About Us
About Us
The Sustainability Institute drives solutions to critical societal and community challenges through sustainability research, education, living labs, and partnerships.
1 Foster transdisciplinary knowledge and research.
Engage with partners to co-create sustainable solutions to energy, water, waste and environmental health challenges facing the communities and constituents Ohio State serves.
2 Expand education and workforce development opportunities.
Develop sustainability skills and competencies for the emerging, current and future workforce.
3 Translate sustainability knowledge and innovation through actionable living labs.
Demonstrate research, provide experiential learning and achieve community and university resource stewardship improvements.
4 Build the capacity of Ohio State and its sustainability community.
Pursue inter- and transdisciplinary collaborations to generate, teach and translate sustainability knowledge.
5 Develop and expand strategic collaborations with external partners.
Contribute funds, counsel, influence and other resources to the Sustainability Institute's priorities for research, education and living labs.
Our Team and Partners
Elena Irwin
Director, Distinguished University Professor
Professor with the Department of Agricultural, Environmental and Development Economics
irwin.78@osu.edu
View Elena's Bio
Jeff Bielicki
Associate Faculty Director of Research
Associate Professor, Department of Civil, Environmental, and Geodetic Engineering and John Glenn College of Public Affairs
bielicki.2@osu.edu
View Jeff's Bio
Charlene Brenner
Research Development Partnerships Senior Analyst
brenner.17@osu.edu
View Charlene's Bio
Brian Cultice
Sustainability Science Researcher
cultice.7@osu.edu
View Brian's Bio
Kathy Jackson
Program Assistant
jackson.2942@osu.edu
View Kathy's Bio
Gina Jaquet
Director, Sustainability Education and Learning
jaquet.6@osu.edu
View Gina's Bio
Kim McIlwaine
Executive Assistant
mcilwaine.7@osu.edu
View Kim's Bio
Liz Quigley
Co-Curricular and Community Initiative Program Manager
quigley.100@osu.edu
View Liz's Bio
Katie Zimmerman
Program Manager, Interdisciplinary Graduate and Professional Education and Learning
zimmerman.865@osu.edu
View Katie's Bio
1 Sustainability Education and Learning Committee
The Sustainability Education and Learning Committee (SELC), facilitated by the Sustainability Institute, is a group of faculty from seven different Colleges that convenes regularly to develop a comprehensive and coordinated approach to sustainability education programs university-wide.
Contact: Gina Jaquet
2 Student Advisory Board
The Sustainability Institute’s Student Advisory Board provides an opportunity for student representatives from each College and School university-wide to convene to learn about Ohio State sustainability initiatives, provide feedback on new and existing programs, and share perspectives on the student experience.
Contact: Liz Quigley
The Sustainability Institute is building a network of affiliates to support, connect and extend the sustainability work occurring across Ohio State. That network currently includes nearly 400 affiliates.
We support teams of faculty, other researchers, students and staff at Ohio State working together and with external partners to confront the enormous sustainability and resilience challenges facing our communities.
The Sustainability Institute helps business leaders achieve their corporate sustainability goals by developing projects that leverage university research, student talent and use of the campus as a living laboratory for new ideas, products and strategies. In return, these collaborations provide real-world opportunities for Ohio State researchers and students to explore the many dimensions of sustainability.
Contact: Josh Knights
The Sustainability Institute participates in major sustainability networks at the national and regional levels to share our successes and best practices with sustainability programs at other academic institutions. These networking opportunities enable Ohio State to stay at the forefront of sustainability and resilience developments by benchmarking and exchanging best practices.