A dual-degree student in Environmental Sciences and Studies and the Rhode Island School of Design’s Illustration Department, Jules Ho ’27 studies the gut microbiomes of wild sloths in Costa Rica to map normal variation and test how species, habitat, and rehabilitation status shape these microbial communities.

IBES affiliate and Catalyst Research Awardee Matthew Kraft, a professor in the Department of Education, and his SustainableED team authored this study, finding that 44% of pre-K-12 schools in the U.S. are within a mile of a known environmental hazard site.

IBES affiliate Katelyn Moretti, an assistant professor of emergency medicine, offered insights on the health risks that hotter summers bring about.

This op-ed features previous commentary from IBES Director Kim Cobb, noting that expert insights like hers make for compelling, trustworthy journalism.

Professor Laurence C. Smith is among the authors of this data descriptor publication.

IBES affiliate Joseph Braun, a professor of epidemiology and director of Brown’s Center for Climate, Environment and Health, discussed actions people can take to reduce their exposure to PFAS.  

Tanguay begins her new role as Visiting Assistant Professor of Environment and Society on August 1.

Members of IBES' Breathe Providence project, including Professor Meredith Hastings, contributed to this paper, which draws on the work of the Breathe Providence Resident Task Force and provides practical guidance about the use of collage in community-engaged action research.

IBES affiliate Jon Witman, a professor emeritus of ecology, evolution and organismal biology, offered commentary on how El Niño climate cycles affect marine ecosystems in the Galápagos.

This article covers a new study that IBES affiliate Kenny Breuer, a professor of engineering, worked on.

Postdoc Gavin Piccione led this study, with contributions from Assistant Professor Daniel Ibarra, IBES graduate affiliate Justin Custado, and former undergraduate Voss Fellow Anna Dubey '25.

IBES and Biology Professor Stephen Porder offered commentary about recent wildfires in Canada, noting fossil fuel emissions' central role in extreme weather-related events.

Allan Just, an associate professor in IBES and the School of Public Health, was interviewed about how extreme heat and poor air quality work synergistically to harm human health.

On this episode of the School of Public Health's podcast, Meredith Niles, professor of environment and society & behavioral and social sciences, explores how climate-friendly agriculture is actually a quiet powerhouse for public health.

IBES Director Kim Cobb sat for an interview about this year's El Niño event. 

Elizabeth Rush, an IBES faculty affiliate in the Department of English, was interviewed for the new WTIU/PBS documentary, "Gene Stratton-Porter: Music of the Wild."

James Kellner — an IBES and biology professor and chief scientist for Perennial, the leading provider of measurement, monitoring, reporting, and verification for soil carbon programs — is among the authors of this new study.

This summer, the Institute at Brown for Environment and Society (IBES) welcomed its first group of students into a new program designed to expand access to faculty-mentored research opportunities in climate and the environment.

IBES Advisory Council member Emily McAteer, CEO and co-founder of Odyssey, joined energy entrepreneur Jigar Shah to discuss how weak, unreliable grids combined with plummeting solar and battery costs make distributed solar the cheapest option in many emerging markets.

Professor James Kellner is among the authors of this paper.

IBES Director Kim Cobb was quoted in this article.

After witnessing pollution in Southern California’s coastal waters as a high school student, Ispendjian founded Saving the Sea. Today, the national nonprofit is helping students translate environmental research into policy and action.

IBES Director Kim Cobb offered commentary about the causes of recent heat waves, noting fossil fuel consumption as the primary driver and the El Niño climate pattern as a potential influence as well.

IBES Director Kim Cobb offered commentary for this article.

This article features research by IBES and Epidemiology Assistant Professor Rachel Baker and IBES graduate affiliate Aleksandra Stamper, a doctoral candidate in the School of Public Health.

Assistant Professor Patel is the Institute at Brown for Environment and Society’s first faculty member to be jointly appointed in the Department of Economics.

IBES Director Kim Cobb offered commentary for this article.

This article was written by an undergraduate student in IBES' Science Journalism class and features insights from IBES Professor Meredith Hastings, leader of the hyperlocal air monitoring initiative Breathe Providence.

IBES affiliate and Professor of Physics Brad Marston took part in a roundtable discussion about the connections between physics and climate science.

IBES and Epidemiology Assistant Professor Rachel Baker contributed to this paper, led by graduate affiliate Aleksandra Stamper.

This article cites data from Breathe Providence, an IBES-based, community-focused air monitoring network.

IBES Professors Daniel Ibarra and Laurence C. Smith, postdoc Gavin Piccione, and graduate affiliates Sebastian Muñoz and Sarah Esenther are among the authors of this modeling paper.

IBES Director Kim Cobb said that a White House “proposal to base funding decisions on alignment with the [Trump] administration’s agenda is a particularly acute threat for climate and weather funding, which protects our nation’s infrastructure, economy, agriculture, public safety, and national security.”

IBES' 2026 Commencement Forum brought students, alumni, families, and community members together at the Watson School of International and Public Affairs and online for a conversation on the future of ocean science, climate resilience, plastics, and environmental policy.

This review covers Associate Professor of History and Environment and Society Brian Lander's book, “The King’s Harvest: A Political Ecology of China from the First Farmers to the First Empire.”

IBES and Epidemiology Professor Marianthi-Anna Kioumourtzoglou discussed her new paper on how community severance by road infrastructure increases mental health hospital visits in New York City.

Commencement Weekend offered a chance to celebrate the accomplishments of the Class of 2026 and the relationships and sense of purpose that connect the IBES community across generations.

Elizabeth Fussell, a research professor in IBES and the Population Studies and Training Center, peer reviewed the scientific paper that this article covers and offered commentary.

Rachel Baker, an assistant professor in IBES and the Department of Epidemiology, and Aleksandra Stamper, an IBES graduate affiliate in the School of Public Health, are the first and second authors, respectively, of this review paper.

IBES faculty affilate (DEEPS) and former Voss postdoc Christopher Horvat is among the authors of this study.

Supported by IBES faculty and alumni mentors, a team of Brown undergraduates advanced to the finals of the Turner MIINT Competition and placed third overall against dozens of graduate teams from around the world.

Faculty affiliate David Savitz (Epidemiology, Pediatrics, Obstetrics and Gynecology) offered commentary on exposure to PFAS chemicals in drinking water.

Through collaborations with faculty affiliate Mara Freilich (DEEPS) and the IBES-based Breathe Providence project, local residents are working to understand how pollution is affecting their community.

IBES and Sociology Professor Timmons Roberts offered commentary for this article, reflecting on Democrats' approach to climate change and Rhode Island Senator Sheldon Whitehouse's outspokenness on the topic.

Through the Swearer Center program, eight students affiliated with IBES will conduct community-engaged research spanning environmental justice, food sovereignty, conservation biology, and Indigenous land stewardship.