The Joint Global Change Research Institute (JGCRI) is a

research institute A research institute, research centre, or research organization is an establishment founded for doing research. Research institutes may specialize in basic research or may be oriented to applied research. Although the term often implies natural ...

established in 2001 through a collaboration between the

University of Maryland, College Park The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland, United States. Founded in 1856, UMD i ...

, and the

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) is one of the United States Department of Energy national laboratories, managed by the Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Science. The main campus of the laboratory is in Richland, Washington ...

. The primary objective of the institute is to employ

interdisciplinary Interdisciplinarity or interdisciplinary studies involves the combination of multiple academic disciplines into one activity (e.g., a research project). It draws knowledge from several fields such as sociology, anthropology, psychology, economi ...

approaches in

climate change Present-day climate change includes both global warming—the ongoing increase in Global surface temperature, global average temperature—and its wider effects on Earth's climate system. Climate variability and change, Climate change in ...

research.

Research

The Institute analyzes human and earth systems, providing information to aid decision-making regarding global risks and opportunities. JGCRI developed the Global Change Analysis Model (GCAM), an integrated assessment model, to examine the impacts of climate change. The Joint Institute focuses on the intersections of science, technology, economics, and policy and collaborates with both domestic and international government agencies. The Joint Institute works with UMD students and researches Human-Earth System Models, Data Products, Human-Earth System Processes and Interactions, Impacts, Adaptation, and Vulnerability, as well as Technology and Policy. Researchers at the Joint Institute have published nearly 500 research papers.

Organization

Functionally, JGCRI operates as part of the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, with its staff holding Research Affiliate status at the

University of Maryland The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland, United States. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the Univ ...

. Within the organizational structure, the Institute falls under the Fundamental and Computational Sciences Directorate of PNNL and the Division of Research at UMD.

Leadership

Gerald "Gerry" Stokes served as the director of the Joint Global Change Research Institute from 2000 to 2005, succeeded by Anthony C. Janetos from 2006 to 2013. In 2013, Ghassem R. Asrar took over as director, leading the organization until 2019. He was followed by Brian C. O'Neill, who assumed the directorship in 2020. Allen A. Fawcett became the fifth director of the Joint Global Change Research Institute in 2024.

References

External links

Official website
University of Maryland, College Park research centers {{Maryland-university-stub Federally Funded Research and Development Centers Battelle Memorial Institute College Park, Maryland Research institutes in Maryland