Research and Scholarship
Perfecting the art and science of discovery.
At William & Mary, research isn’t something that’s confined to a basement lab attended by a lonely graduate student. Here, research is at the heart of a unique academic culture where every facet of student, faculty and institutional life is infused with original scholarship and hands-on inquiry.
W&M is the kind of place where a biology professor will bring two sophomores with her to a national academic conference. Not as a field trip. But because they’re co-authors of the paper she’s going to present. It’s the kind of place where an undergraduate honors thesis leads to a multi-million dollar research grant that leads to a book contract that leads to an international research partnership (yes, it happened and it’s called PLAID).
Or look at the Muscarelle Museum of Art. At most colleges, the museum is a dusty curiosity separated from the daily lives of students and faculty. At W&M, the museum is a powerful, living research tool for our world-class art history and American studies programs. As early as freshman year, art history students have access to the museum’s vast archives, where they can examine paintings that have never been evaluated by the eyes of a scholar. Until now.
Scholars Without Borders
W&M faculty are encouraged to follow their intellectual passions even if it takes them far from their home department. Consider historian Scott Nelson, whose scholarly meanderings into anthropology, musicology, anatomy, geology, engineering and law resulted in Steel Drivin’ Man, a compelling portrait of John Henry that won numerous awards and even book-jacket praise from Bruce Springsteen.
A Team Effort
At most research universities, a deep moat separates undergraduates from the world of graduate and faculty research projects with only the bravest few seniors daring to cross it. At W&M, we’ve filled the moat—and everyone wins. Undergraduates get unequalled hands-on experience. Graduate students evolve from research workhorses to innovators and mentors. And faculty get to blend their personal scholarly endeavors with their one true love: teaching.
Structured for Success
Our over 20 research centers and institutes are designed to serve scholars with common interests but uncommon backgrounds. They’re places where top minds can collaborate on bold, interdisciplinary problem solving. W&M’s prime location—close to Colonial Williamsburg, the NASA Langley Research Lab and the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility—plus our on-campus facilities, libraries and collections make us a national research destination.
The W&M administration is continuously working to provide the best resources and support for our scholars, matching student and faculty researchers with the internal and external funding they need to excel. The Grants & Research Administration office fosters a supportive environment for faculty who engage in externally sponsored research and programs by assisting and managing funding opportunities.
Learn more about the vibrant research and scholarship culture at William & Mary:
