Artificial Intelligence in Arts & Sciences

Faculty and students across the College of Arts & Sciences are working at the leading edge of AI, innovating in the use and development of AI tools.

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The Quantum Quest

Quantum science is poised to tackle problems of mind-boggling complexity, with Arts & Sciences faculty and students among those playing a key role in quantum research.

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Kai-Mei Fu working adjusting equipment for an quantum experiment in a UW lab.

New Materials Through Chemistry and 3D Printing

Chemistry professor Alshakim Nelson and his research team use 3D-printing technology to develop new materials with potential real-world applications in medicine, engineering, and sustainability.

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UW chemistry professor Alshakim Nelson in his lab

Research

Research with Impact

Faculty and students in all four divisions of the College of Arts & Sciences -- arts, humanities, natural sciences, and social sciences – pursue research to address to many of our world’s most pressing challenges. Their discoveries and innovative solutions have led to advances in areas from population health to quantum science to social justice and have pushed the boundaries of artistic creation.

Research Initiatives

Arts & Sciences researchers play key roles on ambitious projects that explore unresolved questions in particle physics, the origins of the universe, climate change, and more.

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Awards & Honors

Faculty in Arts & Sciences have received Nobel Prizes, MacArthur Fellowships, Sloan and PECASE awards, and many other top honors.

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Students & Research

Students work closely with faculty researchers, advancing the research in meaningful ways and gaining skills they can apply to the real world.

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Spotlight on Research

Can machines learn morality?

UW researchers at the Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences and in the Allen School are exploring the potential for training AI to value altruism.

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Research Highlights

  • Shen Yi seated with audiology equipment to test hearing in the background.

    An earful of AI

    Hearing aid technology is improving all the time with the help of AI, thanks to researchers like Shen Yi, professor of speech & hearing sciences.

  • Portrait photo of Christopher Adolph, standing outside with foliage in the background.

    Adolph Ranked #1 Among Political Scientists for Impact

    In a global ranking of research productivity of political scientists, UW Professor Christopher Adolph was ranked first globally for recent impact, thanks to his team's research on COVID-19 policies.

  • Ashleigh Therberge and research team members looking at equipment in her UW chemistry lab.

    How Chemistry is Transforming Clinical Research

    Ashleigh Theberge's UW lab creates bioanalytical chemistry tools. Some are transforming how clinical studies can be conducted. 

A&S Research in the News

A woman stands next to a giant clam that is taller than her fully extended arms.

A giant clam named Chowder is making waves at the Burke Museum

Discovered in Kansas, this clam is already going viral in Seattle.

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Get to know the ratfish and the forehead teeth it uses during sex

Scientists studied how ratfishes, also known as chimaeras or ghost sharks, ended up with one of evolutions most bizarre appendages. Research by Karly Cohen, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Washingtons Friday Harbor Labs, is mentioned.

Closeup of a portion of the James Webb telescope.

Will the James Webb telescope lead us to alien life? Scientists say we're getting closer than ever

Three years into its mission, the James Webb Space Telescope has advanced the search for alien life more than any machine before it. What will it find next? Victoria Meadows, professor of astronomy at the UW, is quoted.

Information for Media Contacts

Arts & Sciences Research Support Team

Xiaosong Li, associate dean for research, is responsible for the strategy, operations, and implementation of the College’s research program. Li, the Larry R. Dalton Endowed Chair in Chemistry, was previously associate vice provost for research cyberinfrastructure in the UW Office of Research.

Centers and Institutes

The College of Arts & Sciences is home to more than 30 interdisciplinary centers and has ties to many others, allowing scholars in diverse fields to collaborate on complex research questions.