Physics professor Massimo Bertino holds up a small piece of glass in a room with computers and scientific equipment

Faculty Research

Our faculty conduct research on an extraordinarily diverse set of topics.

Their work ranges from the understanding of the histories of Native American people, to addressing inequality and disparities in education, to climate change and the development of alternative and efficient energy sources.

CHS faculty regularly win a variety of prestigious awards, fellowships and scholarships, including Woodrow Wilson fellowships and Fulbright scholarships. They also hold some of the largest grants at VCU, including center grants from the Centers for Disease Control to prevent youth violence and from the Federal Drug Administration and National Institutes of Health to understand the health consequences of e-cigarettes and the impact of policies put in place to regulate them.

Faculty Research in the News

After completing her Ph.D., Milan Marsh hopes to begin a career in industry, applying mathematical modeling to real-word problems. (Contributed image)

June 16, 2026

VCU and math have long been part of the equation for systems modeling student Milan Marsh

A high school program on campus helped propel her Ph.D. studies, which touch on biology and disease.

Award recipients of the VCU AHSS Fund are identified through a peer review process with an emphasis on projects that expand imagination, innovation, self-reflection and society as well as cultural identity. (File photo)

June 3, 2026

VCU drives societal change with 10 new Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences Fund awards

Nearly $100,000 is being awarded to fund projects on teacher education, AI, environmental governance, the history of Black dentistry and more.

Seeing double: VCU anthropologist Bernard K. Means’ latest project includes 3D-printing his own skull. (Jonathan Haff, Enterprise Marketing and Communications)

May 22, 2026

Hit by a cyclist, VCU professor has a 3D brainstorm

Bernard K. Means, director of the Virtual Curation Lab, turned his CT scan into a skull model that could offer lots of creative opportunities.

Faculty Research Videos