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Research Excellence and Impact
2024 GW Research Year in Review
“Invisible Scroll 墨隐若现” by graphic design student Xitong (Rocky) Yuan combines art and AI. Photo credit: Denny Henry (Corcoran BFA ’07)
From the Vice Provost for Research
At the George Washington University, 2024 will be remembered as a year of groundbreaking innovation and collaboration. Our prolific community of scholars is driving advances that have an impact far beyond our campus in the nation’s capital.
No year in review could possibly capture the breadth and scale of GW’s scholarly activity as a comprehensive research institution. On average, each week sees dozens of new peer reviewed publications, and each month brings new books, patents and faculty awards.
This year we forged new strategic partnerships that advanced our research and training programs in artificial intelligence and created footholds for international entrepreneurs. GW research and expertise led to new guidelines on labeling in the meat industry and informed new policy directions on teens and social media. And GW scholars secured grants that will fuel new projects in the study of ovarian cancer, autonomous aircraft security, and the intersection of climate change and public health.
Whether in a studio or a lab, or through policy papers and convenings, GW is converting ideas and new knowledge into action.
Together, we shape the future.
Robert H. Miller
Interim Vice Provost for Research
By the Numbers
4,000+
PUBLICATIONS
50+
BOOKS
~200
ACTIVE CLINICAL TRIALS
TOTAL RESEARCH EXPENDITURES*
$0
FEDERAL RESEARCH EXPENDITURES BY AGENCY
#26
AMONG U.S. UNIVERSITIES FOR ISSUED U.S. PATENTS PER RESEARCH EXPENDITURES
$330K
PRIZE MONEY AWARDED TO STUDENTS AND RECENT ALUMNI IN GW’S NEW VENTURE COMPETITION
Antibiotic Research Sparks Policy Shift
Findings from a study by the Antibiotic Resistance Action Center at GW's Milken Institute School of Public Health contributed to the USDA’s decision to revise its guidelines on beef labeled “raised without antibiotics.”
Guiding the Future of Peacekeeping
Professor Paul Williams from GW's Elliott School of International Affairs co-authored a report commissioned by the United Nations to inform the 2025 UN Peacekeeping Ministerial in Berlin, the theme of which is “The Future of Peacekeeping.”
Policy Action on Climate Change & Health
Tony Yang, associate dean for health policy and population science in GW's School of Nursing, was invited to join a bilateral policy project led by the UK Academy of Medical Sciences and the US National Academy of Medicine to develop policy actions on climate change and health.
Galvanizing Action to Save Restaurants
As part of a chef-led policy advocacy initiative, GW experts authored a report commissioned by the James Beard Foundation and GW’s Global Food Institute detailing how climate change will impact the restaurant industry, economy and job market.
Evidence-based Legislation on Social Media and Kids
Research published by Professor Vikram R. Bhargava in GW's School of Business informed a landmark bill in California aimed at tackling social media addiction among young people.
Local Sustainable Governance Lab
Remi Jedwab and Nina Kelsey, professors at GW's Elliott School of International Affairs, are leading a new policy lab that aims to make local governance around the world an effective force for measuring progress on climate change and sustainability.
New Research Initiatives
High-impact research at GW is supported by federal agencies, nonprofit organizations, individual donors, private foundations and more. Here are a few of the new research projects that launched in 2024.
Bridging Data Silos to Advance Biomedical Research
The Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) awarded a grant to a team of researchers, including from GW's School of Medicine and Health Sciences, to build a secure health data infrastructure that bridges data silos across healthcare and research institutions, enabling researchers to securely query health data while protecting patient privacy, fostering innovations in biomedical research and patient care.
Preventing Pregnancy-Related Infection and Death
The National Institutes of Health awarded the Biostatistics Center at GW's Milken Institute School of Public Health $11.6 million to lead a large randomized clinical trial to evaluate the efficacy and safety of an antibiotic treatment to prevent post-cesarean infections in women undergoing scheduled and pre-labor deliveries.
Climate Solutions to Advance Health and Justice
The National Institutes of Health awarded $3.7 million to researchers at GW's Milken Institute School of Public Health to launch the Research and Engagement for Action in Climate and Health Center, which will bring big data to bear on climate solutions that advance health and environmental justice.
Safeguarding Autonomous Aircraft
NASA awarded $6 million to a researcher in GW's School of Engineering and Applied Science to lead a multi-institutional project focused on protecting autonomous aircraft flying in high-density urban airspace from cyberattacks. The project will also train the next generation of aerospace engineers at the undergraduate and graduate levels.
Studying Long COVID in Veterans
The Department of Veterans Affairs awarded $1.9 million to a researcher in GW's School of Nursing to lead a study focused on understanding and mitigating the effects of long COVID in veterans, specifically how obesity may contribute to the intensity and duration of long COVID symptoms.
How Ovarian Cancer Evades the Immune System
The National Institutes of Health awarded $3.2 million to a cancer researcher at GW's School of Medicine and Health Sciences to investigate how changes in how genes are controlled can influence the growth of ovarian cancer and help it hide from the body's immune system.
Brain-based Research Experiences for Students
Jonathan Grooms, an associate professor of curriculum and pedagogy in GW's Graduate School of Education and Human Development, is collaborating on a project funded by the National Institutes of Health to provide DMV high school students and GW undergraduates with summer research experiences in neuroscience-focused research labs at Children’s National Hospital.
Managing Intra-Alliance Tensions
A new project funded by the Department of Defense and led by a research professor in GW’s Elliott School for International Affairs will study the territorial and maritime expansion by revisionist powers, including U.S. allies, to advance strategies for managing intra-alliance tensions.
Ethical and Safe Artificial Intelligence
GW’s Trustworthy AI Initiative partnered with SAIC, a Fortune 500 technology company, to connect GW experts with real-world AI projects. SAIC will collaborate with GW students on research while identifying the next wave of emerging leaders in ethical AI.
Growing D.C.'s Entrepreneurial Ecosystem
GW is partnering with the D.C. government, Open Avenues Foundation and the Golden Triangle Business Innovation District to bring international entrepreneurs and startups to Washington, DC through the Global Soft Landing Initiative, which will provide micro-internships for GW students.
AI Training for the Federal Government
GW's Law school partnered with the U.S. Government Services Administration to co-lead a series of training sessions on artificial intelligence for thousands of executive branch policymakers and senior leaders as part of GSA’s AI Community of Practice.
Stories & Discoveries
Check out some of our top research stories and discoveries from 2024.
Faculty Recognitions
A number of the university's scholars were recognized for their excellence and expertise by prestigious external institutions, including those highlighted here.
National Academy of Medicine
GW Law Dean Dayna Bowen Matthew, and Monika Kumari Goyal, professor of pediatrics and emergency medicine, were elected to the National Academy of Medicine, considered one of the highest honors in the fields of health and medicine.
National Academy of Inventors
Neal Sikka, professor of emergency medicine, and Charles Garris, professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering, were elected Fellows to the National Academy of Inventors in 2024 and 2023, respectively. Lijie Grace Zhang, professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering, and Narine Sarvazyan, professor of pharmacology and physiology, were also elected Senior Members to the National Academy of Inventors this year.
NSF CAREER Awards
The National Science Foundation awarded Sandy Kawano, assistant professor of biology, and Luyao Lu, associate professor of biomedical engineering, a Faculty Early Career Development Program (CAREER) award, the federal agency's most prestigious award for early career researchers.
2024 History Manuscript Award
The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics awarded its 2024 History Manuscript Award to Aaron Bateman, assistant professor of history and international affairs, for his manuscript, “A Space Renaissance: The Strategic Defense Initiative and the Arms Race.” Bateman's new book, “Weapons in Space: Technology, Politics, and the Rise and Fall of the Strategic Defense Initiative,” also won the 2024 Space History Book Prize from the Air Force Historical Foundation.
Fulbright Scholars
Fulbright Scholar Awards for 2024-2025 were awarded to Eric Cline, professor of classics, history and anthropology; Jacob A. English, director of the Center for Undergraduate Fellowships and Research; Ashwini Tambe, professor of women’s, gender, and sexuality studies and history; Allyson Vieira, assistant professor of Fine Arts; and Sidney Monroe Williams, assistant professor of theater and dance.
2024 Liberty Legacy Foundation Award
Gordon K. Mantler, associate professor of writing and of history, was awarded the 2024 Liberty Legacy Foundation Award from the Organization of American Historians, which recognizes the best book by a historian on the civil rights struggle from the beginnings of the nation to the present.
Best Books of the 21st Century
The New York Times Book Review included two books by Edward P. Jones, professor of English and an American novelist, in its "The 100 Best Books of the 21st Century." The books are "The Known World" and "All Aunt Hagar's Children."
Smithsonian Committee of Scholars
The Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum appointed Gayle Wald, professor of American Studies, to its Committee of Scholars “to guide the museum on content and provide input on the museum’s comprehensive plan to document the full spectrum of the experiences of women in the U.S. through exhibitions, public programs, research initiatives and education resources.”
Harvard Radcliffe Institute Fellow
The Harvard Radcliffe Institute awarded Jisoo M. Kim, associate professor of history, international affairs, and East Asian languages and literatures, its prestigious fellowship for 2024-2025. Kim will conduct research at the Schlesinger Library and work on a book that investigates the criminalization of heterosexual intimacies and unequal power structures in marriage in Korean history.
2024 Highly Cited Researchers
Management professor Herman Aguinis and global psychiatry professor Brandon Kohrt were named Highly Cited Researchers by Clarivate, a global analytics company. Aguinis and Kohrt have “authored multiple Highly Cited Papers™ which rank in the top 1% by citations for their field(s) and publication year in the Web of Science™ over the past decade.”
2024 Science Defender
The Union of Concerned Scientists named Rebekah Tromble, associate professor of media and public affairs and director of GW's Institute for Data, Democracy and Politics, a 2024 Science Defender. Science Defenders are “individuals or groups who have done outstanding work to defend science, or who have put science to work to help people and change the world for the better.”
Library of Congress Kluge Fellowship
The Library of Congress awarded Leniqueca Welcome, assistant professor of anthropology and international affairs, a Kluge Fellowship, enabling Welcome to focus on her book manuscript, which examines the criminalization and the operation of colonial technologies of anti-blackness over space and time in Trinidad.
From the 2024 Video Vault
Science Friday at GW
In 2024, GW brought the popular radio show Science Friday to the Lisner Auditorium where host Ira Flatow interviewed experts on everything from oyster farming to preserving historical documents.
Solving a Butterfly Evolutionary Mystery
A new study led by GW biology researchers revealed how an unexpected genetic mechanism influences the evolution of butterfly wing coloration.
GW Experts
GW's experts frequently explain their research findings and share their analysis and informed perspective on current events, offering valuable insights on critical issues.
Ready to Launch
GW doctoral student Nick Kirschner works alongside scientists at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center as part of GW's Space Act Agreement with NASA. Sylvain Guiriec, an associate professor of physics at GW and Kirschner's thesis director, is the founder and director of the agreement.