Research

A number of interconnected forces drive civilization towards a major transition in sustainability. These include the impending peak in world oil production, climate change, the erosion of most of planet’s renewable natural resources, and the struggle of developing nations to meet the basic needs of population and economic growth in a sustainable and equitable manner.

Boston University faculty and students perform a wide range of research in an effort to develop a more effective understanding of the impending sustainability transition. This research spans multiple disciplines, national and global scales, science and policy, renewable and nonrenewable resources, and quantitative and qualitative research methods. Some of the major research efforts are described below.

Go to the faculty page to see individual research interests.

Research Group Home Pages

• Climate and Vegetation Research Group
  Department of Geography and Environment
  PI: Ranga Myneni
• Aeroecology
  Center for Ecology and Conservation Biology
  PI: Thomas Kunz
• Bat Lab
  Center for Ecology and Conservation Biology
  PI: Thomas Kunz
• Energy Transitions
  Frederick S. Pardee Center for the Study of the Longer-Range Future
  PIs: Cutler J. Cleveland and Miquel Munoz
• Global Economic Governance Initiative
  Frederick S. Pardee Center for the Study of the Longer-Range Futur
  PI: Kevin Gallagher
• Governance in the Developing World
  Frederick S. Pardee Center for the Study of the Longer-Range Future
  PI: John Gerring
• MODIS Land Cover Group
  Department of Geography and Environment and Center for Remote Sensing
  PI: Mark Friedl
• Marine Integrated Decision Analysis System
  Department of Geography and Environment and Department of Biology
  PIs: Suchi Gopal, Les Kaufmann
• Climate and Earth History
  Department of Earth Sciences
• Energy and Carbon Metabolism of Boston
  Department of Geography and Environment
  PIs: Nathan Phillips and Lucy Hutyra 
  Nathan Phillips (CO-PI) and Lucy
  HutyrNathan Phillips (CO-PI) and Lucy
• Regulated Community Compliance Project
  Department of Geography and Environment
  PIs: Richard Reibstein and Cutler Cleveland
• Sustainable Electric Power Systems
  Department of  Mechanical Engineering
  PI: Michael Caramanis
• Fuel Cell Research Group
  Department of  Mechanical Engineering
  PI: Uday Pal
• Boston University Superfund Research Program
  Department of Environmental Health
  PI: David Ozonoff
• Energy Employees Medical Monitoring Program
  School of Public Health
• Laboratory of Integrated Nanophotonics & Biosensing Systems
  Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
  PI: Hatice Altug
• Smart Lighting Engineering Research
  College of Engineering
  PI: Thomas Little
• Optical Characterization and Nanophotonics Laboratory
  Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering
  PI: Bennett B. Goldberg
• Advanced Materials Process Control Laboratory
  Department of Mechanical Engineering
  PIs: Prof. Michael Gevelber, Soumendra Basu, Donald Wroblewski

Centers, Departments & Institutes

• Center for Ecology and Conservation Biology
  College of Arts and Sciences
• Center for Energy and Environmental Studies
  College of Arts and Sciences
• Center for Global Health & Development
  School of Public Health
• Center for Information and Systems Engineering
  College of Engineering
• Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Environmental Exposures and HealthSchool of Public Health
• Center for Nanoscience and Nanobiotechnology
• Center for Remote Sensing
  College of Arts and Sciences
• Clean Energy and Environmental Sustainability Initiative
  College of Arts and Sciences, College of Engineering, School of Management
• Department of Environmental Health
  School of Public Health
• Department of Geography and Environment
  College of Arts and Sciences
• Department of International Relations
  College of Arts and Sciences
• Frederick S. Pardee Center for the Study of the Longer-Range Future
  Office of the Provost
• Institute for Global Work
  School of Management
• Institute for Technology Entrepreneurship & Commercialization
  School of Management
• Smart Lighting Engineering Research Center
  College of Engineering