Anji Seth has always been intrigued by collaborative research across disciplines. With her Ph.D. in atmospheric sciences, she specifically chose to teach in the department of geography, sustainability, community, and urban studies (where she is now the interim department head) because of how it positioned her to pursue interdisciplinary climate change research.
“Many social scientists and humanities researchers have been working on these issues for decades,” Seth says. It has become increasingly apparent to her that the solutions to climate change – and the devastating ripple effects across vulnerable communities – could be unlocked through strategic collaboration among diverse researchers.
Seth and colleagues formed JUSTICE, or the Collaboratory for JUST Innovation and Climate Equity. What started out as an informal faculty reading group, reading and discussing thought-provoking books on climate change and humanity, soon blossomed into a fully fledged collaboration – researchers working together to tackle bigger projects than they could individually.
The group includes physical scientists, like Seth, as well as faculty in the social sciences and humanities. In addition to Seth, the Collaboratory includes:
- Carol Atkinson-Palombo, Professor, Department of Geography, Sustainability, Community, and Urban Studies
- Oksan Bayulgen, Professor & Department Head, Political Science
- Thomas Bontly, Associate Professor, Philosophy; Director, Environmental Studies
- Syma Ebbin, Professor-in-Residence, Connecticut Sea Grant, Agricultural and Resource Economics and Maritime Studies Program
- Phoebe Godfrey, Professor-in-Residence, Sociology
- Mark Healy, Associate Professor and Department Head, History
- Kathleen Segerson, BOT Distinguished Professor, Economics
- Eleanor Ouimet, Assistant Professor, Anthropology
This kind of disciplinary mixing is rare in academic spaces. And that’s precisely the problem, these scholars argue.
This team of UConn researchers are changing climate conversations for good. Learn more on UConn Today.