Kent State University has an internationally renowned Liquid Crystal Institute, which is the largest academic research center focused on liquid crystals in the world, with over 100 core faculty and visiting scientists. Liquid crystal related research spans liquid crystal displays, biosensors, nanotechnologies, films, photovoltaics, light modulating devices and other applications.

Through its Departments of Biological Sciences, Chemistry and affiliation with Northeastern Ohio Universities Colleges of Medicine and Pharmacy (NEOUCOM), Kent State is active in research and innovation in such areas as MRI contrast agents, biosensors, microbiogels and synthesis, and testing of novel pharmaceutical compounds.

Through its Department of Computer Science and College of Technology, information technologies are available for such applications from multi-media network traffic management and control for 4G information networks to air traffic control software.

Science labs across the university have developed nanotechnology innovations for such applications as carbon filtration, fuel cells, nano-liter viscometers, etc.

Kent State’s faculty have produced a wide range of other inventions and devices from improving communication through dichotic input of speech signals to anti-snoring devices to core measurement stand for portable scanners.