Building on last year’s announcement of its creation through Discovery Vanderbilt, the university has officially launched the Vanderbilt Center for Sustainability, Energy and Climate to advance research and partnerships.
“This is a landmark moment for Vanderbilt University as we officially launch a center dedicated to advancing bold solutions to some of the most urgent challenges of our time,” Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs C. Cybele Raver said at the center’s ribbon-cutting ceremony. “We are committed to bringing together the brightest minds from across disciplines to tackle these grand challenges head-on to deliver real impact.”
Housed within the School of Engineering, VSEC connects experts from engineering, the natural and physical sciences, clinical sciences and nursing, economics, education, law and policy. The center’s mission is to advance solutions in energy transformation, climate adaptation, infrastructure resilience and sustainable resource use.
“Engineering alone cannot solve the world’s challenges. Policy alone will also never solve them,” said Krishnendu Roy, Bruce and Bridgitt Evans Dean of the School of Engineering and University Distinguished Professor. “The intersection of technology, innovation, policy, regulations, business and education, is the most accelerated and practical way to solve humanity’s most pressing challenges. In that diversity of disciplines, expertise and experiences, and in the power of radical collaboration, lies Vanderbilt’s greatest strength.”
The inaugural symposium held the next day reflected the kind of work the center will do. Sessions focused on climate health in the Southeast, risk management and adaptation, energy technology, strategies for climate mitigation and the importance of external partnerships for advancing research.
One partnership VSEC will help expand is with Oak Ridge National Laboratory, a key federal hub for supercomputing with applications to Earth systems modeling. Keynote speaker Katherine Evans, director of the Office of Institutional Strategic Planning at Oak Ridge, spoke about connecting science to action.
“We start with the science … and communicate it at the community level,” Evans said. “That combination helps guide decision-making in ways that are informed, practical and grounded in real needs.”
Evans’ emphasis on connecting research with real-world needs reflects the vision of VSEC’s new leadership. Joining Vanderbilt this summer, Hussam Mahmoud, the center’s inaugural director, said the symposium was an opportunity to build on that collaborative tone.
“VSEC is committed not only to advancing discovery, but also to translating that knowledge into actionable solutions,” said Mahmoud, who is also the Craig E. Philip Endowed Chair and professor of civil and environmental engineering. “Policy is an important aspect of that, along with fostering community engagement at both local and global levels. Even before this formal inauguration, VSEC was already doing significant work.”
By fostering collaboration across fields and building strong external partnerships, VSEC is positioned to move from breakthrough discovery to real-world application.
By tackling urgent challenges, VSEC embodies Discovery Vanderbilt’s vision for interdisciplinary research hubs with the potential to drive global impact.
