The UC Irvine Climate Collaboration has awarded its first round of team project grants for the 2025–26 academic year, supporting five research teams focused on climate resilience and adaptation. The projects aim to address challenges such as wildfire risk, drought detection, and the role of natural infrastructure in California.
Brett Sanders, director of the UC Irvine Climate Collaboration and Chancellor’s Professor of Civil & Environmental Engineering and Urban Planning & Public Policy, stated: “The past year has brought adaptation and resilience to the forefront, with an emphasis on pragmatic responses to the growing economic costs and human impacts of a changing climate here in California, across the U.S., and around the world. Through these projects, we aim to showcase UC Irvine’s capacity for team-based, solutions-driven research while fostering exciting new learning opportunities for students.”
One project will study desertification in Southern California by examining how desert plants capture carbon, use water, and emit gases under heat stress. This research is being conducted by Jim Smith (chemistry), Celia Faiola (ecology and evolutionary biology), and Alex Guenther (Earth system science) in partnership with the South Coast Air Quality Management District.
Another initiative led by Angela Rigden (Earth system science) and Veronica Berrocal (statistics) will focus on detecting early signs of plant water stress using satellite data combined with environmental modeling. The goal is to produce near-real-time maps that show vegetation stress across California.
Sarah Kimball (ecology and evolutionary biology) and James Randerson (Earth system science) are leading a project called OC-FIRE Model. Working with local agencies such as the Orange County Fire Authority, they plan to integrate two decades of vegetation data with satellite imagery to create detailed fire risk maps for Orange County.
A fourth team—Doug Houston, Jessica Debats Garrison, Jason Douglas, and Monica Palta—will examine how small green spaces like community gardens affect neighborhood microclimates, air quality, and public health in areas including Irvine, Santa Ana, and Southeast Los Angeles.
A large interdisciplinary group led by Amir AghaKouchak along with several other faculty members is working on improving wildfire intelligence through artificial intelligence tools combined with real-time satellite observations. They are collaborating with government agencies including the U.S. Forest Service to help inform disaster preparedness strategies.
Students involved in these projects will have opportunities for hands-on experience in data analysis, modeling techniques, fieldwork methods, AI tools usage, and community-based research approaches. The selected proposals were chosen from 18 submissions representing faculty from 15 schools at UC Irvine.
Sanders commented: “Configuring both internal and external collaborations for a project proposal isn’t easy but we are thrilled to see the strength of UC Irvine teams on display here, where projects span six different schools and link to local, state and federal government agencies as well as community groups.”
The Climate Collaboration plans its first symposium this winter for project presentations. Another call for proposals is scheduled for spring 2026.
According to Sanders: “Whether it’s connecting with a partner, submitting a proposal or joining a brainstorming session we want the Climate Collaboration to be a resource for the entire UC Irvine community.”
For more information about these initiatives or future grant cycles visit climatecollab.uci.edu.
