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COLLEGE OF LIBERAL ARTS AND SCIENCES

MENTORED RESEARCH

Physics professor works with students on research.

Students participate as valuable collaborators alongside faculty on research and scholarship that is at the forefront of knowledge creation.

This collaboration cultivates a community of learning—a team of faculty, graduate students and undergraduate students pursuing research for the betterment of society. Their research has real impact, with opportunities for students to have their name in published research and present their work at regional and national conferences. In this community of learning, faculty are not only teachers but also committed mentors who are invested in their students’ success. Faculty engage with students and encourage them to ask their own research questions.

Opportunities for collaborative and independent research and scholarship are critical for students' experiential and co-curricular learning and are made possible through a variety of programs and funding. 

External Grant Support: Faculty are currently working on critical research projects funded by both private and national entities, and these substantial grants enable professors to involve more students in their work.

Department Support: Academic departments offer additional research opportunities and support. Students should contact their research advisors, or the department chair, to inquire about such opportunities.

The Villanova Social Sciences Apprenticeship (VSSA): The College's VSSA program provides summer research opportunities. Students assist in faculty research projects and participate in a weekly research colloquium designed to help them contextualize their research experiences. Current students can learn more and apply.

Villanova's Center for Research and Fellowships offers meaningful research opportunities for undergraduate students, including the Match Research Program for First Year Students and the Villanova Undergraduate Research Fellows Summer Program.

COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY RESOURCES

STORIES OF DISCOVERY

STUDYING STRESS IN DNA

Matthew Domanico ’24 CLAS, Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience major with minors in Psychology and Spanish, focused his research on something every college student can relate to: stress. His collaboration with his advisor, Psychological and Brain Sciences Professor Benjamin Sachs, PhD, led to a fascinating project on the sex differences in stress-induced alterations of DNA methylation. “Previous research has shown that, in general, females are more susceptible to negative effects of stress,” shares Matthew.

PASSION FOR ASTROPHYSICS

The stars aligned for Kaitlyn Parrinello ’24 CLAS, Astronomy and Astrophysics and Italian Studies double major, during a summer in Trieste, Italy, where she was able to blend her passions for science and language, researching on behalf of a partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy and the Italian National Institute for Nuclear Physics. Reflecting on her studies, Kaitlyn is most proud of her research project with advisor Joey Neilsen, PhD, assistant professor of Physics, on X-ray binary systems called GRS 1915+105.

"CARING TO CARE"

Sarah Cotteta ’24 CLAS did her senior research project on “Caring to Care: An Evaluation of Elderly Healthcare in the United States.” Her interest in elderly healthcare in the United States grew during her first year of college as an EMT. Responding to various nursing homes, she witnessed both exemplary care and shortcomings in different facilities. “Despite healthcare’s considerable progress in adopting a holistic approach to patient care, exemplified by the biopsychosocial model, nursing home care seems to lag behind.”

A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT

Lauren Arnold ’25 CLAS is pursuing a research career focused on the intersection of human health and the environment, particularly in disadvantaged populations. As a first-year student, Lauren worked with Steven Goldsmith, PhD, Geography and the Environment. She also completed research with Jennifer Santoro, PhD, and Michele Gandy from the department to collect high-resolution drone imagery and process geographic information system visualizations for the Riverbend Education Center in Gladwyne, Pennsylvania.

LITERATURE THAT INSPIRES

“I’ve never been exposed to Filipino literature before and it’s so cool to see my own culture being represented on the page, something that I always wish I had when I was younger,” says Matt Villanueva ’24 MA, English. Matt’s graduate thesis on Filipino literature is inspired by his desire to create more accessibility and representation in scholarship. In addition to his personal research, Matt was a research assistant for Taught by Literature, led by English Professor Jean Lutes, PhD.