Core Research Centers

Center for Biomechanical Engineering Research



CBER is an interdisciplinary center whose mission is to provide engineering science and clinical technology to reduce the impact of disease on the everyday life of individuals. CBER builds on a history of interaction between the Departments of Mechanical Engineering, Physical Therapy, Biological Sciences, and Kinesiology and Applied Physiology. A number of research topics are being addressed involving sports medicine (especially ACL injuries), medical imaging (especially MRI and ultrasound), modeling the neural control of limb movements, the use of FES and robots in rehabilitation following stroke, the prevention and treatment of osteoarthritis, modeling fatigue in skeletal muscle, and fluid and solute transport in bone.


Find out more by visiting CBER – Center for Biomechanical Engineering Research



Center for Composite Materials



The Center for Composite Materials was founded at the University of Delaware in 1974, and just four years later our consortium, Application of Composite Materials to Industrial Products, was established. Since then, we have collaborated with some 210 companies representing materials suppliers and end users in the aerospace, automotive, defense and durable goods industries.


Industry has provided more than $20 million in gift support to the Center in the three decades since we started the consortium, and we have used these funds to establish state-of-the-art facilities in our Composites Manufacturing Science Laboratory and our Application and Technology Transfer Laboratory as well as to support the work of our talented faculty, staff, and students.


Find out more by visiting CCM – Center for Composite Materials



Delaware Biotechnology Institute



The Delaware Biotechnology Institute is a magnet for life science research and development. We support multidisciplinary, collaborative academic research at all of Delaware’s research organizations including the University of Delaware, Delaware State University, Christiana Care Health System, Nemours / AI DuPont Hospital for Children, Wesley College, and Delaware Technical and Community College. We foster academic-industrial research partnerships and work to support the local bioscience industry (from start-ups to multinationals) in partnership with the Delaware Bioscience Association. We are also committed to inspiring the next generation scientist and the professional development of their teachers through our Science for All Delawareans outreach programs.


Find out more by visiting DBI – Delaware Biotechnology Institute



Delaware Rehabilitation Institute



The Delaware Rehabilitation Institute (DRI) is devoted to research, education and practice in rehabilitation. Our mission is to find innovative and improved ways to help people recover from injury and disease by providing an intellectual hub for clinicians, scientists, engineers and policy-makers to work together to improve the state of the art in rehabilitation medicine.


Our research ranges from the bench to the bedside, enabling us to take our breakthrough findings from the laboratory to the clinic and provide rehabilitation to the people of Delaware in all phases of the lifespan from infants to the elderly. DRI has more than 50 faculty members in five colleges and ten departments conducting research in this area across the University of Delaware campuses.


Find out more by visiting DRI – Delaware Rehabilitation Institute