The Center for the Environment is organized around four interconnected research themes and one foundational, cross-cutting theme. The most complex environmental challenges and the most exciting research needs are at the intersections of these themes.
Research themes
Addressing societal challenges
We are committed to generating transformative solutions to our deepest societal challenges including: climate change, air pollution, access to clean water, food insecurity, biodiversity loss and infectious diseases.
Summer Undergraduate Research
At WashU, undergraduate students have the opportunity to spend the summer conducting research alongside principal investigators, graduate students, and peers – working to address environmental challenges in an interdisciplinary cohort.
Research Facilities
WashU has a variety of available research facilities. Find out how they might support your work.
Featured research & stories
School of Public Health welcomes its first official class a year ahead of schedule
This fall, Washington University in St. Louis officially will welcome its inaugural class of students to the new School of Public Health a full year ahead of schedule.
Global progress on physical activity at risk, WashU expert warns
A sweeping new analysis from Washington University in St. Louis has found that global progress to promote physical activity — a proven driver of better health — is in danger of stalling or reversing.
Winged migration
St. Louis sits on the Mississippi Flyway — the largest migratory pathway used by birds in North America.