Research Clusters of Excellence

The USC School of Social Work has created research clusters, or “communities,” that bring together a distinguished group of investigators with common academic interests, allowing for meaningful ways to foster interdisciplinary and community collaboration, and bolster high-impact research. The goal is to support the expansion of scholarship and innovative research by identifying and developing existing areas of excellence within the school, which include aging, behavioral health, child development and children’s services, homelessness, military and serious mental illness, as well as provide a framework for research and training at the doctoral level. Each cluster receives substantial funding in combination with external support to provide the team a pool of shared resources that can be used for research, teaching and scholarly dialogue.