The Penn State Ecology Institute: Accelerating Research, Inspiring Solutions
Accelerating Research
The Penn State Ecology Institute brings together the best minds from diverse cultures, perspectives, and scientific backgrounds to accelerate research at the frontiers of ecological understanding. Our research community is rooted in five focus areas (Resilience and Adaptation, Ecosystem Services, Ecology at the Interface, Rapid Evolutionary Change, and Ecological Foundations) but flowers when these strengths are united. Our faculty, students, postdoctoral scholars, and partners are leaders in their fields, harnessing observations, data, and models to drive innovation and catalyze new scientific breakthroughs that enable deeper appreciation of Earth’s mysteries. Together, for example, we have used genetics to understand coral reef resilience, developed new immersive experiences to see forests of the future, and found new approaches for combating disease in cocoa plants. These and other innovations like them reflect the depth, breadth, and passion of our interdisciplinary research community.
Inspiring Solutions
Today’s environmental challenges are global and monumental, but not insurmountable. Penn State’s collaborative reach is powerful, which we harness to drive forward solutions that benefit society and the environment. Our research crosses the borders of scientific disciplines and campuses, ecosystems and continents, and societies and institutions. We conduct research in terrestrial (urban, agricultural, natural landscapes), freshwater, and marine systems, and work in every continent on the globe. We collaborate with indigenous communities, growers, conservation stewards, beekeepers, urban planners, and policymakers, bringing scientists and decision-makers together. Through these collaborations, we inform societal decision-making and inspire new voices to participate. Come join us.
