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Explore the leading research, publications, honors, and awards from Northeastern University

Since 2006, Northeastern University has dramatically expanded its research enterprise, with particular emphasis on three global imperatives: health, security and sustainability. Working intentionally across disciplines, Northeastern faculty members are focused on solving real problems in the world. NGN Research tells the stories of these important accomplishments.

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A picture of space with bright, shining stars and purple and black background. — Photo by Image credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, CXC

What is dark energy? Scientists shine new light on outer space’s biggest, invisible question

Science & Technology

February 2, 2025

The final results from the six-year Dark Energy Survey show there are still more questions than answers but will impact astrophysics for decades, Northeastern’s Jonathan Blazek said.

The book "Remixing Race After Apartheid, with a mostly blue cover with a photograph of street musicians, is presented against a very colorful wall. — Francesca Inglese’s new book, Remixing Race After Apartheid. Photo by Matthew Modoono/Northeastern University

Carnival traditions are ‘remixing race’ in post-apartheid South Africa, researcher says

Society & Culture

January 23, 2025

A new book from Francesca Inglese centers the participants within Kaapse Klopse, a South African carnival tradition bringing together diverse peoples, despite a complex relationship to race.

A person in a doctor's coat types on a laptop, while icons hover in the air. — 12/22/25 – BOSTON, MA – Lawrence Ajayi, a chemical engineering PhD student in the REPRODUCE lab, measures a sample of coal in the Egan Research Center lab on Monday, Dec. 22, 2025. Photo by Alyssa Stone/Northeastern University

New research decodes hidden bias in health care LLMs

Science & Technology

January 28, 2025

Large language models contain racial biases that factor into their recommendations, even in clinical health care settings. Northeastern researchers found a way to reveal these racial associations in LLMs.

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Does String Theory Explain the Wiring of the Brain?

Senior author Albert-László Barabási, a distinguished professor and network scientist at Northeastern University, emphasizes that the paper isn’t claiming any profound, direct relationship between string theory and neuroscience.

There’s no mass shooting epidemic, but fear epidemic is real | Opinion

As someone who has studied mass killings for more than 40 years and manages the Associated Press/USA TODAY/Northeastern University Mass Killing Database, I’ve kept a close eye on the social factors and public policies that have contributed to upward and downward swings in mass killings.

Octopuses can become invisible. And now scientists are discovering their secrets.

How cephalopods achieve this instant camouflage is a mystery that has fascinated humans since at least 350 B.C., when Aristotle made observations on the subject, says Leila Deravi, an associate professor at Northeastern University whose BioMaterials Design Group specializes in biomimicry.

Local Study asks what it will take to get more Boston commuters to take the bus

Northeastern University PhD candidate Nail Bashan believes public transit is the best thing we can have in our cities. Bashan’s research focuses on urban mobility and the urban experience.

The Flu Really Is That Bad

Flu seasons, as a rule, differ drastically from one another, and “we don’t have a great understanding of why one ends up being more severe than another,” Samuel Scarpino, an infectious-disease-modeling researcher at Northeastern University, told me.

Trump declared fentanyl a weapon of mass destruction. What does it mean?

Leo Beletsky, a professor of law and health sciences at Northeastern University, discusses the latest Fentanyl crisis.

Video games may be a surprisingly good way to get a cognitive boost

Aaron Seitz, a professor of psychology and the director of the Brain Game Center for Mental Fitness and Well–being at Northeastern University, discusses how video games nehances complex cognitive skills.

Soundtracks of our lives

This is Rebecca Kleinberger. She is a professor of humanics and voice technology at Northeastern University, and much of her research focuses on the relationship we have to our own voice, what it sounds like to us and how we think it comes across to others.

Colorado River Water Contamination Is Impacting Certain Groups More: Report

Phil Brown, a professor of sociology and health sciences and director of the Social Science Environmental Health Research Institute at Northeastern University, told Newsweek: “The research points out that Native American, Hispanic and Black populations, have lower access to resources for mitigation and recovery, and less power in organizational and institution policies that provide water and monitor […]

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