The MSSI conducts its research through the lenses of five themes: Creating Sustainable Materials, Adapting Urban Environments, Sustainable Landscapes, Sustainability Transitions, CleanTech for Carbon and Energy Cycles. MSSI's themes encourage a targeted approach to sustainability research that address critical environmental and societal needs, while bringing together a diverse cohort of researchers to do so.
MSSI Research Themes
Creating Sustainable Materials
The Creating Sustainable Materials theme aims to design novel materials that have similar or enhanced functionality to existing materials but reduced environmental impact and health risk during their production and use. This theme also evaluates the potential effects of existing materials which may be released into the environment through wear and tear or at end of life, ultimately to inform policy and lead to the creation of more benign materials.
Theme Co-leads: Nil Basu (Natural Resource Sciences), Audrey Moores (Chemistry), George Demopoulos (Materials Engineering)
Adapting Urban Environments
From defining sustainable cities to understanding the role of "big data" in urban sustainability, the Adapting Urban Environments theme generates and mobilizes knowledge to make cities more socially inclusive and less environmentally impactful while improving the well-being of residents.
Theme Co-leads: Andrew Gonzalez (Biology), Kevin Manaugh (Geography, Bieler School of Environment), David Wachsmuth (Urban Planning)
Sustainable Landscapes
The Sustainable Landscapes theme is developing methods and tools to assess landscape sustainability and better link science, engineering, social and economic needs, and policy.
Theme Co-leads: Elena Bennett (Natural Resource Sciences; Bieler School of the Environment), Brian Robinson (Geography), Laxmi Sushama (Civil Engineering)
Sustainability Transitions
The MSSI’s Sustainability Transitions research theme’s mission is to collaborate closely with small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to produce innovative research to help stimulate, support and understand transitions towards sustainability in that sector. Its two main focuses are understanding and sharing the sustainability transitions related to decision-making, motivations, and obstacles SMEs face, and studying and promoting tools and metrics that could stimulate and support the transition of SMEs towards more sustainable practices.
Theme Co-leads: Jaye Ellis (Law), Dror Etzion (Management), Catherine Potvin (Biology)
CleanTech for Carbon and Energy Cycles
The CleanTech for Carbon and Energy Cycles research theme develops viable replacements for current greenhouse gas-intensive technologies and industrial design. Projects in the theme consider societal, environmental, and economic aspects of new technologies throughout their lifecycles.
Theme Co-leads: Jeff Bergthorson (Mechanical Engineering), Salmaan Craig (Architecture), Hong Guo (Physics), CJ Li (Chemistry)
