In a new Nature Water commentary, Ellis Adams (Keough) emphasize that protecting the human right to water means preventing harm before it occurs, not assigning blame afterward. The authors call for context-specific approaches that engage communities, governments, and industry ahead of the December U.N. Water Conference. Read more 

Kyle Bibby (CEEES) directs the newly launched ECI Water Initiative, which works to bring together researchers across disciplines to address water challenges including flooding, drought, water quality, public health, and infrastructure. The initiative aims to build new faculty partnerships across campus and beyond, convene researchers and external partners, and support large-scale collaborative water research. Read more

In a study published in the Journal of Environmental Quality, Gary Lamberti (BIOS), Daniele Miranda (BIOS) and collaborators analyzed 42 years of biological data to track how PFAS has moved through the Great Lakes food web, finding key differences in contamination across lakes and over time. Read more

Jason Rohr (BIOS) and collaborators found that rice-fish farming could benefit both food production and public health. Published in Nature Sustainability, the study found that introducing native fish into rice fields in rural Senegal reduced populations of parasite-hosting snails while increasing rice yields by more than 25%. Read more

Rev. Terrence Ehrman, C.S.C., played a key role in the development of a recent pastoral letter from Indiana’s five Catholic bishops on integral ecology. Integral Ecology: A Sacramental Vision explores the connections between faith, human life, and the natural world, addressing issues including biodiversity, water, agriculture, and energy. Fr. Terry's work bridges theology, biology, and aquatic ecology. Read more

Building on more than a decade of international climate leadership, the Notre Dame Global Adaptation Initiative (ND-GAIN) is entering a new era of climate adaptation decision-support. The program is working to develop tools that use dynamically updated data, machine learning, and remote sensing to better understand climate vulnerability and resilience at multiple scales. Read more

ND-ECI Director Jennifer Tank (BIOS) recently visited Washington D.C. at the invitation of the Association of Ecosystem Research Centers to speak at a congressional briefing on how science supports the nation’s bioeconomy. One of three featured speakers, Tank discussed how ecosystem research can inform conservation practices that protect farming and freshwater. 

Kyle Bibby (CEEES) and his research team are developing more precise ways to track antibiotic resistance genes in wastewater. Their recent study, published in ACS ES&T Water, identified a small piece of DNA called pBI143 as a promising indicator for monitoring antibiotic resistance genes throughout the wastewater treatment process. This could make monitoring more efficient and affordable. Read more

Wade McGillis (CEEES) and collaborators discovered that rain plays a larger role in the ocean’s absorption of carbon dioxide than previously understood. Published in Nature Geoscience, the study found that including the effects of rain increased ocean carbon uptake estimates by 13.6%, suggesting current models may underestimate the ocean’s role as a carbon sink. Read more

Published in Nature Communications Earth & Environment, Gary Lamberti's (BIOS) lab explored how a warming climate could affect Alaska’s coastal wetlands. These ecosystems play key roles in carbon storage, coastal protection, and wildlife habitat, making their resilience increasingly important as environmental conditions change. Read more

The Notre Dame Global Adaptation Initiative (ND-GAIN) has integrated the World Bank’s Business Ready data into its latest Country Index release. This integration strengthens the index’s ability to capture factors that influence climate resilience and provides decision-makers with additional insights to guide adaptation planning and investment. Read more

Melissa Berke (CEEES) has been selected for the 2026 Asahiko Taira International Scientific Ocean Drilling Research Prize from the American Geophysical Union. This award recognizes outstanding transdisciplinary research accomplishments in ocean drilling by early- and mid- career scientists. Read more

Alexander Dowling (CBE) and Emily Grubert (Keough) have been selected to participate in the National Academy of Engineering’s Grainger Foundation Frontiers of Engineering Program. The program brings together outstanding early-career engineers to explore emerging technologies and foster interdisciplinary collaboration. Read more

Kyle Doudrick (CEEES) has been chosen to serve on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Science Advisory Board, which provides independent scientific advice to the agency on environmental and public health issues. Doudrick joins experts from across the country in helping evaluate the scientific basis of EPA policies and programs. Read more

Jennifer Tank (BIOS) has been named the recipient of the 2026 Award of Excellence from the Society for Freshwater Science. The award recognizes exceptional and career-long contributions to freshwater science, including Tank's research on stream ecology, leadership in the field, and commitment to translating scientific discoveries into conservation and management. Read more

Robert Nerenberg (CEEES) has been named a 2026 Fellow of the International Water Association. This distinction recognizes water professionals for their sustained contributions to the water sector and their commitment to advancing water science, technology, and management. Nerenberg joins 21 other professionals selected for the 2026 cohort. Read more

Meet the Postdoctoral Fellows who recently joined ND-ECI:

Advisor: Kyle Doudrick (CEEES)

Focus: Development of lower-temperature, energy-efficient technologies for destroying PFAS and other contaminants at scale

Advisors: Melissa Berke (CEEES) and Ryan Sensenig (BIOS)

Focus: Interactive effects of fire and grazing on carbon accumulation in grasslands: the role of microbial biomass and necromass

Advisor: Jennifer Tank (BIOS)

Focus: Spatial and temporal heterogeneity of nutrient regimes and their effects on ecosystem functions across flowing waters within the St. Joseph River Basin

ND-ECI invites applications for its Partial Postdoctoral Fellowship (PPF) program, designed to foster interdisciplinary environmental research and strengthen the postdoctoral community at ND.

The fellowship offers one year funding of $30,000 and up to $1,000 for conference travel. A second year of partial funding is available based on progress and engagement. Fellows benefit from shared workspace in McCourtney East, peer mentorship, and participation in ND-ECI research seminars and events. 

SPECIAL WATER CALL: This year, the newly formed ECI Water Initiative is co-sponsoring a subset of PPF award(s) for water-focused research. The joint award follows the same funding and terms as the standard PPF. We welcome applications from outstanding PhDs to advance collaborative, water-focused research and training. Proposals that build new collaborations among faculty advisors will be prioritized.

Deadline: Please submit your proposal to ND-ECI Program Director Alex Hardy by Monday, November 9th.

Thank you to everyone who joined us at Science Sunday! We had a wonderful afternoon with more than 300 visitors exploring ND-LEEF and learning about environmental research through hands-on activities and demonstrations. A huge thank-you to our presenters, volunteers, and community partners for sharing their knowledge and enthusiasm with the community!

A recent feature in Notre Dame Magazine highlights Gracie Hedgpeth, a fourth-year doctoral student in Jason Rohr's lab, whose research explores ways to protect amphibians from chytrid, a deadly fungal disease that contributes to global amphibian declines. She is conducting field trials of a potential preventative treatment at ND-LEEF to study how the treatment could help frogs develop greater tolerance to the disease. Read more

Congratulations to ND-ECI affiliated faculty who received new research awards since the beginning of the year totaling ~$1.8M. Below are some highlights: 

The ND-ECI community has been very productive with over 125 publications since our last newsletter. Below are some highlights; please click here to view the full list. 

At the Notre Dame Environmental Change Initiative, over 60 faculty across several disciplines are pursuing research solutions for key environmental challenges of our time.

ND-ECI focuses on multidisciplinary research that can translate into solutions to help make the world a better place for humans and the environment upon which people depend.

We call it “Science Serving Society.”

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