Centers, Institutes, & Learning Labs

With more than $1 billion in research funding, the University of Michigan conducts a vast array of interdisciplinary research, supported by a superb infrastructure. The university's many research institutes, centers, laboratories, preserves, and field stations are critical components of these research endeavors. Please browse the list below to learn about these entities—and their respective roles in supporting important sustainability research related to energy, water, climate, global change, transportation, behavior, systems analysis, and more.

Biological Station. Founded in 1909, this Northern Michigan facility is dedicated to education and research in field biology and related environmental sciences.
Camp Davis Rocky Mountain Field Station: U-M's Geological School has maintained this Wyoming field station since 1929, providing unparalleled learning experiences for students.
Center for Solar & Thermal Energy Conversion. With support from the U.S. Department of Energy, this center develops scientific strategies for maximizing energy-conversion efficiencies.
Center for Sustainable Systems. This center develops life-cycle based models and sustainability metrics for systems that meet societal needs.
Center for the Study of Complex Systems. Study of nonlinear, dynamical and adaptive systems.
Cooperative Institute for Limnology and Ecosystem Research (CILER). This institute serves as a focal point for collaborations between the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and university researchers in the Great Lakes region.
EASTlab. Environmental and sustainable technologies, or EASTlab, applies the concepts of design science to the study of what can be done to promote adoption of sustainable technologies.
Ecosystem Management Initiative. This entity promotes sustainable natural resource management through ecosystem-based teaching, research and outreach.
Edwin S. George Reserve: Since 1930, U-M has maintained this preserve for the purposes of providing research and education opportunities in the natural sciences and preserving the native flora and fauna
Erb Institute for Global Sustainable Enterprise. This institute produces transformative tools, knowledge, and leaders to create socially and environmentally sustainable economies.
Great Lakes Integrated Sciences and Assessments: GLISA is part of a national network of regional centers focused on adaptation to climate change and variability.
Graham Sustainability Institute. A university-wide partnership fostering interdisciplinary collaborations to advance translational research, transformative education, and institutional leadership for sustainability.
Institute for Fisheries Research. Inventory and modeling of inland lakes and rivers; inter-agency Great Lakes GIS for fisheries habitats and survey data.
Institute for Social Research. The world’s largest academic social science survey and research organization.
International Forestry Resources and Institutions Research Network. Forest governance and livelihoods; focus on data collection and analysis.
Laboratory for Atmospheric Science and Environmental Research. Expertise in atmospheric chemistry, climate modeling, global change, air quality modeling.
Matthaei Botanical Gardens and Nichols Arboretum: Established in 1907, the gardens and arboretum encompass 700+ acres of gardens, preserves, and research areas in Ann Arbor.
Michigan Sea Grant. Administered by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Michigan Sea Grant is a cooperative research and outreach program of U-M and Michigan State University.
Multicultural Environmental Leadership Development Institute. Works to increase diversity in environmental organizations and the broader environmental movement.
Risk Science Center. This center is dedicated to supporting science-informed decision-making on existing and emerging human health risks related to today's rapidly changing social, economic, and political global landscape.
Saginaw Forest: This 80-acre land parcel in Ann Arbor is used for forestry operations, research, and instruction. It was engifted to U-M in 1903 by U-M Regent Arthur Hill and his wife, Louise, from Saginaw , MI.
Sustainable Mobility & Accessibility Research & Transportation (SMART). This organization takes a systems approach to urban mobility and accessibility.
Transportation Energy Center. This center facilitates fundamental and applied research in advanced energy conversion and storage technologies.
U-M Energy Institute. This institute develops, coordinates, and promotes multidisciplinary energy research and education across the university.
U-M Water Center. This Center (within the Graham Sustainability Institute) guides efforts to protect and restore freshwater ecosystems, with an initial focus on the Great Lakes.
University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI). This institute provides interdisciplinary research to increase driving safety and transportation systems knowledge.