Doctoral Program

The study led by Kristy Ferraro '24 PhD demonstrates how plant-fungal associations in ecosystems can mitigate the impact of calving animals in nitrogen cycling.

From greening global trade to reducing the “embodied” carbon emissions generated by building materials to de-fossilizing our economy through innovation in green chemistry and green engineering, Yale faculty and thought leaders participating in COP28 emphasized a multidisciplinary approach to addressing the climate crisis. 

Forests play a key role in mitigating climate change by removing and storing carbon dioxide, but they are facing increasing challenges. In the new Department of Energy report “Roads to Removal,” a team of YSE scientists map out a plan to reach critical climate goals by increasing the total forested area in the U.S., increasing the rate at which forests

• Read more about Spotlight: Reid Lewis 'MF20, PhD Candidate

With optimism and determination about the environmental challenges ahead, Yale School of the Environment graduating students — which included eight PhDs, 134 master’s, and 28 joint degrees — celebrated their accomplishments May 22 at Yale's Old Campus and Kroon Courtyard.

Scientists understand that fear of predation affects animal behavior within landscapes. Now, YSE researchers are using a similar hypothesis — which they are calling “social-ecological landscapes of fear” — to explore the need for conservationists to address negative human histories in their research.

• Read more about Siria Gámez PhD

• Read more about Danica Doroski ’21 PhD

A new study, co-authored by researchers from The Forest School at YSE, examines how New Haven’s urban forest patches change over time and management strategies for mid-size urban forests.

Andis Arietta’s doctoral research found that frogs have evolved in response to climate change in recent years, but that continued warming would likely outpace the species’s ability to adapt to extreme environmental change.

The increased spread of human-induced diseases to wildlife poses a growing challenge for ecosystem conservation. A Yale School of the Environment-led study that investigated the impacts of a mange outbreak that killed vicuñas in a protected area in the Argentine Andes found that it had unique effects on the ecology of the region.

Considerable research has been conducted on the growth of urban population, but very little is known about why urban land areas expand. In a recent paper, a YSE-led research team investigated the role of population and economic growth in affecting urban land expansion for more than 300 cities.

With the origins of the COVID-19 spurring conversations around the consumption and trade of wild animals from the global South, Yale researchers are taking a closer look to understand the role of “bushmeat” to create a more balanced narrative.

A recent YSE-led study published in Nature Communications found that the total indirect emissions from the supply of chain of electric vehicles pale in comparison to the same indirect emissions from fossil fuel-powered vehicles.

Once a student at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, Peter Berrill '21 PhD set aside the trumpet and forged a path to YSE, where he conducted doctoral research on residential energy systems in the U.S. and their effect on greenhouse gas emissions.