Focused Research Program
The Boston University Institute for Global Sustainability, in partnership with the Rafik B. Hariri Institute for Computing and Computational Science & Engineering, awards Focused Research Program funding to evolve and advance the university’s research in computing and data science around areas of strategic importance and emerging opportunity in sustainability.
Health Equity in the Wake of Continued Climate Change: Leveraging Big Data to Inform Action (2023/2024)
The health risks of climate change are unevenly distributed; the complexity with which these components interact spatially and temporally necessitates that climate equity analyses use new, interdisciplinary, data-driven approaches. This Focused Research Program will advance three complementary but distinct research themes with the goal of providing the Boston University climate and health research community access to shared resources to accelerate research, innovation, and translation in this area.
Research Themes
- Expanding the Climate Resilience Data Hub
- Visualizing Vulnerability and Inequity to Inform Action
- Modeling the Health Benefits of Heat Adaptation Strategies
Research Team Leaders
Data and Misinformation in an Era of Sustainability and Climate Change Crises (2022/2023)
Major climate disinformation initiative at Boston University—how climate lies spread, who they capture, and how to stop them.
To further understand the critical role of communication in shaping public opinion on climate in the United States, the Boston University Climate Disinformation Initiative analyzes the nature, origins, spread, and impacts of climate change mis- and disinformation, as well as the possibilities of mitigating misinformed beliefs. Learn more about the initiative’s emerging research insights shared at a May 2023 symposium.
