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Research Institutes and Centers


Advanced Imaging Facility

Dr. Greg Phillips, Facility Director

The AIF is a shared core facility under the Division of Science and Technology at CSI that houses advanced imaging systems including confocal, live-cell, transmission electron, scanning electron, and atomic force microscopes as well as dedicated lab space for specimen processing and analysis suites to allow researchers to prepare, image, and analyze samples at a single site. This facility is open to research scientists from all CUNY campuses. Scientists belonging to other academic institutions and industrial scientists are also invited to utilize the facility.

Center for Developmental Neuroscience and Developmental Disabilities

Dr. Greg Phillips, Interim Director

The Center for Developmental Neuroscience and Developmental Disabilities (CDNDD) is a CUNY Center that conducts, promotes, and sponsors research, education, and training in the developmental neurosciences with special emphasis on research and educational programs in the specific field of developmental disabilities. The Center serves as a hub for collaborative efforts between the College and other research institutions in offering a Master of Science degree in Neuroscience and Developmental Disabilities, and also partnering with the CUNY Doctoral programs in multiple disciplines in mentoring Ph.D. students. On the CSI campus, the Center has established research laboratories for investigations in cellular, molecular, behavioral, and clinical neuroscience and provides advanced research training for graduate and undergraduate students.

Center for Environmental Science

Dr. Alfred M. Levine, Director

The Center for Environmental Science, established in 1987, provides support for research and policy recommendations concerning environmental problems. One of the major purposes of the Center is to define and solve environmental problems on Staten Island and its environs through research that includes studies of respiratory diseases, toxic and carcinogenic chemicals in the air, and the population at risk for lung cancer.

Center for the Study of Staten Island: Staten Island Project (SIP)

Dr. Richard Flanagan and Dr. Jonathan Peters, Co-Directors

The Center for the Study of Staten Island is designed to integrate the work of the College with the public affairs concerns of the people of Staten Island. To that end, it mediates and facilitates the collaboration of the College's faculty, students, and staff with government, civic organizations, and businesses in order to identify and assist in finding solutions to the borough's pressing public issues. More specifically, the Center serves as an information and consultation resource to prepare citizens and leaders to make better informed decisions about public life; it fosters the development of faculty research and undergraduate and graduate education through engagement with the Staten Island community; and it builds bridges to other public affairs institutes and local communities as a spur to innovations in public life on Staten Island. Whenever possible, the Center seeks to partner with community groups and agencies in advancing initiatives of mutual interest and in fulfilling consonant missions.

While encouraging and facilitating debate that accommodates differing and sometimes conflicting positions on controversial issues crucial to the community, the Center is committed to maintaining a nonpartisan stance.

Center for Interdisciplinary Applied Mathematics and Computational Sciences

The Center for Interdisciplinary Applied Mathematics and Computational Sciences brings together a wide range of research faculty and students with interests in interdisciplinary applications of mathematics and computational science.

The Center’s activities include the use of the campus super-computer, faculty collaboration, grant writing, student mentoring, undergraduate research, and sponsored lectures. More information can be found at Center for Interdisciplinary Applied Mathematics.

Center for Engineered Polymeric Materials (CePM)

Dr. Qiao-Sheng Hu

The Center for Engineered Polymeric Materials (CePM) is a New York State Office of Science, Technology and Academic Research (NYSTAR) funded initiative. The Center’s mission is to conduct cutting-edge research in polymeric and nanoscale materials and to provide a conduit for the transfer of technology involving synergistic interaction among New York State industries, academic institutions and government laboratories. The University’s Doctoral program in Polymer Chemistry serves as the Center’s intellectual base.

CUNY High Performance Computer Center (HPCC) 

Building (1M) Room 206

The CUNY High Performance Computing Center (HPCC) advances the University’s educational and research mission by providing high-performance computing technology resources and technical assistance to CUNY faculty and students. The HPCC has a central role in the support of initiatives and sustaining intellectual growth by interacting with local and regional industries as well as the scientific community.  Across the University, researchers have achieved significant accomplishments and published works using the HPCC.  More information can be found at CUNY High Performance Computing Center.

CUNY Institute for Macromolecular Assemblies (MMA) 

Dr. Qiao-Sheng Hu

The Macromolecular Assemblies Institute (MMA) is a CUNY center positioned at the interface of chemistry, biology, physics and engineering that is based at The City College of New York but involves faculty from throughout CUNY (including several from CSI). The MMA has the goal of building on current research and educational programs throughout the City University of New York (CUNY) to address fundamental and applied questions at the frontier of life sciences research.

Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Laboratory

Building (6S)

Nuclear Magnetic Resonance spectroscopy (NMR) is a powerful technique that can provide information on molecular structure and dynamics at the atomic level. It has been widely used in chemistry, polymer and biology. The NMR facility at the College of Staten Island has two Varian high-field multinuclear spectrometers, Inova 600 and a 300 wide-bore. The Inova 300 is configured with a 5mm 2RF channel PFG probe tuned to 1H, 13C, 31P and other X-nuclei. It also can be configured with varian 7mm CP/MAS probe or DOTY XC-5 probe for solid materials investigation. The Inova 600 is usually configured with 5mm HCN cryoprobe in order to investigate structure and dynamics of biological macromolecules.