Research at South Carolina
Research is a learning tool of the highest order at the University of South Carolina. Discovery allows us to illuminate history, contextualize the present, and help plan for what’s to come.
Scientific research, scholarship and creative activity abound throughout USC. That focused presence within nearly all colleges, departments and campuses of the state’s flagship university is one reason USC has earned the top research designation from the Carnegie Foundation.
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Future focused.
USC is home to interdisciplinary expert research teams that are exploring solutions to five scientific and societal challenges facing South Carolina. Their discoveries can have wider implications — benefitting any state grappling with these significant scientific and societal challenges.
Research Institutes -
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Research Spotlights
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2025: Year in review
Heading into 2025, the field of higher education faced significant challenges. But at the University of South Carolina, all signs point to dynamic growth and institutional strength.
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Marshall Scholarship finalist Michael Pitre studies the circuitry of the brain -- and plans a future in neurosurgery
South Carolina Honors College student Michael Pitre likes to get up around 3 a.m. on Tuesday and Thursday mornings to make the two-hour drive to Folly Beach to surf at the Washout before heading back to Columbia and his 11:40 a.m. class. It’s a regimen that aligns nicely with the Marshall Scholar finalist’s jam-packed schedule that includes earning his BARSC-MD degree in just three years, working as an emergency medical technician, and researching the circuitry of the brain on his way to becoming a neurosurgeon.
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Engineering prof named university's third-ever National Academy of Inventors fellow
Electrical engineering professor Guoan Wang got his first U.S. patent while in graduate school and now has more than 60 patents and more than 50 additional patents pending. He was elected to the National Academy of Inventors’ 2024 Class of Fellows, the highest professional distinction awarded to inventors.
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When darkness shines: How dark stars could illuminate the early universe
Scientists working with the James Webb Space Telescope discovered three unusual astronomical objects in early 2025, which may be examples of dark stars. Alexey Petrov, a USC endowed chair in physics, writes for The Conversation on how this could alter scientists’ understanding of how ordinary stars form.
Let's build a better world.
The resources of the University of South Carolina are poised to address local and global challenges. We work with public and private collaborators to provide our researchers with the resources and infrastructure they need to make a difference.
Partnership Opportunities