We encourage our students to work alongside faculty and graduate students to conduct research as early as their first year. You’ll help our faculty—international leaders in their fields—make discoveries in everything from restoration ecology to human dimensions of the environment.
Our research provides a systems-level perspective to enhance environmental stewardship in the management and use of natural, agricultural, and urban systems in a socially responsible manner.
Applied Animal Ecology and Conservation
Address local and global challenges in animal conservation.
Environmental Social Sciences
Learn how to manage resources and environments to promote well-being, and improve environmental decision making and policy.
Global Environmental Change
Study how humans manage complex landscapes for climate stability, clean water, biodiversity, and thriving societies.
Landscape and Ecosystem Ecology
Focus on the effects of human activity on ecosystem proceses.
Microbial Communities & Functions
Study microbial communities and functions in several different areas.
Restoration Ecology
Study the responses of animals, plants and microorganisms in restored ecosystems.
Soil Science & Conservation
Study the broad chemical functionality of soil organic matter, nutrient cycles, and microbial communities.
Sustainable Agriculture & Agroecology
Apply ecological theory and systems analysis to understand and manage farming, food, and bioenergy systems.
Water Quality & Biogeochemistry
Study how the nutrients and chemicals transported from agricultural fields to surface waters impact streams.