At WPI, collaboration is at the heart of not only student work, but also faculty research. Open, side-by-side lab spaces foster teamwork and communication among faculty members with different backgrounds, training, and research methods, regularly producing impressive results. From physicists joining forces with biologists on common biophysical problems to humanities professors working with engineers to develop more supportive spaces for LGBTQ+ science and engineering students, the collaboration of faculty members has proven invaluable to the WPI community. Scroll through to learn more.
WPI’s reputation as a rigorous and innovative university rests on the shoulders of its dedicated faculty. Faculty members here are involved in all aspects of campus life and thrill in the discoveries they make working with their students, with faculty colleagues at WPI, and with partners around the globe.
At WPI, the boundaries to multidisciplinary collaboration are low, and both research across disciplines and academic alliances occur easily and often, producing distinctive programs and innovative solutions. Biomedical engineering faculty members might collaborate with colleagues in the Foisie Business School to translate groundbreaking research into a new company, while life sciences and bioengineering faculty from multiple disciplines discover unexpected breakthroughs because they work side-by-side in open lab spaces.
Great Minds Multiplied
WPI believes that when great minds work together, great advances follow. Our collaborative environment encourages faculty members, students, and other partners to work together on the project work and cutting-edge research that are hallmarks of the WPI experience.

Building a More Equitable Faculty Promotion Process
A multidisciplinary team representing Arts & Sciences, Engineering, and Business received a $1 million ADVANCE grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to examine the university’s faculty promotion processes, identify areas of bias that may be impacting female faculty, and implement more equitable policies and practices. The grant, part of an NSF program to increase the participation and advancement of women in STEM careers, comes as universities nationwide are striving to recruit, develop, and retain a more diverse and gender-balanced faculty that better reflects their student bodies and the population as a whole.