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Columbia University Arts and Sciences

The Faculty of Arts and Sciences is the intellectual heart of Columbia University. Home to five schools, more than 1,000 faculty, 60 research centers and institutes, and 28 academic departments, we provide a transformative educational experience to more than 15,000 undergraduate, graduate and PhD students at Columbia – nearly half the student body.

Our field-defining research – anchored in the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences – engages fundamental questions about our society and our world, and supports Columbia’s broader mission to advance knowledge, learning, and impact at the highest levels.

Transformative Learning

The five schools within the Arts and Sciences comprise a vibrant community of learners, including pre-college, full-time undergraduate and graduate, non-traditional, and part-time students.

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Breakthrough Research

Arts and Sciences faculty and researchers are producing extraordinary discoveries that are reshaping our understanding of science, culture, society, and the universe.

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Research News

Columbia to Lead $20 Million National Research Center on Organismal Resilience

Funded by the National Science Foundation, the National Synthesis Center for Organismal Resilience will leverage real-world data and innovative AI techniques to improve understanding of how plants and animals build resilience in dynamic environments.

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Columbia Wins National Science Foundation Materials Research Science and Engineering Center for the Third Consecutive Time

July 30, 2026

Building on discoveries from its prior iteration, the center will shift its focus to developing advanced electronic materials for semiconductors, quantum devices, and more. 

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Tropical Trees Show Unexpected Capacity to Adapt to Drought

July 30, 2026

Most tropical tree species can adjust water-use strategies across rainfall conditions, offering hope in a warmer, drier world.

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Columbia University to Lead ARPA-H-Funded Effort to Transform Childbirth Through AI-Powered Maternal–Fetal Monitoring

July 24, 2026

The project is part of a national effort to transform obstetrics with intelligent sensing and real-time clinical decision support.

Academic Divisions

Our academic divisions are cornerstones of the A&S community, nurturing innovative teaching and scholarly research across the humanities, natural sciences, and social sciences.

Departments, Centers, and Institutes

Our departments, centers, and institutes are home to exceptional faculty and staff who undertake impactful work that extends well beyond Columbia's campus.

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Faculty News and Updates

Funded by the National Science Foundation, the National Synthesis Center for Organismal Resilience will leverage real-world data and innovative AI techniques to improve understanding of how plants and animals build resilience in dynamic environments.

Professor Göran Ekström tracks incidents like landslides and glacier collapse using tools once used only to monitor earthquakes.

This year’s new faculty include path-breaking mathematicians, political scientists, biologists, anthropologists, scholars of language and culture, and many others.