Wayne State is a nationally recognized urban center of excellence in research and one of only 10 U.S. public universities in major cities holding the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching's designation as "doctoral university: highest research activity" by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, as well as the foundation's most comprehensive classification for community engagement. WSU is among the nation's top public universities for total research expenditures ($227.7 million) according to the National Science Foundation.
The College of Engineering's hands-on learning environment stems from studying and working under the direction of recognized world leaders who conduct pioneering research and development in interdisciplinary fields and disciplines such as:
- Automotive safety
- Big data and business analytics
- Biomedical and health care engineering
- Cyber-Physical Systems, Mobility and Autonomous Driving
- Green technologies
- Manufacturing
- Transportation
- Water
Spotlight

National Science Foundation’s CAREER and BRIDGE awards. Young Scientist Award from the International Congress on Catalysis. President of the Michigan Catalysis Society. Symposium chair for the 2014 ACS Catalysis Lectureship for the Advancement of Catalytic Science. Key to establishing WSU Nanoengineering. Multiple collaborations with local schools to engage K-12 students in science and engineering.
News
- Wayne State researchers receive National Science Foundation funds to study potential of AI-powered microtransit systems in at-risk communities
- Wayne State pharmacy, engineering researchers team up to examine barriers to birth control
- Civil engineering researchers receive ASCE Best Paper for study of labyrinth weirs
- Wayne State joins $10 million COVID-19 wastewater surveillance and testing project