Welcome

Tackling society's Grand Challenges - together

Researchers and students in the community showing their research in action

Bold, purpose-driven discovery

Wayne State’s Grand Challenges initiative unites researchers, students and partners to confront the most pressing issues facing society today — health, artificial intelligence, sustainable environments and smart mobility. Together, these teams turn bold ideas into real-world solutions, developing new therapies that improve lives, advancing ethical and powerful AI tools, designing sustainable urban neighborhoods, and creating technologies that make movement safer and smarter. From the heart of Detroit, they create solutions that shape the future of our city — and the world beyond.

Explore the Grand Challenges

Research facts

$291.7 million

Wayne State reported $291.7 million in research expenditures in FY24

75th

Ranked 75th by NSF among public research universities for R&D expenditures in FY24

432

Wayne State has 432 patents issued (U.S. and foreign) since FY15.

$94.4 million

NIH awards rose nearly 11% from FY17 to FY24

Key research areas spotlight

Metabolic

Researchers at Wayne State University are studying metabolic abnormalities that are associated with cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and many other disorders. Research studies include areas such as environmental modulators of metabolism and metabolic disease, circadian stress mechanisms in metabolic disorders, adipose tissue cell and molecular biology, novel obesity and diabetes therapeutics, metabolic genetics and inherited metabolic disorders, insulin resistance and diabetes, energy homeostasis, biolipid metabolism and inflammation, and more.

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