Centers and Institutes

Center for Restoration of Ecosystems and Watersheds (CREW) conducts research focusing on watershed biogeochemistry and ecological engineering, with an emphasis on natural infrastructure, nature-based solutions, and ecosystem services provided through creation and restoration of human-made ecosystems. 

Institute for Applied Surfactant Research (IASR) was established in 1986 as the first Research Center/Institute/Consortia at the University of Oklahoma. Although research grants from Federal and State agencies are an important part of the Institute, our core mission is to provide our industrial sponsors with the highest quality applied surfactant research in their areas of interest.

The Institute for Biomedical Engineering, Science and Technology (IBEST) connects research and education in bioscience and biomedical engineering across OU’s Norman and Oklahoma City campuses. Faculty from engineering and science departments collaborate with partners at the OU Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, and OU College of Arts and Sciences.

The Oklahoma Water Survey works to ensure sustainable water resources and protect aquatic and public health through leadership, research, and collaboration. Its mission is carried out through monitoring, outreach, research, and education (MORE), with goals to engage stakeholders, promote sustainable water management, and share Oklahoma-based solutions with the broader water community.

The Risk-Based Systems Analysis Laboratory focuses on the development of theory, methodology, and application towards risk-based decision making in engineering systems. Primary areas of interests lie in (i) modeling the reliability, resilience, and interdependent economic impacts of disruptions to critical infrastructure networks and (ii) enhancing data-driven decision making for large-scale system sustainment.

Shape engineering is the creation of data from physical components and assemblies through precision measurement, their preparation through mathematical models and computational methodology, and their transfer to manufacturing. SEAM seeks to provide cheaper, faster and better solutions for shape engineering, rapid manufacturing, and integrated information logistics.