Cross section of a Beech Leaf Disease infected leaf (left) and healthy leaf (right) chemically stained with bleach shows that the veins are wider and less dense in symptomatic regions of the leaf — photo courtesy of Craig Brodersen. Read about the research
Faculty & Research
Learned in the classroom, practiced in the field, impacting our world.
On This Page
Our faculty, students, and alumni are conducting innovative research that is changing how we understand and approach the environment, conservation, and sustainability. We’re turning wood into biodegradable plastics, re-imagining the urban tree lifecycle, and engineering plants to fight climate change — creating critical knowledge and new perspectives to solve environmental challenges across multiple disciplines and scales.
Faculty
Yale School of the Environment faculty are a diverse group of field-defining scholars who continue to break new ground in the areas of biodiversity, climate change, energy, policy, business, industrial ecology and green chemistry, urban systems, and environmental justice, among other disciplines.
Recent Research
- Journal of Economic Literature2025-12-01
- Atmospheric Environment2025-11-01
- Environmental Research Letters2025-10-31
- Asia-Pacific Journal of Atmospheric Sciences2025-10-29
- 2025-10-29
Research in the News
YSE Research Day 2026
At the Yale School of the Environment's 42nd Annual Research Day on April 10, students from across the school came together to share their ongoing research and latest findings. From indoor air pollution in Ghana to Connecticut's urban coastal wetlands to mangrove forests in Southeast Asia to the understudied amphibian population — listen to these emerging climate leaders talk about the hows and whys of their work and where they hope to go from here.
Brandon Lewis
PhD Candidate
Indoor Air Pollution in the Accra Metropolis, Ghana
Sam Blair
’26 MESc
Climate and Connecticut's Urban Coastal Wetlands
Allen Gil
’26 MFS
Patterns and Impacts of Mangrove Forest Fragmentation In Southeast Asian Cities
Kaley Sperling
’26 MESc
Long-term Impacts of Tree Canopy Removal on Vernal Pond Amphibians
Impact through Centers, Programs, and Initiatives
Students, faculty, and staff come together within more than 20 YSE-affiliated centers and programs, which provide collaborative research opportunities, relevant professional experience, and engaging conferences and outreach programs.
Yale Program on Climate Change Communication (YPCCC)
YPCCC is a leader in climate change communication, tracking Americans’ perception of climate change at all scales and building public and political will for climate action.
Urban Resources Initiative
Making New Haven cleaner and greener, URI works with local partners to plant trees, restore community green spaces, and build bioswales to filter stormwater runoff.
Environmental Leadership Training Initiative (ELTI)
In critical natural landscapes rich in biodiversity, ELTI empowers local leaders to design and implement land use practices and initiatives that protect tropical forests and the livelihoods of local landowners and their communities.
Yale Forests
Our homes away from home, the Yale Forests manage 10,777 acres of forestland that provide educational, research, and professional opportunities to the Yale community and beyond.
The Forests Dialogue (TFD)
The Forests Dialogue provides a platform for ongoing, multi-stakeholder conversations focused on collaborative solutions to challenges in achieving sustainable forest management and forest conservation.
Tropical Resources Institute (TRI)
The Tropical Resources Institute supports student research and on-campus programming aimed at solutions to complex challenges within the conservation and management of tropical environments.
Affiliated: Yale Center for Natural Carbon Capture
Scientific research for natural solutions to mitigate climate change
Center for Industrial Ecology (CIE)
Leading the way in an emerging field, the Center for Industrial Ecology focuses research, teaching, and outreach on how resources are converted to products, the pollution that comes from these processes, and opportunities to reduce resource use and pollution.
ELM Certificate for Postdocs
The Environmental Leadership and Mentoring (ELM) Certificate is a nine-month transformative program that aims to empower environmentally focused postdoctoral scholars at Yale University with the vital skills and knowledge needed to excel as leaders and mentors in their respective fields.