Centers, Institutes & Core Facilities

The mission of the Center for Collaborative Knowledge (CCK) is to support LSU’s central function as a place where ideas, expertise, and wisdom arise through conversations across colleges and between generations. As an incubator of innovative and engaged scholarship, the CCK fosters the development of undergraduate and graduate courses, workshops, reading groups, conferences, exhibitions, and other creative activities that span disciplinary divides and promote deeper thinking. The intended outcome of these pursuits is to inspire students and teachers to become leaders in the cultivation of knowledge and the implementation of solutions to complex problems. Learn more

The Center for Computation & Technology (CCT) at LSU is an innovative and interdisciplinary research environment, advancing computational sciences, technologies, and the disciplines they touch. The Center serves Louisiana through international collaboration, leading progress through revolutionary advancement in academia and industry. Learn more

The Center for Coastal Resiliency and the Coastal Sustainability Studio have merged to form the Coastal Ecosystem Design Studio.

The Center for Coastal Resiliency (CCR) is focused on the advancement and application of computational hydrodynamic and hydrologic models to include overland flow, river discharge, tides, wind-waves, and hurricane storm surge. Learn more. 

At the Coastal Sustainability Studio (CSS), scientists, engineers, and designers come together to intensively study and respond to issues of settlement, coastal restoration, flood protection, and the economy. CSS was conceived as a laboratory to develop new strategies that reduce risk to social, economic, and natural resources. The results of this design experimentation provide a sound basis for major policy decisions for adaptation through more sustainable land-use planning, protection, and education. Learn more

The LSU Cyber Center supports research and talent development in cybersecurity, one of the university’s highest priorities in its mission to protect the state and nation. Our faculty and students work at the intersection of cyber and defense, including energy and critical infrastructure, and collaborate closely with industry, law enforcement, intelligence, and local and state partners. The Center upholds LSU’s designation as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Operations by the National Security Agency, one of the largest National Science Foundation CyberCorps programs in the nation, and the first NSA-funded Cybersecurity Clinic for small businesses in Louisiana. LSU cyber students receive deep technical training in reverse engineering, malware analysis, software exploitation, memory and digital forensics, AI techniques in cyber, and AR/VR and hardware while working with faculty to solve cyber challenges in collaborative teams in top research labs. Learn more

Louisiana Sea Grant (LSG), based at Louisiana State University, is part of the National Sea Grant Program, a network made up of 34 programs located in each of the coastal and Great Lakes states and Puerto Rico. Sea Grant Programs work individually and in partnership to address major marine and coastal challenges. LSU was designated the nation’s thirteenth Sea Grant College in 1978. Louisiana Sea Grant had its Program Review in September 2019, conducted by the National Sea Grant Office/NOAA, and LSG was rated as “highest performance: exceeds expectations by an exceptional margin in most areas/aspects.” Learn more

The Louisiana Space Grant Consortium (LaSPACE) is a statewide consortium of academic institutions and other organizations that was established in 1991 under the National Space Grant College and Fellowship Program, a national network managed by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) that includes all 50 states along with the District of Columbia and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. LaSPACE is a consortium of institutions of higher education, state education boards, and non-profit organizations that coordinate statewide programs to strengthen aerospace research, education, and public outreach throughout the State of Louisiana. Learn more

The National Center for Advanced Manufacturing (NCAM), located at the NASA Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, is home to the partnership between NASA, the State of Louisiana, Louisiana State University, the University of New Orleans (UNO) and the UNO Research and Technology Foundation. NCAM, originally formed in 1999, is a state-of-the-art research and production center focused on applying advanced manufacturing technologies to lightweight composite and metallic materials in support of the NASA space program and adjacent industries. NCAM also has a strong educational role, sponsoring a coalition of Louisiana research universities, workforce development programs and STEM outreach initiatives. Learn more

The mission of the Coastal Studies Institute (CSI) is to facilitate the development and integration of knowledge in coastal science and engineering for sustainable deltaic coastlines; to inform policies promoting environmental and economic sustainability of the Mississippi River Delta, and of deltaic coasts around the world; and to enhance LSU research and education efforts in coastal regions and shelf seas around the world. Learn more

The LSU Energy Institute strengthens the university’s leadership—and resulting impact—in energy research, natural resource management, and innovation. It builds on the successes of LSU’s Institute for Energy Innovation, Center for Energy Studies, and the LSU-led FUEL team while assuming a leadership role in how the university engages with its partners—industry, communities, donors, and state and federal agencies—through collaboration and service. LSU’s Energy Institute includes Louisiana Geological Survey for effective stewardship and sustainable development of the natural resources of the state of Louisiana, helping the institute enhance the university’s ability to align interdisciplinary research and policy with Louisiana’s energy economy and environmental stewardship goals. Learn more

The Institute for the Health & Performance of Champions is a collaborative LSU initiative dedicated to advancing health, performance and well-being for individuals in high-demand roles across sports, military service, emergency response and operational and industrial work. Redefining what it means and takes to be a champion, the institute translates research into real-world impact—improving safety, resilience and quality of life for champions everywhere. Learn more

The LSU Minerals Processing Institute was established in 1979 as one of only 31 state mineral institutes by the U.S. Department of the Interior, which protects and manages the nation’s natural resources. The institute serves as a cornerstone of applied chemical engineering research at LSU. Its industry-driven focus on efficiency, environmental responsibility, and operational resilience positions LSU as a directly relevant academic partner to the national critical minerals challenge. Learn more

The mission of the Stephenson Disaster Management Institute is to save the lives of people and animals by continuously improving disaster management through leadership in applied research and executive education. Learn more

The Advanced Microscopy and Analytical Core (AMAC) is a university-wide unit managed by the LSU Office of Research & Economic Development (ORED) housed in the LSU Chemistry and Materials Building. AMAC hosts state-of-the-art equipment for light and fluorescence microscopy, electron beam microscopy and microanalysis, X-ray spectroscopy, and sample preparation. The facility is staffed by an experienced group of dedicated and professional research specialists. AMAC provides material characterization, image acquisition, and elemental analysis for resolving complex problems across many scientific and engineering disciplines including materials science and engineering, chemistry, life sciences, bioengineering, agriculture, food sciences, geology, and environmental sciences. Learn more

At LSU, digital twins are more than a capability or a course. They represent a technical and artistic approach to solving complex problems through intuitive, human-centered tools. By blending technical know-how and imagination to bridge physical and digital systems, dynamic data, and functional design, LSU experts are building both innovative technology and world-class technical talent for every discipline, from NASA to nature. Learn more

Louisiana Light Source (formerly called the Center for Advanced Microstructures and Devices, CAMD) is the only state-funded synchrotron facility in the country. LSU operates Louisiana Light Source to benefit researchers in Louisiana in the areas of basic and applied sciences, and in developing technologies associated with nanostructures and devices. By providing X-rays and equipment, as well as a principal part of the technological expertise, Louisiana Light Source forms a nucleus for the development of strong programs in nanofabrication, materials science, and other targeted areas of scientific and technological exploration. This nucleus attracts scientists and engineers from Louisiana, across the U.S. and nations around the world. These individuals, along with the Louisiana Light Source staff, provide the base of expertise necessary for technological development. Learn more

Since the 1980s, LSU’s Petroleum Engineering Research, Training & Testing (PERTT) Lab has evolved into a multi-million-dollar hub of innovation. Trusted by global energy leaders such as ExxonMobil, Shell, BP, Chevron, and others, PERTT is where cutting-edge ideas are field-tested and refined before deployment. LSU is the only U.S. university with six full-scale research wells, offering a safe, field-realistic environment to evaluate and advance technologies in oilfield operations, carbon transport and storage, and pipeline systems. The industrial-scale PERTT facility supports high-pressure, multiphase flow experimentation in field-scale tubulars, replicating real-world challenges in a controlled setting. Learn more

The LSU AgCenter provides innovation and support for Louisiana’s food and fiber sectors while growing agriculture’s valuable contributions to the state’s economy. Its educational efforts span nutrition and health, food safety, backyard gardening, disaster preparedness, storm recovery, youth development, managing insects and natural threats, economic development, resource conservation, and so much more. The AgCenter operates 14 research stations and extension offices in all 64 parishes. It has developed more than 64 rice varieties, 81 sugarcane varieties, and 32 sweet potato varieties, and its Louisiana 4-H youth program reaches more than 117,000 individuals each year. Learn more

LSU Innovation Park provides entrepreneurs and companies with the environment to grow your business. Our park amenities, experienced business consultants, resources at LSU, and throughout the state combine to provide advice, solutions, and access to capital and other resources all under one umbrella.

As the state’s flagship university, research is the cornerstone of LSU. Located just five miles south of the main campus, the LSU Innovation Park is the focal point for technological innovation and startup ventures in the Baton Rouge region as a dedicated complex for research commercialization. By helping researchers bring new technology to market, the LSU Innovation Park creates high quality companies and employment while benefitting both the Baton Rouge community and the state of Louisiana. Learn more

The U.S. National Science Foundation’s Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory in Livingston, Louisiana, is operated by California Institute of Technology (Caltech) and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and hosted by LSU. Designed to open the field of gravitational-wave astrophysics through the direct detection of gravitational waves predicted by Einstein’s General Theory of Relativity, LIGO’s multi-kilometer-scale gravitational wave detectors use laser interferometry to measure the minute ripples in space-time caused by passing gravitational waves from cataclysmic cosmic events such as colliding neutron stars or black holes, or by supernovae. LIGO made its first detection of gravitational waves, generated by a pair of colliding black holes some 1.3 billion light years away, in 2015. Learn more

LSU Health New Orleans operates six professional schools (Medicine, Graduate Studies, Dentistry, Nursing, Health Professions, and Public Health) and four Centers of Excellence, including the Neuroscience Center, the Alcohol and Drug Abuse Center, the Cardiovascular Center, and the Stanley S. Scott Cancer Center. Its Center for Translational Viral Oncology (Dr. John West) is supported through the COBRE program. Learn more

LSU Health Shreveport encompasses the Schools of Medicine, Graduate Studies, and Health Professions & Sciences with primary teaching hospitals in Shreveport and Monroe managed by Ochsner LSU Health. Additional teaching sites include the Overton Brooks VA Medical Center, Shriner’s Hospital for Children, Willis-Knighton Medical Center, CHRISTUS Health, and Rapides Regional Medical Center. Over 70% of the physicians and allied health professionals in northwest Louisiana received at least a portion of their training at LSU Health Shreveport, which also has two active COBRE programs: the Center for Redox Biology and Cardiovascular Disease (Dr. Chris Kevil) and the Center for Applied Immunology and Pathological Processes (Dr. Andrew Yurochko). Learn more

Pennington Biomedical Research Center (PBRC), a campus of the LSU System in Baton Rouge, was established in 1988 and is one of the nation’s leading institutions dedicated to nutrition, obesity, and metabolic health. Its 222-acre campus houses more than 600 faculty and staff, 44 laboratories and clinics, and 16 core service facilities spanning basic, clinical, and population science. Clinical infrastructure includes a 14-room inpatient unit, two whole-room indirect calorimeters, a metabolic kitchen, and imaging (MRI/MRS, DXA) and exercise-testing cores, complemented on the basic-science side by genomics, mass spectrometry, cell biology and bioimaging, comparative biology, and genetically engineered model cores. PBRC is home to the NIH-funded Nutrition Obesity Research Center, one of only 11 in the U.S., the NIGMS Metabolic Basis of Disease Center of Biomedical Research Excellence (Dr. Jacqueline Stephens, COBRE; Phase 2, 2025–2030), the Institute for Dementia Research & Prevention, the Center for Military Performance & Resilience, the Metamor Institute, and the Louisiana cohort of the NIH ECHO program. PBRC also leads the Louisiana Clinical and Translational Science (LA CaTS) Center, which links 10 Louisiana academic and healthcare institutions—including LSU, LSU Health New Orleans, LSU Health Shreveport, Tulane, Ochsner Health, and Xavier—to provide shared clinical research units, biostatistics and informatics support, community engagement, and pilot funding statewide. Learn more