Selod Historicizes Islamophobia in the United States

On January 19, 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.


B Boy executing a freeze, circa 2014, Wikimedia (public domain)

Professor of Education Daren Graves Co-Edits Forthcoming Book on Hip Hop Education

In January 2024, Bloomsbury Publishing (London) will release The Bloomsbury Handbook of Hip Hop Pedagogy, co-edited by Daren Graves, Professor of Education and Social Work at Simmons, and Dr. Lauren Leigh Kelly, an Associate Professor of Education at Rutgers University. This collection is “the first reference work to cover the theory, history, research methodologies, and practice of Hip Hop pedagogy.”


A model of a Perfluorooctanoic acid molecule.

Associate Professor of Biology Eric Luth Co-Authors Scientific Article with Former Students

Neurobiologist Eric Luth recently co-authored a peer-reviewed article in the Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health, Part A (October 2021) with several of his students: Celine Breton ’21, Kaitlyn Kessel ’23, Ariel Robinson ’19, and Kainat Altaf ’22. The piece traces developmental abnormalities among worm populations after exposure to environmental contaminants.


Headshot of Suzanne Leonard

Why the World Needs Simmons: Insights on Contemporary Feminism from Professor Suzanne Leonard

Suzanne Leonard , Professor of Literature and Writing, and the director of the MA in Gender and Cultural Studies, teaches courses on Feminist Media Studies, Women's and Gender Studies, and American Literature at Simmons. The co-editor of Imagining We in...


Photo of Sheldon George

Professor of Literature and Writing Sheldon George Discusses Innovations of Black Women Writers

Professor and Department Chair Sheldon George has diverse research and teaching interests in literary and cultural theory, race, and psychoanalysis. He spoke with us about his new scholarship that explores Black women authors from around the world, as well as...


Professor of Social Work Johnnie Hamilton-Mason

Professor of Social Work Johnnie Hamilton-Mason Researches Leadership and Advocacy of Boston’s Black Women

Founded in 1919, the League of Women for Community Service is a Boston-based Black women's organization that still exists today. According to Professor Hamilton-Mason , the League helped cultivate Black womanhood in a nurturing and supportive way. Members of the...


Professor Teresa Fung

Professor of Nutrition Teresa T. Fung Wins the Monsen Award

Professor of Nutrition and Director of the Didactic Program in Dietetics Teresa T. Fung , ScD, RDN has been recognized by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics for her outstanding research. She spoke with us about this honor, her current...


Alumnae/i Research in the News

Mbita Mbao ‘22PhD

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 Dr. Johnnie Hamilton-Mason, Interim Director of the School of Social Work.


Dr. Beryl Irene Bailey's Punctuation Posse Patrol: cartoon images

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 T. Ganson ’20PhD

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.


Lynne Passanisi

Lynne Passanisi ’11 Reflects on the Broad Career Field a Math Degree Can Make Possible

What made you choose to study Mathematics at Simmons? Simmons had a great, small, close-knit community, with the bonus of being in the larger city of Boston — it had a little of everything! When I first visited Simmons, I...


Kaitlin Allair ’21MS sitting on a sofa with many flowering plants behind her

Kaitlin Allair ’21MS Researches Effects of Teen Media Use for the Digital Wellness Lab

Research librarian Kaitlin Allair shares insights on problematic teen social media use, the dangers of "sharenting," and other aspects of her research.


Eva Piernas '23

Eva Piernas' Journey from Simmons University to Infectious Disease Research ('23)

How Did Eva's Time at Simmons University Shape Her Path in Science? Eva Piernas, a recent 2023 alumni, reflected upon her journey at Simmons University, where she majored in Neuroscience on the neurobiology track and minored in Chemistry. As she...


Physics major Geraldina Cruz '23

Geraldina Cruz '23 Presents Research at Brigham and Women's Radiology Research Symposium

Physics major Geraldina Cruz '23 recently participated in the annual Radiology Research Symposium at Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) on May 25. Cruz was one of just two undergraduates who presented research alongside seasoned researchers at BWH. They spoke with...


Monica Alves with Boston skyline in the far background

Monica Alves ’16 Discusses Recent Career Change and Passion for Poetry

Environmental Science major Monica Alves’s first major career revolved around water science . Recently, she has transitioned into oncology-related research data. In this interview, Alves imparts advice on changing careers and discusses her love for writing children’s poetry. Tell us...