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Research Institutes & Centers

The University of Alabama is leveraging its strengths to address some of the most pressing challenges facing society and improve quality of life for those in Alabama, the southeast and around the globe.

ALABAMA ANALYTICAL RESEARCH CENTER

metal die-cutting technology

AARC supports collaborative, multidisciplinary research involving instruments for electron, ion, and x-ray imaging, diffraction, and spectroscopy. This center works with researchers from UA and other universities, regional institutions, and stakeholders to accelerate discovery in a variety of fields.

AARC’s strength resides in its ability to facilitate transformative advancements through training and direct research assistance.

ALABAMA CYBER INITIATIVE

student in analytics lab

ACI advances the understanding of cyber issues and develops and implements a comprehensive cyber research and education program, creating a more secure, stable, and advanced digital future. ACI collaborates extensively with other UA institutes to provide expertise related to its main foci. The institute focuses extensively in

  • Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning
  • Critical Infrastructure Protection
  • Cybercrime
  • Cyber Infrastructure
  • Cyber Security

ALABAMA LIFE RESEARCH INSTITUTE

ALRI serves as a focal point for interdisciplinary biopsychosocial research that investigates the human condition at all levels to improve lives across the world. The institute collaborates with UA centers, other institutions, health care corporations, governmental agencies, and community-based organizations. ALRI pursues five research themes:

  • Rural Health and Health Disparities
  • Neuroscience
  • Biomedical Sciences
  • Environmental Sciences and Health
  • Implementation Science

ALABAMA TRANSPORTATION INSTITUTE

Automated, Connected, Electric, Shared & Safe Mobility

UA bridge at sunset

ATI facilitates and provides world-class leadership for interdisciplinary research, promoting transportation infrastructure, innovation, and advancements that impact Alabama and the nation. ATI supports collaborations around these emergent themes:

  • Digital Transportation
  • Connected Vehicles and Infrastructure
  • Transportation Safety, Security, and Accessibility
  • Electric Vehicles and Fuel Economy
  • Sustainable Transportation Infrastructure

ALABAMA WATER INSTITUTE

AWI supports a water-secure world by training the next generation of scientists. Additionally, the Global Water Security Center, part of AWI, investigates science applications that enable analysis of environmental (in)security regarding water, food, energy, and health nexus, providing decision-makers with reliable water intelligence. The institute partners with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) National Water Center and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Hydrologic Instrumentation Facility, both making a home on the UA campus, which makes Tuscaloosa the epicenter for water research and operations in the nation. The institute pursues four research themes:

  • Modeling and Remote Sensing
  • Integrated Water Resource Assessment
  • Management of Water Hazards
  • Water Security and Risk Communication

BOT-Designated Research Institutes & Centers

Officially Recognized Research Institutes and Centers by The University of Alabama System Board of Trustees