Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies is one of the world’s leading independent environmental research organizations.
Our scientists excel at collaborative, transformative, multidisciplinary science. They have a deep understanding of the key drivers of environmental change, among them: climate change, invasive species, and human influence on land and water.
Since 1983, Cary Institute scientists have been working to reveal the complex interactions that govern the natural world. Their discoveries have helped shape the field of ecology. Through long-term field studies, environmental monitoring, computer modeling, and analysis, they have gained invaluable insight into how ecosystems function and ways that human activities are altering Earth's biogeochemical cycles and the state of air, water, and forest resources.
Staff focus on high impact, innovative science. They work at scale, with projects spanning from regional, to national, to international. We count among our experts leaders in disease ecology, urban ecology, freshwater ecology and provisioning, and forest health. Their findings are published in the leading journals of their respective fields. They also act as editors and reviewers for these publications.
Findings go well beyond academia, with Cary Institute and its scientists committed to science in the service of society. Their partners include economists, urban planners, engineers, sociologists, NGOs, government agencies, and educators. Together, we are advancing science for a more sustainable future.
Cary Institute scientists have been instrumental in informing the Clean Air Act amendments, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the Environmental Protection Agency, and environmental management practices throughout the Northeast, including the Hudson River, New York’s Catskill and Adirondack forests, and the watershed of Baltimore, Maryland.