• Three women in green lab coats holding plants and notebooks talk inside a greenhouse. Three women in green lab coats holding plants and notebooks talk inside a greenhouse.

    Division for Research & Economic Development

  • A man in a suit and eyeglasses uses a remote control with a large red button to control two robotic arms. A man in a suit and eyeglasses uses a remote control with a large red button to control two robotic arms.

    Division for Research & Economic Development

  • A man and a woman stand and smile for a camera in front of a huge digital globe showing live weather patterns. A man and a woman stand and smile for a camera in front of a huge digital globe showing live weather patterns.

    Division for Research & Economic Development

  • A woman in a black sweater stands inside an ornately decorated library. A woman in a black sweater stands inside an ornately decorated library.

    Division for Research & Economic Development

Diverse, Relevant & Publicly Engaged Research

From advancing weather forecasting to using AI to predict tumor growth, researchers at the University at Albany are tackling some of society’s biggest challenges. 

The Division is committed to advancing research and scholarship, while training the next generation of scientists — including individuals from underrepresented groups, who make up over 40% of our student body. These efforts place UAlbany at 38th on U.S News & World Report's national social mobility rankings for 2022-23.

The University's total research and development expenditures, investment in graduate scholarships and the number of scientists working on cutting-edge research in state-of-the-art facilities ensures UAlbany’s place among the top-tier Carnegie Research-1 institutions. We are excited to further expand our research capabilities by reunifying UAlbany and CNSE.

 

New Frontiers to Health

Scientists can identify the origins of diseases by studying how RNA turns genes on and off, potentially leading to innovative disease treatments and possible cures.

Biological Science grad student Marissa Louis in RNA lab

The RNA Institute offers unique opportunities to researchers and trainees for collaboration and interdisciplinary research. We have more than 50 faculty working to understand the role of RNA in fundamental biological processes, developing RNA as a tool for science and harnessing this knowledge to improve human health. 

The RNA Institute is more than just a modern research facility. We are a collection of diverse and talented researchers and laboratories united by a common goal in understanding the role of RNA across different fields, including biology, chemistry, biomedical sciences, physics, and nanobiosciences. RNA forms the basis of our research, it is the common element that we study, build, modify and analyze as well as the building blocks that we use to construct tools, reporters, and therapies.

Our RNA Training Programs provide a multi-disciplinary curriculum with a focus on RNA and its health-related benefits. We develop our future science leaders by providing trainees from high school to post-doc students and beyond with comprehensive access to faculty, techniques, and collaborations within Biological Sciences, Biomedical Sciences, Chemistry, and Nanobiosciences. Our training includes the Doctoral RNA Training Program and the Undergraduate Summer Fellowship.
 

Ken Halvorsen and student researcher of the RNA Institute

One of The RNA Institute's strengths is the diversity of our faculty's research and range of disciplines. However, the diversity of our faculty and trainees lags behind the University at Albany's undergraduate population and surrounding communities. In line with UAlbany's mission to ensure that diversity, in its people and in its ideas, drives excellence in everything that it does, the Institute launched a multi-pronged approach to increase diversity and support inclusivity at the Institute and across STEM disciplines.
 

The RNA Institute hosted its inaugural RNA Day, inviting local students from the New York State’s Science Technology Entry Program (STEP) and Girls Inc. of the Greater Capital Region
The RNA Institute News
The RNA Institute, College of Arts and Sciences
Life Sciences 2033

1400 Washington Ave
Albany, NY 12222
United States

Phone
Fax
518-437-4456
Office Hours

On Site & By Phone: Monday - Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Twitter: @TheRNAInstitute

RNA Institute logo, College of Arts and Sciences