Tulane School of Science and Engineering

What Tulane School of Science and Engineering does

Tulane School of Science and Engineering (SSE) is an academic unit within Tulane University, a private research university headquartered in New Orleans, Louisiana. SSE serves approximately 2,685 undergraduate students plus graduate cohorts across 24 degree programs spanning science, engineering, and computational disciplines. The school is led by Dean Hridesh Rajan (appointed July 1, 2024) and operates under the 1,000 Day Plan, a strategic framework running April 5, 2025 through December 31, 2027 that organizes research and education around six initiatives: Precision Health Diagnostics and Therapeutics, Resilient Habitats and Communities, Space Science and Engineering, Cognitive Cyber Nexus, AI for All, and Undergraduate Research for All.

SSE's core research capabilities include microphysiological systems and organ-on-a-chip technology (Center of Excellence for Microphysiological Systems, 16 faculty), artificial intelligence (Center for Community-Engaged AI and Jurist Center for AI), coastal and river science (ByWater Institute, Coastal Research Lab), space science leveraging proximity to NASA Michoud and NASA Stennis Space Center, and neuroscience (Brain Institute). Marquee research programs include the Biden Cancer Moonshot intraoperative tumor imaging project (up to $23M, led by Dr. J. Quincy Brown and Dr. Brian Summa), the Court Watch NOLA AI criminal justice transparency platform ($1.5M NSF), and a $1.009M NSF CAREER award to Dr. Jennifer Fang for organ-on-a-chip work. Applied AI outputs (sawt.us, BlightWatch NOLA, Families Helping Families chatbot) extend the school's reach into community and civic applications.

Revenue is generated through tuition and fees across 24 programs, externally funded research grants (~$29M annually), private donations, and endowments. Distribution occurs through Tulane's centralized undergraduate admissions, departmental graduate recruitment, K-12 STEM pipeline programs (Tulane Science Scholars, GiST, BATS), online offerings including the Online Computer Science master's, and applied community/industry partnerships.

Name

Tulane School of Science and Engineering

Legal name

Tulane School of Science and Engineering

Website

https://sse.tulane.edu

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Tulane School of Science and Engineering is the science and engineering unit of Tulane University, serving 2,685 undergraduates and graduate cohorts across 24 degree programs with research strengths in microphysiological systems, AI, coastal science, and neuroscience.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (61131)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Technical Universities with Computing, Data & AI Focus (EDAHAEAK)

akta.pro secondary industry

Engineering & Technology Institutes (Comprehensive) (EDAHAEAA)

Keywords

• Higher education
• STEM research
• Engineering degrees
• Biomedical engineering
• Graduate programs

Headquarters

HQ city

New Orleans, Louisiana

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Tuition and Fees: Revenue from undergraduate and graduate tuition for science and engineering degree programs.
2. Research Grants and Sponsored Projects: $29M annually in new research grants from federal agencies including NSF, NIH, NASA, and DOE. Includes competitive awards such as the $23M Biden Cancer Moonshot imaging system grant and $1M NSF CAREER awards.
3. Private Donations and Endowments: Philanthropic contributions through the Tulane Development office supporting faculty chairs, facilities, and research initiatives. The 1,000 Day Plan explicitly seeks partnership support for talent, technology, and infrastructure investment.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Tulane School of Science and Engineering delivers undergraduate majors, master's degrees, and Ph.D. programs across science and engineering disciplines (24 degree programs serving 2,685 undergraduates), supported by $29M in annual new research grants. The school operates specialized research centers including the Center for Community-Engaged AI (CEAI), the Jurist Center for AI, the Center of Excellence for Microphysiological Systems, the Brain Institute, the ByWater Institute, and the Energy Institute, advancing research in organ-on-a-chip technology, artificial intelligence, coastal resilience, space science, and neuroscience.

Product overview

Tulane School of Science and Engineering is an academic institution offering a comprehensive portfolio of educational programs (24 degree programs serving 2,685 undergraduates) and research initiatives. The school operates two major AI research centers: the Center for Community-Engaged AI (CEAI) focused on human-centered AI applications in health, criminal justice, and civic technology; and the Jurist Center for AI focused on AI/ML research for societal benefit. The institution's flagship initiative is the 1,000 Day Plan encompassing six research priorities (Precision Health, Resilient Habitats, Space Science, Cognitive Cyber Nexus, AI for All, and Undergraduate Research). Notable technology programs include the organ-on-a-chip microphysiological systems, the Biden Cancer Moonshot imaging project ($23M), K-12 STEM outreach programs, and various AI-powered civic technology platforms developed through service learning and community partnerships.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• School of Science and Engineering Academic Programs Comprehensive portfolio of 24 degree programs across undergraduate majors, master's degrees, and Ph.D. programs in biological sciences, engineering, mathematics, physics, computer science, chemistry, psychology, and environmental sciences. Serves prospective and current students pursuing STEM education with hands-on research and civic engagement.
• AI Minor Degree Program Undergraduate minor degree program covering theoretical and applied aspects of artificial intelligence, with courses in machine learning, AI applications, and ethics. Designed for Tulane undergraduates seeking formal AI credentials.
• Online Computer Science Master's Program Online-delivered master's degree program in Computer Science providing remote student access to graduate-level computer science education through online.sse.tulane.edu.
• Center for Community-Engaged AI (CEAI) Multi-disciplinary research center conducting human-centered AI research, project-based learning, community outreach, workshops, and seed grants for AI research across health, criminal justice, micro-finance, social media, and civic technology applications.
• Jurist Center for Artificial Intelligence Research and education center focused on AI, machine learning, and data science applications toward healthcare diagnostics, immunotherapy, blockchain optimization, and urban accessibility using deep learning and explainable machine learning approaches.
• Center of Excellence for Microphysiological Systems Joint initiative between Schools of Science & Engineering and Medicine supporting 16 faculty members advancing stem cell core research and collaborative educational programming in microphysiological systems.
• Tulane Science Scholars Program (K-12 STEM Outreach) K-12 STEM education outreach programs inviting elementary through high-school students to design, build, and create through hands-on activities, including Girls in STEM at Tulane (GiST) and Boys At Tulane in STEM (BATS).
• Court Watch NOLA AI Transparency Platform AI-powered data analysis platform that combines court records, volunteer observations, and public records into a searchable database to identify trends, anomalies, and potential inequities in the New Orleans criminal court system.

Quantifiable outcome

• 24 degree programs across undergraduate, master's, and Ph.D. levels
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

AI capability10 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Court Watch NOLAcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 November 2024Three-year partnership to use AI to develop a data analysis platform for New Orleans criminal court system transparency. $1.5M NSF-funded project combining court records, volunteer observations, and public records into a comprehensive database to identify trends, anomalies, and potential inequities.
• NASA Michoud Assembly FacilitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic proximity partnership leveraging NASA's nearby Michoud facility for space science and engineering research initiatives, complementing the Space Science and Engineering research focus area.
• Stennis Space CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNASA partnership leveraging proximity to Stennis Space Center for rocket testing and space-related research collaborations in the Space Science and Engineering initiative.
• BoeingminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustry partnership supporting space science and engineering research through proximity-based collaboration opportunities with aerospace sector partners.
• Lockheed MartinminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustry partnership in space sector for potential research collaborations in aerospace engineering and advanced materials development.
• SpaceXminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommercial space industry partnership for collaborative opportunities in space science and engineering research initiatives.
• Engineers Without Borders USAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTulane chapter partnership with EWB-USA implementing international development projects including school bathroom facilities and borehole construction in Sokode Ando, Ghana for clean water access and sanitation.
• The Data CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndependent nonprofit bringing together data from multiple sources to support analysis on issues affecting Southeast Louisiana government, business, nonprofit, and community leaders.
• City of New Orleans Office of Information Technology and InnovationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMunicipal government partnership for civic technology projects including BlightWatch NOLA to track and report on blighted properties across the city using AI and data analytics.
• Families Helping Families of Greater New OrleansminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDisability resource center partnership to develop AI-powered chatbot enabling easier access to special education information and resources for parents of children with disabilities.
• Manning Family Children's HospitalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional sickle cell treatment center collaborating with Tulane's Regenerative Engineering and Education Laboratory (REEL) on stem cell therapy research, connecting laboratory discoveries with clinical care.
• Connolly Alexander Institute for Data Science (CAIDS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternal Tulane partnership with CAIDS providing seed grants for AI research across university including projects in social work, architecture, biology, and other disciplines.
• Stanford UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch collaboration on bat immune system study published in Science Advances, exploring how bats tolerate viruses without becoming seriously ill.
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative research partnership on bat immune system study investigating unique dual-copy antibody gene discovery in mammalian immune systems.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• Duke University Pratt School of Engineering: Private research university's engineering school with parallel portfolio of biomedical, civil, electrical, and computer science programs, and similar scale of research enterprise.
• Rice University School of Engineering and Computing: Private research university's engineering school, comparable in size and mission to Tulane SSE. Both offer interdisciplinary STEM research with strong faculty-student mentorship in a similar institutional context.
• Case Western Reserve University School of Engineering: Private research university's engineering school with comparable biomedical engineering, computing, and science programs. Similar in scale to Tulane SSE with parallel research portfolio.
• Vanderbilt University School of Engineering: Private research university engineering school offering undergraduate, master's, and Ph.D. programs across similar science and engineering disciplines with comparable scale and research emphasis.
• Brown University School of Engineering: Private research university's engineering school offering interdisciplinary STEM programs with strong undergraduate research culture, similar in mission and scale to Tulane SSE.
• Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute School of Engineering: Private polytechnic-focused institution with comparable engineering and science degree programs and similar research-intensive culture.

Broad incumbents

• Georgia Tech College of Sciences: Public STEM-dominant institution with substantially larger scale, comparable in offering biological sciences, mathematics, physics, and earth sciences undergraduate and graduate programs.
• MIT School of Engineering: Larger, more established STEM-dominant institution that competes with Tulane SSE for the same federal research funding, faculty talent, and top graduate students.
• Stanford University School of Engineering: Larger, more established STEM institution; Tulane has an active research collaboration with Stanford on bat immune system studies published in Science Advances, indicating engagement at the frontier of biomedical research.

Regional players

• University of Miami College of Engineering: Private research university engineering school located in a coastal metro similar to New Orleans. Comparable emphasis on biomedical engineering, civil/environmental engineering, and computing with coastal-resilience relevance.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/TulaneSSE
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCMBGeYHr0Lf2-2jXDLdCHuw
• Facebookfacebook.com/ssetulane
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/tulane-sse
• Instagraminstagram.com/ssetulane

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Subsidiaries8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Tulane School of Science and Engineering