The Vanderbilt Center for Sustainability, Energy, and Climate (VSEC), established in 2024 and housed in Vanderbilt University’s School of Engineering, has joined the Earth System Governance Project (ESGP) as its newest Research Centre. Drawing on its breadth and diversity in research and collaboration, VSEC advances interdisciplinary research, education, and entrepreneurship on sustainability, energy and climate, engaging world-class expertise across engineering, science, law, policy and education.
Focusing on four core themes: (i) Energy Integration, (ii) Resource Sustainability, (iii) Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation, and (iv) Systems Risk, Reliability and Resilience, VSEC tackles complex and dynamic global challenges such as wildfires, water justice, extreme heat, energy transitions, ecological disruptions, and carbon sequestration. By joining the ESGP, VSEC seeks to leverage synergies with related initiatives at Vanderbilt University to strengthen and broaden the ESGP’s expertise, expand the ESGP’s “footprint” in the United States and North America, and contribute to innovative governance solutions for a sustainable future.
VSEC’s primary contact is Law Professor J.B. Ruhl.
