Pacific University

News and Stories | Research

A man in a red hooded sweatshirt peers through a microcsope inside a dark lab room.

Pacific's Summer Undergraduate Research Program extends classroom into practical experience, providing research opportunities for students and faculty alike.

Roberts Receives $464,000 NIH Grant For Leishmania Research

The National Institutes of Health grant continues work to investigate potential treatment strategies for a deadly tropical disease.

Chemistry Beaker With Yellow-Green Substances With Students Studying In Background

Pacific Is Northwest's Top Private Research University For Sixth Consecutive Year

Pacific leads all private institutions in the Pacific Northwest in research and development spending and ranks among the top private institutions on the West Coast.

MFA Poet Sarah Martin Named Kwame Dawes Mapmakers Teaching Assistant

From Forest Grove To Researching The Mysteries Of The Universe

As Logan Switzer ’25 progressed in his educational career at Pacific University, an interest in particle physics and space sucked him in like a black hole. After a prestigious internship at CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, the recent graduate is looking to grad school and a career in astrophysics.

Fine Art or Commercial: Student Project Explores New Angle on Manga's Artistic Value

What separates "high" art from "low"? In his senior capstone, “Reclaiming Manga Aesthetics,” Justyn Lee ’25 explores Manga through an artistic lens. A double major in Japanese and art at Pacific University, Lee was inspired by his time studying in Japan. His project challenges the perception of Manga as merely a commercial product, calling for greater recognition of its aesthetic value and deeper appreciation for the craftsmanship behind the medium.

Three students work at a table in the Boxer Makerspace.

Fighting Disability Bias Through Purposeful Board Game Design

In a psychology of games class, Pacific students collaborated to create Crusaders for Change, a board game designed to challenge disability stereotypes, promote empathy, and celebrate diverse strengths.

Pacific Student Presenting At 2024 Undergraduate Research Conference

Pacific Recognized Among Top Research Colleges & Universities By Carnegie Foundation

Pacific University leads four private institutions in the Pacific Northwest to receive the designation from the Carnegie Foundation and the American Council on Education.

Students present posters at the 2024 Undergraduate Research Conference

Pacific Celebrates 30 Years of Undergraduate Research

As the No. 1 private research university in the Northwest, Pacific undergraduate research programs provide hands-on, experiential learning opportunities that prepare students for success.

Maggie Wigness '10 Sitting In Front Of A Computer

Developing The Next Generation Of Army Tactical Vehicles

Maggie Wigness '10 studies the intersection of robotics, artificial intelligence and machine learning as a senior computer scientist at the U.S. Army's DEVCOM Army Research Laboratory.

Professor Kara Lanning '07 and Brodie Buchert '25

(Re)Claim Jumpers: Keeping Portland's Reclaimed Natural Areas Healthy

Faculty member Kara Lanning '07 and student Brodie Buchert '25 are conducting research to identify water-based pathogens and their effective on native plants in reclaimed natural areas in Pacific's backyard.

Student And Professor Working Together In Chemistry Lab

Pacific Tops List Of Northwest's Private Research Institutions

Pacific ranks No. 1 among all private colleges in the Pacific Northwest in research and development and is among the top institutions on the West Coast.