The Center for the Environment launched July 1, 2023, as a cross-disciplinary hub that includes over 100 faculty and research staff members from eight schools.
The center functions in three key ways: as a collaboration hub, a research accelerator, and a signal booster. These roles help WashU faculty, staff, and students work together, advance new ideas, and share their work with the world.
Collaboration hub
- Brings people together to spark new connections and ideas.
- Hosts regular events such as the Environmental Research Collaboration Series and facilitates topical workshops championed by faculty.
- Runs the annual Environmental Research and Creativity Week.
Research accelerator
- Helps faculty teams pursue big research questions.
- Supports interdisciplinary groups seeking external funding through strategy, matchmaking, and proposal development.
- Offers project management support for complex, cross-school projects (such as the NSF-funded Trusted Tap Convergence Accelerator project).
Signal booster
Partners with University Advancement and Marketing & Communications to reach donors and external audiences.
Raises the visibility of WashU’s environmental work.
Highlights research and people through events, communications, and public engagement.
Mission
- Provide funding to support novel research questions being pursued through new collaborations
- Bring people together to brainstorm and discuss exploratory research
- Develop innovative research and curricular activities to provide applied experiential opportunities for faculty, staff, students and the community