Nearly 80% of global farmland is dedicated to growing just five crops. While the incredible productivity of these crops is crucial to feeding the world and supporting global economies, farming practices to cultivate them can negatively impact the natural environment. Dr. Jungers and his research group are helping develop new crops and farming strategies that improve agricultural output, economic viability, and environmental sustainability.

Gretchen Hansen studies freshwater ecosystem responses to environmental change. Her work is interdisciplinary and spans from local to global scales. She leverages mechanistic understanding of biological and physical processes to inform large-scale landscape predictions of lake and fish responses to climate change, species invasions, and other stressors. She frequently partners with management agencies and environmental groups to identify local management responses that can influence lake responses to global change. Dr.

Dana Mowls Carroll researches ways to help people quit commercial tobacco use with a particular focus on working with American Indian and rural populations. Reflecting the interests of her community partners, she applies methodologies ranging from secondary data analyses to qualitative research and clinical trials. She also contributes to the evidence base on potential cigarette product standards, such as reducing levels of nicotine; which is another avenue for addressing commercial tobacco use disparities.

Kate Adamala is a biochemist working on engineering synthetic cells. Her research aims at understanding chemical principles of biology, using artificial cells to create new tools for bioengineering, drug development, and basic research. Kate’s research spans questions from the origin and earliest evolution of life, using synthetic biology to colonize space, to the future of biotechnology and medicine.

Improved understanding of flow processes in the subsurface is essential for addressing global water, energy, and climate crisis. Peter Kang and his group combine a range of methods (lab and field experiments, numerical simulations, and machine learning) to investigate reactive transport in porous media with applications in geologic carbon sequestration, enhanced geothermal systems, and groundwater management and remediation. He mentors a large team of students and post-docs, and publishes in the top journals in his field.

James Van de Ven has made a lasting impact on the Mechanical Engineering graduate program through revising the graduate curriculum, introducing a new Ph.D. Qualifying Exam format, recruiting diverse students, and building a supportive graduate community. He serves as a leader in graduate education by actively engaging students in flipped classrooms. His active research program focuses on industry-academic partnerships to create societal impact while educating the next generation of innovators in a supportive environment.