Research
Advancing environmental innovation for New York and beyond.
At SUNY ESF, research isn’t confined to the laboratory — it takes root in forests, waterways, urban neighborhoods and communities across the globe. Our faculty and students tackle the environmental challenges of our time alongside state agencies, industry partners, and Indigenous communities.
Research at a Glance
$20.5M
Active research funding across 200+ awards
#1
Per-capita research expenditures in SUNY
90%
Employment or graduate school placement within 6 months
~1 in 4
DEC employees are ESF graduates
Breakthrough & Discovery
Research That Moves The World
A Wolf Uses a Tool – and ESF Captures It
While partnering with the Haíɫzaqv Nation in British Columbia, Dr. Kyle Artelle documented what is believed to be the first recorded instance of a wolf using a tool.
Cracking the Seneca Drums Mystery
For centuries, mysterious booming sounds reverberated across Seneca Lake. Dr. Tim Morin is investigating methane eruptions beneath the lake as the likely source, in collaboration with Cornell University.
Rare Chestnut Mining Bee Discovered at ESF
Pollinator ecologist Molly Jacobson found two specimens of Andrena rehni in ESF’s chestnut orchard — the first confirmed sighting in Central New York and only the second known population statewide.
Your Research Partner
The Office of Research Programs (ORP)
ORP is the central resource for the initiation, funding, and management of all ESF research activity. We stimulate, facilitate, and highlight research — striving to make college research opportunities broad and achievable for every ESF faculty member.
Strategic Research
Initiatives Shaping Policy
$2M
Cooling Cities, Protecting Communities
ESF and the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation are deploying street-level sensors and LiDAR data to identify heat hotspots and recommend targeted tree planting and green infrastructure. Directly implements Governor Hochul’s Extreme Heat Action Plan with an explicit environmental justice focus.
Free Tool
NY Forest Carbon Mapper
ESF’s Climate & Applied Forest Research Institute launched a free interactive tool helping state agencies and land trusts harness forests for carbon storage. Funded by the NYS Conservation Partnership Program and Environmental Protection Fund, directly supporting CLCPA net-zero goals.
$5M
Global Center for Sustainable Bioproducts
NSF-funded international research hub led by Dr. Chang Geun Yoo and Dr. Gyu Leem, developing bio-based alternatives to plastics from waste biomass. Partners span Canada, Finland, Japan, South Korea, and the UK. ESF direct award: $1.45M.
NSF CAREER
Two ESF Faculty Recognized for Innovation
Dr. Yaqi You (~$560K) - tackling antibiotic resistance in wastewater via the SMILE HEART project; inaugural SUNY Chancellor’s Horizon Award, May 2025. Dr. Chang Geun Yoo - sustainable conversion of woody biomass into high-value biochemicals. Both projects integrate graduate and undergraduate students.
Annual Recognition
Exemplary Research Award Winners
2025-26
Dr. Deepak Kumar
Associate Professor · Chemical Engineering · Promoted 2024
The Office of Research is proud to honor Dr. Deepak Kumar as the 2025–26 Exemplary Researcher for outstanding scholarly output, impactful research, and dedication to student mentorship. His research centers on PFAS-removal materials, biodegradable plastics from industrial waste, bioprocessing, and techno-economic analysis for the circular bioeconomy.
Since joining ESF in 2019, he has served as PI or Co-PI on grants totaling approximately $23 million across 20+ research projects funded by USDA, DOE, and NSF. He has graduated 3 Ph.D. and 2 M.S. students and created a popular process modeling course cross-listed with Syracuse University.
2024
Dr. Tristan Brown
Analyzes carbon abatement costs of decarbonization pathways under different policy and legal scenarios.
2023
Dr. Chang Geun Yoo
Biomass utilization strategies for sustainable, renewable, eco-friendly fuels, chemicals, and materials.
2022
Dr. Jonathan Cohen
Conservation and management of birds and wildlife, primarily imperiled species.
View All Exemplary Research Winners
Research at ESF continues to grow dynamically in volume, diversity of projects, and impact. ESF researchers partner with government, foundations, and industry sponsors to execute projects that support our community from local to global scales. Faculty and staff engage students at all levels to educate future environmental leaders who can provide solutions to challenges we have yet to identify.
Faculty & Research Databases
Experts at ESF
Access ESF’s database of faculty experts and view the College’s wide variety of research — publications, data, archives, theses, and dissertations.
Research Infrastructure
Institutes & Centers
- Adirondack Ecological Center (AEC)
- American Chestnut Research and Restoration Center
- Analytical & Technical Services
- Applied Microbiology, SUNY Center for
- Artificial Intelligence, Society, and the Environment, Center for (AISE)
- Bioregional & Biosphere Reserve Studies, SUNY Center for
- Bee Campus USA
- Climate & Applied Forest Research Institute
- Center for Community and Regional Design
- Center for Cultural Landscape Preservation
- Center for Sustainable Materials Management
- Great Lakes Research Consortium
- Institute for Sustainable Materials and Manufacturing (ISMM)
- Michael A. Szwarc Polymer Research Institute
- Native Peoples and Environment, Center for
- N.C. Brown Center for Ultrastructure Studies
- Northern Forest Institute
- New York Natural Heritage Program
- Randolph G. Pack Environmental Institute
- Restoration Science Center
- Roosevelt Wild Life Station (RWLS)
- Timbuctoo Climate Science and Careers Institute
- TRINITY Institute
- Tropical Timber Information Center
- UFI @ ESF
- Water Research and Education Collaborative
- Wood Utilization Service