Research Centers

Auburn Engineering is one of the nation’s top 50 institutions in research expenditures. Pioneering research is underway in our 21 research centers and dozens of labs across campus, focused on producing technology and innovation that will help drive economic growth while improving human life on a global scale. Read more about Auburn Engineering’s quality indicators in research on page 8.

Alabama Center for Paper and Bioresource Engineering Advanced Manufacturing Research Center Alabama Micro/Nano Science and Technology Center Alabama Transportation Assistance Program Auburn University Detection and Food Safety Center Center for Advanced Vehicle and Extreme Environment Electronics Center for Bioenergy and Bioproducts Center for Cyber and Homeland Security Center for Microfibrous Materials Center for Polymers and Advanced Composites Cyber Research Center Erosion and Sediment Control Testing Facility Highway Research Center McCrary Institute MRI Research Center National Center for Additive Manufacturing Excellence National Center for Asphalt Technology NextFlex Alliance - Harsh Environment Node Occupational Safety, Ergonomics and Injury Prevention Center Thomas Walter Center for Technology Management Wireless Engineering Research and Education Center

AUBURN ENGINEERING OPENS $18 MILLION GAVIN RESEARCH LABORATORY

Charles Gavin National Center for Additive Manufacturing Excellence researchers

Auburn’s newly renovated Gavin Engineering Research Laboratory once housed a thriving textile engineering program for almost a century. Today, the building has been reinvigorated through an $18 million renovation to support a new generation of researchers and students, thanks to gifts of $10.5 million made possible by Charles E. Gavin III and his late wife, Carol Ann.

With more than 60,000 square feet of research space, the state-of-theart facility is now home to Auburn’s additive manufacturing research initiatives, the Center for Polymer and Advanced Composites, the Nuclear Power Generation Systems Program and other research enterprises. “Charles gave us a great charge, to have this building reformed to serve our region for the next 100 years,” said Christopher B. Roberts, dean of engineering. “Today, we’re doing just that. The promise of this building housing our lead faculty where they can conduct cutting-edge research and prepare our students for careers in the next generation are already taking place.” The south entrance of the Gavin Engineering Research Laboratory was also renovated to allow students more convenient entry to the building when coming from the heart of campus, while also providing accessibility to the Brown-Kopel Engineering Student Achievement Center, a comprehensive student-support facility that opened in August

2019.

AUBURN UNIVERSITY ACHIEVES CARNEGIE R1 STATUS

Elizabeth Lipke (left), the Mary and John H. Sanders Associate Professor of chemical engineering, and her Lipke Lab’s research focus includes cardiac regeneration and bioengineered 3-D cancer models, among other topics.

In another affirmation of its drive forward to excellence, Auburn University achieved a research milestone in 2018 – being elevated to an “R1” institution by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. The announcement followed a concerted effort by Auburn to elevate its commitment to life-saving research, most prominently with a new $5 million Presidential Awards for Interdisciplinary Research program that supports promising collaborative research across disciplines. An R1 designation by Carnegie is reserved for doctoral universities with the highest levels of research activity. Auburn was listed in the top 100 of such universities, raising its classification from an already lofty “high research” R2 classification to the “very high research activity” R1 label. “Auburn is known for solving real-world problems through its ground-breaking research, and the R1 classification is a reflection of that,” said Vice President for Research and Economic Development James Weyhenmeyer. “Auburn will continue to build upon its rich history of discovery and innovation, for the benefit of citizens in Alabama and beyond.”

Universities considered for the R1 designation must have awarded at least 20 research/scholarship doctoral degrees and had at least $5 million in total research expenditures, according to Carnegie’s classification website. Auburn has grown its research efforts in both STEM and non-STEM areas, furthering its institutional commitment to offer solutions to real-world problems and grow its reputation as a go-to university in providing results that transform and inspire.