The Environmental Science and Design Research Institute fosters innovative, interdisciplinary research at the intersection of natural, human and built systems. Our mission is to generate new knowledge, develop practical solutions and create transformative designs that address pressing environmental challenges—locally, regionally and globally.
We champion research and creative activities grounded in scientific methods and design thinking. ESDRI brings together students, faculty and community partners to explore the complex relationships among biological, social, cultural and economic systems. These dynamics shape the availability of essential resources, support biodiversity and influence human health and well-being.
Students: The institute aims to build research skills in students, in order to cultivate well-rounded, critical thinking professionals. ESDRI recognizes the professional and personal importance of students having foundational research or creative experiences, professional skills, and environmental knowledge, which is facilitated through a variety of workshops, speakers, forums, special events, socials, one-on-one guidance, and more. The institute supports undergraduates through its Undergraduate Fellowship Program, in hopes of mentoring a new generation of scholars. ESDRI supports graduate students through its Graduate Student Awards. All students are encouraged to share their work at the ESDRI Research Showcase each Spring.
View Current ESDRI Fellows
Faculty: ESDRI provides many opportunities for faculty to advance their research and facilitates multidisciplinary collaborations, procuring intramural and extramural funding, and working with qualified student researchers. The institute engages a broad range of talented scientists, designers, and practitioners, spanning many academic disciplines, fields, and programs. The institute proudly hosts an annual Sustainability Forum, with an ever-evolving theme, which draws from KSU faculty, students, and many of our community partners.
Academic units represented within ESDRI include:
- Aeronautics and Engineering
- Architecture and Environmental Design
- Art
- Biological Sciences
- Chemistry and Biochemistry
- Communication and Information
- Earth Sciences
- English
- Fashion
- Geography
- Peace and Conflict Studies
- Political Science
- Public Health
- Recreation, Park and Tourism Management
- Teaching, Learning and Curriculum Studies
View ESDRI-affiliated Faculty Members
By empowering environmental research, the institute aims to foster change by drawing from robust, well-informed science and design or extrapolating on the research ourselves. ESDRI encourages students, faculty, and the greater community to understand and leverage the interacting geological, biological, human, economical, cultural, and social systems around us. These overlapping systems impact and regulate the availability of resources (e.g. pure water, clean air, and food), sustain diversity of life on Earth, promote well-being, and affect all of us in our daily life.
Connect with us
@esdri_ksu
www.linkedin.com/company/esdri
For Yasmine Belko, the Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE) Program offered an opportunity to explore a region with deep personal significance while developing a new perspective on climate vulnerability, urbanization, and…
For Amanda Yokley, participating in ÐÔ¸£ÎåÔÂÌì University’s Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE) Program provided an opportunity to expand her scientific perspective while developing skills that will support her pursuit of…
The Environmental Science and Design Research Institute Graduate Student Award was founded in 2025 and has funded new research inquiries for 8 graduate students to date. The ESDRI Graduate Student Award operates on a bi-annual award cycle…
David H. Smith Conservation Research FellowshipÐÔ¸£ÎåÔÂÌì University Ecology and Evolutionary Biology graduate student Prashant Ghimire has been selected for the highly competitive David H. Smith Conservation Research Fellowship, one…
The Environmental Science and Design Research Institute (ESDRI) supports students through the Undergraduate Fellowship Program. In this program students across any major with interest in environmental science, environmental…
A team of ÐÔ¸£ÎåÔÂÌì University researchers is studying whether naturally occurring bacteria in polluted streams can help remove toxic metals from the environment—work that could improve understanding of ecosystem recovery, contaminated…
A new study led by Sangeet Lamichhaney, Ph.D., associate professor of Biological Sciences at ÐÔ¸£ÎåÔÂÌì University, uncovers how mountain landscapes shape the survival of high‑altitude species living in some of the most extreme…
A new study led by researchers at ÐÔ¸£ÎåÔÂÌì University and Michigan State University finds that populations of lady beetles, important natural predators of crop pests, have declined substantially over the past three decades in a…
How do animals cope when oxygen levels suddenly drop? That question is at the center of research led by Sangeet Lamichhaney, Ph.D., associate professor and MA coordinator in the Department of Biological Sciences, whose team has…
Allyson Tessin, Ph.D., assistant professor in ÐÔ¸£ÎåÔÂÌì University’s Department of Earth Sciences, has received a National Science Foundation (NSF) Faculty Early Career Development Program (CAREER) Award to support her research on how the…
