Since August 2021, I have been privileged to lead the Andlinger Center as interim director. This has been a year of unprecedented disasters: record heat waves, wildfires, extreme drought, and historic floods that punctuate the massive changes in earth’s climate caused by increased atmospheric greenhouse gases.

On top of this is a persistent energy crisis in Europe, the war in Ukraine, and supply chain issues reverberating from the COVID-19 pandemic. We are an institution pledged to solving some of the world’s most pressing—and often intertwined—energy and environmental problems, and the stakes have never been higher. Three areas of work put the Andlinger Center in a special position to offer solutions.

First, our researchers are tackling fundamental questions to improve humanity’s relationship with the environment. The faculty find synergies, with each other and with external partners, identifying solutions to aid in the global energy transition. Befitting the multi-dimensional nature of these questions, their research spans all scales, from the microbial realm, where José Avalos designs sustainable approaches to biofuels and chemicals, to energy systems, where Jesse Jenkins models technological pathways towards emissions goals, to the societal level, where Elke Weber identifies policy directions to address climate change. As we build on our strengths, we have also grown our cross-disciplinary impact with the addition to our faculty of Kelsey Hatzell, an expert in energy storage materials. And our research funding programs continue to support innovative collaboration through co-mentored distinguished postdoctoral fellows, and grants to inter-disciplinary research teams exploring new materials for energy storage, carbon capture, and sustainable electronics.