UCLA Institute of the Environment and Sustainability: An Overview
The UCLA Institute of the Environment and Sustainability (IoES) stands as a cross-campus research institute dedicated to educating future environmental leaders and translating scientific findings into actionable solutions. With a strong emphasis on interdisciplinary collaboration, IoES unites natural science, social science, law, public policy, and humanities to address complex, multidimensional challenges. Through cutting-edge research and strategic partnerships, IoES empowers students and faculty to work alongside businesses, nonprofits, agencies, and communities, fostering a sustainable approach to decision-making and development, particularly within the Los Angeles region.
Academic Programs and Research
IoES offers a range of academic programs designed to equip students with the knowledge and skills necessary to tackle pressing environmental issues. These programs include undergraduate and graduate degrees, each with a unique focus and approach.
Undergraduate Program
The bachelor’s degree in environmental science provides an immersive, multifaceted experience, leveraging the resources of a diverse, world-class university. Empowering tomorrow’s leaders is at the core of the mission at UCLA IoES. The curriculum combines physical and life sciences, including chemistry, biology, mathematics, and physics, with social sciences and humanities courses. Curriculum begins with a robust foundation in the sciences, providing students with a comprehensive understanding of environmental issues. Emphasizing real-world practice, students collaborate with companies, organizations, and communities to solve pressing environmental challenges. The degree culminates with the one-of-a-kind senior practicum, a yearlong program that pairs small groups of students with nonprofit organizations, businesses, and public agencies. The students are presented with real problems these organizations need to solve. Upon graduation, 80% of our students enter environmental professions, while others pursue careers in social science, business, the arts and more.
Graduate Programs
IoES offers two doctoral programs: the Ph.D. in Environment and Sustainability and a professional D. Env. program in Environmental Science and Engineering. Both programs are interdisciplinary, equip students with diverse perspectives to tackle pressing environmental issues, and provide opportunities to interact with students and faculty across all the programs and projects of IoES, and more broadly across UCLA.
Environment and Sustainability, Ph.D.
This is a research oriented program. Newly established, with the inaugural class starting in Fall 2018, it emphasizes interdisciplinarity and innovation in research to understand paramount environment and sustainability challenges. Students are typically in residence through the entire program and able to have two advisors, from distinct disciplinary backgrounds. The Environment and Sustainability Ph.D. provides sophisticated and demanding training in developing deep understandings of the structures of current environment and sustainability issues today in order to develop analytical research to address them. This requires learning in multiple disciplines and how they, together, can better provide greater knowledge to bear to the social, environmental, political, scientific and economic factors creating the situation we face today.
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Environmental Science and Engineering, D. Env.
This is a professionally oriented program. Established in 1973 with over 50 years of history, it is the only professional environmental doctorate in the nation. It emphasizes interactions between science, engineering, public policy, economics, and law in the protection of the environment and public health. Students spend two years on campus completing courses, including an applied “Solutions Course” completed in the second year. Students develop an individualized program of courses in consultation with their advisors, including core courses and additional courses that develop the foundation of knowledge and skills to support the student’s research aims, in their dissertation and their subsequent career. The application portal will soon be live (October 1) for the Doctor of Environmental Science and Engineering (D.Env.) program at UCLA. The Environmental Science and Engineering professional doctorate was founded by Nobel laurate Willard Libby in 1973. Our commitment to hands-on environmental education and research is a major part of our students’ success. It begins with rigorous study of diverse subjects from 12 academic departments, including science, engineering, business management, public policy and law. After that, students conduct supervised research and publish their findings in peer-reviewed journals. The doctorate culminates in two years of real-world practice-a hallmark of IoES. Students prepare their dissertation while working full time with businesses, government agencies, and environmental groups. This practical research is done under the supervision of a UCLA doctoral committee. Our academically diverse, practical degree prepares graduates to take on today’s most complex environmental problems. They’ve written laws and regulations to improve our air and water. They’ve helped Fortune 500 companies become greener. They’ve designed and built sustainable infrastructure and housing all over the world. And they’ve helped to create our nation’s first statewide network of Marine Protected Areas.
UCLA Extension Sustainability Certificate
For those seeking to enhance their knowledge and skills in sustainability, UCLA Extension offers a Sustainability Certificate program. This interdisciplinary program examines the major elements that impact the environment on a daily basis, such as our use of water, air, land, energy, and transportation. The Sustainability Certificate program offers a balanced and comprehensive curriculum, making the certificate transferable across industries. As an instructor in the Sustainability program, I get the opportunity to empower students and working professionals to make impactful change. The coursework was directly relevant to my job function at SoCalGas and has given me new perspective on the climate change and air quality planning work that I have been entrenched in. In addition, the skills gained empowered me to critically analyze the internal Sustainability Councils here at Sempra Utilities and to make recommendations and implementation measures for improvement.
The UCLA Extension also provides Environmental Studies Certificate. This interdisciplinary program provides a strong foundation for understanding the complex relationship between humans and the environment. You will learn about a variety of environmental issues including air and water pollution, population growth and distribution, and global climate changes. This program can be completed in only two quarters, ideal for students and professionals alike. Courses are available online. Two of the four courses are transfer credit courses and may be transferable to UC (non-UCLA) and CSU schools, as well as many other schools nationwide.
Another certificate is Food Studies Certificate. Connect and learn alongside UCLA graduate students to combat food issues faced by our communities as well as globally.
Key Research Centers and Initiatives
IoES is home to over 30 different research centers and labs focused on a wide variety of topics encompassed under environmental and sustainability work. Each provides students and faculty an opportunity to explore ways to solve complex problems within a sustainability framework that aims to create socially equitable, economically viable, and environmentally conscious communities. Below are some of the key research centers in sustainability:
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The California Center for Sustainable Communities exists to create actionable science that improves the sustainability of urban systems. It aims to provide intellectual and conceptual frameworks for new synthesis and thinking in sustainability research for all Californians.
The Center for Clean Air investigates the source, the transport and transformation, and environmental and society impacts of local, urban, regional, and global air pollution. Members of the center investigate formation mechanisms and dynamics, human exposure and health effects, and address real-world policy driven questions of how to most effectively move toward clean air in our cities.
The Center for Community Engagement promotes and supports community-engaged research, teaching and learning in partnership with communities and organizations throughout Los Angeles, regionally, nationally and globally.
The Center for Corporate Environmental Performance coordinates research and teaching on the environmental impact of corporations and market responses to green strategies. The center partners with corporations to improve their environmental performance while remaining competitive.
The Center for Climate Science conducts research that helps communities better understand how climate change will affect them and how to respond. We work with communities to produce information they can put into action, and we engage the public so they are empowered to advocate for their futures. In the process, we build interdisciplinary research teams that bring to the table expertise in climate science, ecology, policy, and other vital fields.
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The UCLA Center for Developing Leadership in Science (CDLS) is a nationally recognized program that fosters inclusive excellence in STEM. Since 2018, CDLS has supported more than 500 fellows, from high school students to postdocs, through hands-on research, leadership training, and community collaboration. We focus on community-rooted science in areas such as climate, environmental resilience, ethical AI, ocean and health sciences, and more. CDLS maintains an early-career retention rate of over 90%-a remarkable achievement in a field where the average is less than half that. However, CDLS is more than a program-it’s building the future of science and society.
CESR conducts research in the physics and biogeochemistry of the Earth’s atmosphere, cryosphere, and oceans. In addition, CESR is a base for a broad, cooperative effort to develop, test, and apply comprehensive numerical modeling capabilities for the Earth’s climate‐for periods extending over previous millennia, the present, and the coming centuries of anthropogenically induced changes.
The Center for Environmental Research and Community Engagement is focused on interdisciplinary projects spanning environmental science and engineering, chemistry, policy, regulation, public health, risk assessment, and communication.
The Center for Environmental Statistics (CES) analyzes and models data sets describing traffic counts, trip generation, urban economics, water supply, water quality, weather, seismicity, wild fires, and air quality of locations mostly in Southern California.
The Center for Healthy Climate Solutions helps communities adapt and respond to the adverse health effects of climate change. They turn public health research into actionable policies and practices. While their work extends globally, many of their projects begin in California. They work closely with communities to help people live healthier lives in the midst of the accelerating climate crisis. Their goal is to equip decision makers with site-specific solutions that tangibly benefit their community’s health, economy, and environment while reducing existing inequalities.
The Center for Impact conducts research on corporate sustainability disclosures, working toward enhancing transparency in sustainability reporting. The center aims to: (1) integrate social impact into business education, (2) engage with UCLA faculty to formalize impact measurement and nudge corporate sustainability, and (3) help firms, consumers, investors and stakeholders make decisions that are better for people and the planet. The center focuses on cultivating an “impact mindset” among its constituents.
COEH is one of three centers created in 1978 by legislation that mandated that the State of California establish education, research and service programs in occupational health. In 1990, COEH expanded its scope to address environmental health. Housed within UCLA’s Fielding School of Public Health, the School of Nursing and the David Geffen School of Medicine, the center’s education and research serve government, industry, schools, health professionals and the general public. Areas of expertise include health risks in the workplace, pesticides and other toxic chemicals, the impact of built environments, air pollution, and more.
The UCLA Center for the Study of Women works towards a world in which education and scholarship are tools for social justice feminism, improving the lives of people of all genders. It is an internationally recognized center for research on gender, sexuality, and women’s issues and the first organized research unit of its kind in the University of California system.
The CTR's unifying goal is to understand the biotic processes that underlie and maintain the diversity of life in the tropics and to advance conservation efforts that protect endangered species and habitats. Core research investigates the impacts of human activities, including climate change, on biodiversity and conservation efforts.
The Emmett Institute is the nation’s leading law school center focused on climate change and the environment. Students and faculty work on energy, water and land-use law and policy at the local, national and international levels.
Researchers in the Department of Architecture and Urban Design have developed a suite of free easy-to-use energy design software programs including HEED which shows home owners, builders, and architects how much energy and money they can save by making various design or remodeling changes. Users can easily draw in the floorplan of their house and can select from lists of standard wall and roof construction and different types of windows. The latest version adds new features including allowing changes to electric and gas utility rates plus rates for oil and propane, offering various kinds of operable window shading, allowing thermal mass to be added or removed, and the home’s calculates carbon footprint. Climate data is available for over one thousand locations around the world. This climate data can be graphically analyzed using another tool called Climate Consultant.
The Frank G. Wells Environmental Law Clinic trains law students in environmental lawyering. Under the supervision of faculty who are experienced environmental lawyers, students work on behalf of environmental and community groups on litigation and regulatory matters. Working closely with nonprofit and government agency partners and clients, the clinic takes on the most important environmental issues in southern California and beyond. The Wells Clinic offers excellent opportunities for students to obtain hands-on experience practicing environmental law. Students who take this six-unit course work on large and small cases, involving both federal and state law.
The Institute for Carbon Management draws on UCLA’s world-class resources: Engineers, scientists, policy experts and financial strategists are joining forces to find solutions to the pressing problem of carbon dioxide emissions.
Each year dozens of ITS faculty, students, and research staff collaborate on a wide array of transportation policy and planning studies, ranging from an analysis of the travel trends and transportation needs of immigrants and low-income workers, to the testing and evaluation of innovative fare programs to increase public transit use.
Joint Institute for Regional Earth System Science and Engineering (JIFRESSE) is a scientific collaboration between UCLA and NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) to improve understanding of global climate change and to develop future projections about its effect on regional climates and environments.
The Laboratory for Environmental Narrative Strategies (LENS) is an incubator for new research and collaboration on storytelling, communications, and media in the service of environmental conservation and equity. We are a diverse network of faculty and students from across disciplines who explore how today’s environmental challenges connect to longer histories of imagining the natural world.
The Lewis Center, at the Luskin School of Public Affairs, promotes the study, understanding and solution of regional policy issues, with special reference to Southern California, including problems of the environment, urban design, housing, community and neighborhood dynamics, transportation and economic development.
The Los Angeles Regional Collaborative for Climate Action and Sustainability (LARC), is one of eight collaborative networks in California that strive to build regional resilience to climate impacts. As a convener and a connector, we facilitate the exchange of best practices and cutting edge research between climate practitioners from city and county government, regional agencies, non-profits, businesses, and academia.
The Luskin Center for Innovation is an interdisciplinary research center focused on environmental sustainability, with initiatives including advanced transportation, clean energy, climate action, and sustainable water. The center conducts world-class research to inform real-world policy and partners with civic leaders in federal, state and local agencies as well as with nonprofit organizations and business associations.
At the IoES Marine Center, we study the sensitivity of marine environments to anthropogenic impacts. With 44% of the world’s population living within 100 miles of the coastline, coastal systems are particularly vulnerable to human-made stressors such as pollution, eutrophication, and sea level rise. A majority of our research therefore focuses on these particularly sensitive coastal areas. But human impact on the ocean does not stop at the coast. The effect of Climate Change is detectable in all ocean systems including phenomena like temperature rise and pH decline.
The B. John Garrick Institute for the Risk Sciences is structured to be the umbrella organization of research centers in the University of California, Los Angeles to address domain-specific research and development needs.
The Stunt Ranch Reserve is a preserved natural chaparral habitat (naturally burned in 1995) used for research and education. While researchers track the re‐growth of vegetation on the charred slopes, facilities reconstruction and University‐community outreach are top priorities of the reserve’s project and faculty managers.
UCLA and 12 collaborating institutions have recently been awarded $24 million in federal funding to establish the UC CEIN, which will help researchers design safer and more environmentally benign nanomaterials.
The UCLA Water Resources Group, hosted at the IoES, is composed of faculty and researchers across campus who have expertise in water resources, here in California, the nation and around the world. The Water Resources Group creates a “portal” for the public to identify experts across the campus, helps faculty and researchers work together, and create partnerships with governments, companies and nonprofits to address the big water challenges the world faces.
Sustainability Initiatives and Goals
UCLA is committed to sustainability and has implemented various initiatives to reduce its environmental impact. Taking on major challenges, UCLA aims to reduce potable water use by 36 percent and become the first major research university to reach carbon neutrality by 2025. Students have strong voice in policy decisions by sitting on sustainability committees. And through UCLA Grand Challenges, the university strives to make L.A. Los Angeles and UCLA have the best of both worlds when it comes to studying the environment-lots of people and lots of nature, though you may not know it by reputation. Twenty-five percent of L.A. County is protected parkland. There’s plenty of green on campus, too. The Mildred E. Mathias Botanical Garden is a place of beauty and biodiversity, learning and relaxation. Meanwhile, Sage Hill features native flora and fauna, with 50 higher plant species, seven mammals, 17 species of butterfly and 30 resident and migratory bird species.
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