Wisconsin Research, Innovation, and Scholarly Excellence

The University of Wisconsin–Madison (UW–Madison) is a major U.S. public doctoral degree-granting university with prolific research activity, global reach and reputation. UW–Madison was originally named the University of Wisconsin and created when Wisconsin achieved statehood in 1848. It continues to be Wisconsin’s flagship teaching and research university with a statewide, national and international mission, offering programs at the undergraduate, graduate and professional levels in a wide range of fields, while engaging in extensive scholarly research, continuing adult education and public service.

UW–Madison will be a model public university in the 21st century, serving as a resource to the public, and working to enhance the quality of life in the state, the nation and the world. The University will remain a preeminent center for discovery, learning and engagement by opening new forms of access to citizens from every background; creating a welcoming, empowered and inclusive community; and preparing current and future generations to live satisfying, useful and ethical lives. In partnership with the state and with colleagues around the world, the University’s faculty, staff, and students will identify and address many of the state’s and the world’s most urgent and complex problems.

UW–Madison is ranked:

• #1 Best Hospitals in Wisconsin (2023)
• #13 Public University (U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges 2025)
• One of the Best Value Colleges (Princeton Review 2024)
• #39 in Worldwide Reputation, Top Learning Institution (Times Higher Education 2023)
• #8 Research Institution (NSF 2023)

UW–Madison faculty, staff, and students are already unlocking new applications for AI in disparate arenas — in medicine and materials science, in agriculture and communications — to answer hard questions and discover new possibilities in their research. UW–Madison researchers have employed AI to improve the diagnosis of genetic disorders, help farmers detect disease in their crops before it spreads, and to predict new materials based on the properties that would be most useful.

While AI systems are often computers able to perform tasks that would otherwise require human intelligence, campus-wide attention to RISE can help keep humanity central to those systems by also recruiting AI expertise in fields such as psychology, journalism and mass communication, and philosophy.

RISE-EARTH, which stands for Environment: Adaptation, Resilience, Technology, and Humanity, will strengthen the university’s ability to address challenges and opportunities related to the environment, translating discoveries into tangible benefits at home in Wisconsin and beyond.

RISE-EARTH will focus on two themes. The first is to reimagine economic and environmental systems to, for example, find innovative ways to revitalize communities with new modes of transportation or renew agricultural lands to reduce erosion and enhance biodiversity. The other will be aimed at building sustainable energy and technical systems — for instance, developing new clean energy technologies and ways to capture and store carbon.

To request a disability or pregnancy-related accommodation for any step in the hiring process (e.g., application, interview, pre-employment testing, etc.), please contact the Divisional Disability Representative (DDR) in the division you are applying to. Please make your request as soon as possible to help the university respond most effectively to you.