The UC Irvine Climate Collaboration brings together disciplines, communities and ideas to turn climate science into meaningful action
Climate change rarely arrives as a single problem.
It appears as rising seas along our state’s coastline, intensifying wildfire seasons, drought-strained agriculture and polluted waterways flowing toward the Pacific.
At UC Irvine, Brett Sanders, Ph.D., Chancellor’s Professor of civil and environmental engineering, has spent much of his career studying how water moves through the world – through rivers, floodplains, cities and coastlines. That research eventually led him to broader environmental challenges.
“I became more interested in water quality problems and the transport of pollutants through shallow water from cities into the ocean and the impacts of coastal pollution on beach water quality,” Sanders recalls. “Then, as awareness of sea level rise increased, I took more and more interest in potential future flood risks.”
As those questions grew, Sanders realized the solutions would require more than research within a single discipline. They would require collaboration.
That realization helped shape the UC Irvine Climate Collaboration, an initiative that Sanders now directs. It brings together researchers, students and partners across campus and beyond to translate climate science into meaningful action.
The Climate Collaboration, which celebrated its first anniversary this spring, was created to connect faculty, students and external partners who support a shared goal: developing solutions to climate change at every scale, from local resilience planning to global sustainability policy. The five interconnected domains of the collaboration include Health and Safety, Economic Resilience, Environmental Stewardship, Policy and Implementation, and Climate Change Mitigation.
“We’re trying to help our faculty build relationships with state and federal agencies so they can better understand the challenges those organizations face,” explains Sanders.
Those connections allow researchers to sharpen their ideas about the most pressing climate questions and better understand the priorities of the region, the state and the nation.
From there, he says, the Climate Collaboration can leverage the strengths of the campus and surrounding community to develop forward-looking projects while educating the next generation of climate problem solvers.
“The Climate Collaboration is a connector – linking the outside world with disciplines across our campus, students and faculty. And we're off to a pretty good start.”
In its first year, the Climate Collaboration has already begun turning vision into action.
One major milestone came with $1 million in community project funding for the Healthy Coasts Project, a partnership among engineering, social ecology and business faculty members; researchers from the U.S. Geological Survey; and various public agencies. The project aims to restore beach sand supply by improving how flood control infrastructure is managed – a strategy that could strengthen coastal resilience across Southern California.
The Climate Collaboration has also launched a 12-member student council designed to foster a multidisciplinary student community. Council members connect peers with ongoing research; organize student events; map climate-related courses, faculty and research across UC Irvine; gather student input on gaps and opportunities; and advance the campus as a living lab for climate solutions. The council has already funded five research projects across six schools and continues to grow.
When the Climate Collaboration announced its grant program in April 2025, it built collaboration directly into the requirements. Projects had to span schools, engage a community partner and incorporate a teaching component. The opportunity to break down silos and find support for their work was a draw for faculty members.
“In my experience, what holds back so many collaborations on campus is the lack of resources,” Sanders says. “We have so many talented faculty with really good ideas.”
The inaugural projects reflect the range of climate challenges facing California and other parts of the world. Teams are focusing on an array of topics, including building resilience in California’s desert future, developing early drought detection, mapping localized fire risk, studying the impact of community gardens, and improving wildfire intelligence for national security.
“This is an exercise in building translational science capacity within the climate space,” Sanders says. “It’s about translating the fundamental knowledge we have into actionable knowledge. This type of work really helps us understand the research questions that now need to be answered.”
The initiative is also bridging generations. Current students are passionate about climate change and eager to take action. The Climate Collaboration provides opportunities for them to engage in research, develop applied knowledge and network across industries.
Meanwhile, alumni are integral to helping faculty and students build business and community partnerships. Sanders notes that UC Irvine alumni who hold influential positions within local, state and federal government agencies have helped facilitate introductions between officials and UC Irvine faculty to gather research, start conversations and build meaningful relationships.
“The Climate Collaboration is a connector – linking the outside world with disciplines across our campus, students and faculty,” Sanders says. “And we’re off to a pretty good start.”
Help support the UC Irvine Climate Collaboration as it brings together researchers, students and community partners to develop real-world climate solutions.
