Nurturing Excellence in Sustainability at ND
Notre Dame’s Just Transformations to Sustainability Initiative (JTS) seeks to advance high-impact research, knowledge creation, and partnerships to generate sustainability solutions.
Program background
The JTS Initiative is especially interested in supporting work that addresses intransigent challenges and catalyzes transformative change toward a just and sustainable world. Such transformative change needs research across disciplinary silos, and new frameworks and models that articulate the interconnectedness and co-dependence of energy systems and technologies, land and environmental use, built environments and urban infrastructures, green manufacturing and circular economies, resilience, and equity.
To deliver on this vision, the JTS Initiative seeks to cultivate a vibrant and collaborative research and action community at the University of Notre Dame that formulates and pursues innovative research, uses appropriate methods, and aims to identify, validate, and scale practices and policies for human flourishing in harmony with nature.
Program Goals
The Nurturing Excellence in Sustainability at Notre Dame Program seeks to advance leading-edge, solutions-focused sustainability research anchored in our core principles and, in doing so, achieve the following interrelated goals:
Goal 1
Cultivate new programs of cross-disciplinary research excellence that grow Notre Dame’s preeminence in sustainability research while simultaneously contributing to the design, testing, and scaling of solutions for a just and sustainable world.
Goal 2
Establish and grow long-term, place-based partnerships that prioritize marginalized and vulnerable communities.
Goal 3
Create hands-on training opportunities for Notre Dame students and younger researchers.
2025 Nurturing Excellence in Sustainability Grant Recipients
Invisible Efforts, Inaudible Voices: Putting Forest Communities’ Conservation Efforts on the Map
Principal Investigators: Krister Andersson, professor of Sustainable Development in the Keough School of Global Affairs, and David Medvigy, associate professor of Biological Sciences.
This team seeks to understand how much of Peru’s forest survives and thrives because of local communities, and how the dignity of those community members can be better protected in future conservation efforts. Ultimately, the project will work with the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR-Peru) to investigate how forest policies can be improved by drawing on the knowledge and experience of the people who live closest to the land.
Watershed Modeling and Community-Centered Optimization for Resilient and Sustainable Rural-Urban Water Systems
Principal Investigators: Jennifer Tank, the Ludmilla F., Stephen J., and Robert T. Galla Professor of Biological Sciences and director of the Notre Dame Environmental Change Initiative, and Alexander Dowling, the Tony and Sarah Earley Collegiate Professor of Energy and the Environment in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
This team will partner with farmers, neighborhood groups, and municipal agencies to better understand and compare different strategies—such as wetland restoration, green infrastructure and improved stormwater systems—to meet water quantity and quality challenges facing the Midwest now, and in the future. The program is anchored by long-term partnerships with the City of South Bend, Elkhart County, and the St. Joseph River Basin Commission. By working with local communities, Notre Dame faculty, postdoctoral scholars, and student researchers will co-create solutions shaped by local knowledge, lived experience, and community priorities.
Built2Afford: From Salvage to Sustainability—Scalable Energy Retrofit Innovation
Principal Investigators: Ming Hu, associate professor and associate dean for research, scholarship, and creative work in the School of Architecture, and Chaoli Wang, professor of Computer Science and Engineering, with Matthew Sisk, associate professor of the practice in the Lucy Family Institute for Data & Society, serving as senior personnel
Built2Afford is a community-guided initiative that aims to make South Bend’s homes healthier, more affordable, and more energy efficient by developing practical, low-cost solutions that work for real people—starting with the neighborhoods that need it the most. The team will develop an easy-to-use dashboard that leverages machine learning technologies and sensor data to quickly assess housing conditions and recommend accessible, effective upgrades such as insulation, better windows, or shade structures.
To ensure the tools are relevant, accessible, and rooted in the community, the team is partnering with the City of South Bend, South Bend Tradeworks, Crossroads Solar, and Habitat for Humanity to develop a Positive Energy Housing unit—a mobile, retrofitted demonstration home built from salvaged materials. The unit will travel to neighborhoods, schools, and events to show what’s possible and spark conversations about housing, energy, and sustainability. By combining advanced technology with hands-on education and strong local partnerships, Built2Afford aims to create a model that other cities can follow, bringing long-term benefits to residents, landlords, and the environment.