Volume 2, Issue 1 (2021)

The Jefferson research enterprise is robust and growing. We are having major impact across the research spectrum—from making fundamental discoveries on the nanoscale and atomic levels to the translation and application of new therapies, processes and products in health care, industry, local communities and multifaceted ecosystems.

The second issue of Thomas Jefferson University Research continues telling the story of the diverse research that occurs at Jefferson, using the theme of convergence. Jefferson researchers are moving past old boundaries to pursue opportunity and surmount our world’s most significant challenges.

This publication offers a glimpse of how convergent thinking is manifest across our institution. You can see it, for example, in the multidisciplinary team testing the first brain-implants designed to help stroke victims regain limb function; and in the novel solutions developed to address the challenges of caring for COVID-19 patients. Convergent thinking is evident in the ways that our faculty and student researchers are combining research from architecture, industrial design and occupational therapy to develop plans for smart, healthy cities. It is evident too in our hemp Industry research and development program, in which faculty and graduate students are using new knowledge about business systems, policy making, materials science, manufacturing processes and design to lay the foundation for a robust and sustainable new industry.