Research

Some people are born to spend or to save. It may actually just be in your genes. With an interest in individual investor behavior, Stephan Siegel, professor of finance and business economics at the University of Washington, set out to understand how people develop their financial habits.

New research quantifies the health of democracy at the state level — and Republican-governed states tend to perform much worse. Jake Grumbach, assistant professor of political science at the UW, is quoted.

The oldest known primate fossils were dated to just after the extinction event 66 million years ago —suggesting some primate ancestors lived even longer ago. Gregory Wilson Mantilla, professor of biology at the UW, is quoted.

An unexpected superconductor was beginning to look like a fluke, but a new theory and a second discovery has revealed that emergent quasiparticles may be behind the effect. Matthew Yankowitz, assistant professor of physics at the UW, is quoted.

A new study from a research team led by Munira Khalil, professor and chair of chemistry, explains the role of solvent molecules in light-driven electron transfer.

UW Physics Professor Miguel Morales has penned a math-free tour of quantum mechanics and technology

A new study by psychology researchers at the UW has found that a mindfulness program they created improves students' mental health. Liliana Lengua, psychology professor and director of the Center for Child and Family Well-Being, and Robyn Long, director of community programs and training for the Center for Child and Family Well-Being, are quoted.

A new study authored by Rodolfo Cortes Barragan, a postdoctoral researcher at the UW Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences, has found that "identification with all of humanity" preditcts whether someone will engage in "prosocial" behaviors during COVID-19.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, people who recognize the connections they share with others are more likely to wear a mask, follow health guidelines and help people, even at a potential cost to themselves, a new University of Washington study shows.

Bryn Bandt-Law, lead researcher and psychology graduate student, discusses the results of her study, which showed that traditionally feminine women are more likely to be believed when making accusations of sexual harassment.

While one would hope that cases of sexual harassment are treated very much on their merits, research from the University of Washington shows that this is sadly not the case. It finds that women who are young, who act and appear feminine, and who are “conventionally attractive” are far more likely to be believed in any accusations they make about sexual harassment.

A team from the University of Washington wanted to see if a computer vision system could learn to tell what is being played on a piano just from an overhead view of the keys and the player’s hands. The UW’s Eli Shlizerman, assistant professor in the applied mathematics and the electrical and computer engineering departments, and Kun Su and Xiulong Liu, doctoral students in electrical and computer engineering, created Audeo.

Take a look back at the last year of the UW's research of and adaptation to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Chantel Prat, associate professor of psychology, has co-authored a new study on reasoning and decision-making.

Jawbones and an assortment of teeth found in the Hell’s Creek formation of northeastern Montana are the oldest primate fossils ever discovered, according to newly published research. Gregory Wilson Mantilla, Burke Museum curator of vertebrate paleontology and professor of biology at the UW, is quoted.