About the Climate Project at MIT

In her inaugural address in May 2023, President Sally Kornbluth called on the MIT community to mount a “bold, tenacious response” to the global threat posed by climate change, which she described as “the greatest scientific and societal challenge of this or any age.” Drawing on the insights and perspectives of many at MIT and beyond, the Climate Project responds to President Kornbluth’s call. The goal is for MIT to become, within the next decade, one of the world’s most prolific and collaborative sources of technological, behavioral, and policy solutions for the global climate challenge.

The Climate Project represents an ambitious new model of accelerated, university-led innovation. It is organized around six Missions where global progress is urgently needed and where MIT can marshal a critical mass of talent and resources. 

The Climate Project also includes new arrangements for promoting cross-Institute collaborations and new mechanisms for engaging with external partners. The overall purpose is to enable MIT to do bigger things faster in the climate domain and work more effectively with our scaling partners to research, develop, deploy, and scale up practical solutions.  

To oversee the Climate Project at MIT and provide strategic leadership on climate, the Institute has created the new position of Vice President for Climate, reporting directly to President Kornbluth. While the search is underway, Prof. Richard Lester will serve as Interim Vice President for Climate. Please check back here for updates.