Florida International University
AC-10: Support for Sustainability Research

FIU offers paid fellowship research opportunities, scholarships and internships in sustainable development, agroecology and food security, aquatic chemistry and environment, wildlife conservation, coastal ecosystems, biodiversity, environmental finance and risk management, and more. The FIU Global Learning initiative offers multiple scholarships and fellowships for students to pursue globally focused research on sustainability, global engagement and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Examples include:Robert V. Farrell Global Learning Scholarship in Sustainable Development;VoLo Foundation Fellowship for Environmental Finance & Risk Management; National Needs Fellows in Sustainable Urban and Regional Agriculture; ForEverglades Fellowships; NSF Fellowship for Doctor of Design at FIU Interdisciplinary Environmental Research; Millenium Fellowship for the UN Sustainable Development Goals; Humanity in Action Fellowship; Results Fellowship to combat poverty; Coastal Ecosystems Research Experience for Undergraduates Fellowship; Aquatic Chemistry and Environment Fellowships; Cristina Menendez Memorial Scholarship for Everglades research; National Save the Sea Turtle Foundation Scholarships; DOE Fellows at FIU for environmental cleanup technology development. 

In addition, FIU has incubators which incorporate sustainability into their programs: StartUp FIU provides students and faculty research commercialization support to launch companies, develop products and pursue social entrepreneurship. StartUp FIU creates and runs programs based on two foundational beliefs: that the skills and principles of entrepreneurship are essential to navigate and harness the opportunities of our disruptive age, and that universities can play a unique role in unlocking opportunity and unleashing potential to shape a better, more inclusive, and more innovative future. The Ratcliffe Art + Design Incubator (RA+DI) is a creative entrepreneurial laboratory based at FIU’s Biscayne Bay Campus. Its mission is to bridge the gap between creative practitioners and entrepreneurial success while promoting innovation within the FIU community. The core program offers one to two-year fellowships to students in the disciplines that compose the College of Communication, Architecture + The Arts (CARTA) providing a supportive ecosystem to turn their ideas into viable products, services, and businesses within a socially conscious, co-creative, mentorship, and mindset focused environment. 

As the state of Florida’s University of Distinction for Environmental Resilience, FIU works across all 17 of the United Nations Sustainable Development goals. FIU’s research and service initiatives are recognized by the Times Higher Education Impact Rankings, with the university being recognized as one of the top 100 universities in the world for positive impacts related to the goals.

One of the priorities outlined in FIU’s Next Horizon Strategic Plan is Accelerate Preeminence and Research Innovation and Impact. It is designed to advance FIU’s current academic standing by leveraging preeminent and emerging preeminent programs that collaborate across disciplines to generate new knowledge and innovative solutions for the betterment of our environment, health, and society. To achieve this, FIU will strive to attract and retain the best, most productive faculty, while cultivating leaders and nurturing all students, postdocs, researchers, and staff to excel. FIU will establish a knowledge ecosystem marked by research innovation unfettered by discipline or geography to craft grand solutions to the complexities of modern society. FIU will leverage its success as a global academic leader to drive knowledge production that informs public and academic conversations on societal and cultural issues. FIU will support faculty, allowing them to achieve national recognition for their excellence in teaching, research, scholarship, and creative activities. Finally, FIU will be the catalyst to foster social innovation and entrepreneurship from conceptualization to commercialization. 

To encourage research and service in sustainability, the Office of Research & Economic Development provides support to faculty and students pursuing research initiatives including the pursuit of high-value awards and fellowships. Recent examples of this effort include Fulbright Scholars Nasar Ahmed and Ligia Collado-Vides, both of whom are focusing on research projects tied to the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

As outlined in the FIU Tenure & Promotion Manual for faculty, FIU is committed to scholarly excellence that serves the public good through teaching, research, creative activities and service. The manual states in the preamble (page 3) “As a research university we also emphasize sustainable human development, social innovations, and economic development.”

FIU Libraries has subject specialist and academic program liaisons to provide students and faculty with one-on-one and in-class consultations for help with their research needs. Sustainability-related subject areas are included. In addition, FIU Libraries has a series of Library Guides (LibGuide) that provide an overview of topics along with lists of resources. Sustainability related research topics include:

• International Climatic Changes


• The Everglades


• Women, Culture, & Economic Development


• Global Learning