Actionable Research

Our  research requires interdisciplinary collaboration, bringing the brightest of the bright together to solve the world’s current and future problems. We call it “actionable research” — that is, scientific progress toward real-world solutions that can have an immediate and/or lasting impact on the world we live in.

iSEE-Affiliated Centers & Large-Scale Projects

Monthly Research Newsletters

Check out our research video playlist!

iSEE has compiled dozens of videos highlighting some of its research programs. View them on YouTube >>>

Two samples from 2024:

Illinois Research Scholars

The Institute is committed to showcasing the numerous research strengths that can be found on the Illinois campus that relate to sustainability, energy, and the environment. Thus far, iSEE has coalesced the Water Scholars, the Energy Scholars, the Global Climate Change Scholars and the Sustainable Agriculture Scholars on campus to showcase the breadth and depth of expertise on campus — and to make it easier for researchers and funding organizations to bring together major research teams and centers.

iSEE’s Research Themes

The Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment (iSEE) seed-funds, secures multimillion-dollar external grants, and shepherds projects, centers, and initiatives in five distinct themes:

From changes in precipitation and storm activity to increases in ocean temperatures and sea levels, the indicators of climate change are all around us — with dramatic impacts on human health, our ecosystems, and society. These impacts pose even greater risks for agriculture, food and water supplies in developing nations — projected to experience the largest percentage of the world’s growth from now until 2100. These threats could quickly erase recent gains in the fight against poverty, hunger and disease.

Energy, a vital part of the world economy, is needed in ever-increasing amounts to sustain economic growth, raise living standards and reduce poverty. As the world’s population grows and economies become more industrialized, nonrenewable energy sources will become scarcer and costlier. In fact, some reports caution that the world will need 40% more energy by 2030. That energy will need to be found in renewable sources — quickly and with reliability.

With growing populations and higher demand for food, the impact of climate change could result in an increase of 20% of the world’s people at risk of chronic hunger, according to the World Health Organization. The gap between agricultural production and demand can be closed by expanding farming to currently marginal or unused land, substituting new types of crops, and adopting new technologies — particularly in developing nations affected by large rainfall variations and reduced water availability.

In less than a century, the U.S. has experienced a major societal transition from designing and building urban environments and the associated pathways between destinations to maintaining the operational infrastructure of communities. From massive repairs of aging systems for water, sanitation and more, to developing new improvements to preserve natural resources, it’s imperative that we harness technology and public policy across engineering and urban planning disciplines to create sustainable solutions.

Natural resources — fresh water, clean air, forests, grasslands, and marine assets — provide not only sustenance for humans and wildlife, but also a foundation for social and economic development. Degradation and loss of natural assets is a major threat to 85% of all species, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List. What’s more, pollution is causing debilitating mutations to fish and animals while imposing unsafe levels of toxins to our food supply.