New Center: Science for Georgia's Tomorrow

The College of Sciences at Georgia Tech is proud to launch Science for Georgia’s Tomorrow, a new center focused on research that aims to improve life across the state of Georgia. 

“From resilient communities and agriculture, to health and sustainable energy resources, Science for Georgia's Tomorrow will focus on improving the lives of Georgians and their communities,” Dean Susan Lozier says.

An expansion of the College’s strategic plan, Science for Georgia's Tomorrow — Sci4GT, for short — will serve as a statewide fulcrum, fostering research in direct service to Georgia cities, counties, and communities.

The center specifically addresses critical health and climate challenges throughout Georgia, and aims to pave the way for increased public-private partnerships. The initiative will also expand access — broadening participation opportunities for Georgia students and communities to engage with research. 

The search for an inaugural faculty director has commenced, and will be followed by a dedicated cluster hire in 2025, funded by the Office of the Provost. Dean Lozier, who also serves as a professor in the School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, has reserved funds from the College of Sciences Betsy Middleton and John Clark Sutherland Dean’s Chair to initiate the center. 

People and planet

Selected from a pool of 17 faculty proposals, two dedicated faculty cluster hires will focus on improving the health of Georgians and Georgia’s communities — and the resilience of humans and ecosystems to current and anticipated climate change in the state. Appointments will be sought across the College’s six schools.

“These proposals address themes that are critically important right now for Georgia Tech research growth: sustainability and climate, along with health and well-being,” says Julia Kubanek, Vice President for Interdisciplinary Research at Georgia Tech and a professor in the School of Biological Sciences and the School of Chemistry and Biochemistry. “This is an opportunity for Georgia to be a model for the nation on how to solve health disparities.”

“These new cluster hires will strengthen the College’s existing research programs,” Lozier adds. “They will also facilitate large collaborations across campus, and educate the next generation of scientists who will tackle these problems in Georgia and beyond.”

Rising Tide Program

An adjacent effort, the new College of Sciences Rising Tide Program, is selecting promising early-career scientists for a two-year virtual mentorship initiative.

The Rising Tide Program will work in tandem with the Sci4GT cluster hire, complementing the strong culture of mentorship in the College, while providing a pathway to support local research at the Institute. 

“Rising Tide aims to help the College recruit scientists with professional or lived experiences in the Southeast — or focused on research with particular relevance to the Southeast,” explains Rising Tide Director Alex Robel, associate professor in the School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences. “One of our key goals is to bring more faculty to Georgia Tech who can contribute to research and teaching that’s particularly relevant to communities in Georgia.”

“The reach of Georgia Tech is global,” Lozier adds. “Our fingerprints are on discoveries and innovations that benefit people and their communities around the world. As researchers at a leading public university in the state of Georgia, we are also cognizant of the responsibility and opportunity to focus our efforts more intently here at home.”

Sci4GT: Director search

The College has launched an internal leadership search for the Science for Georgia’s Tomorrow center, with an expected appointment to be announced in February 2025. The inaugural director will have the opportunity to shape the direction of this new initiative by:   

• Formulating a strategic plan for the center in partnership with interested parties across campus 
• Promoting synergies between faculty within the college, and elsewhere at Georgia Tech, whose work relates to the health of Georgia’s people, its ecosystems, and communities  
• Fostering collaborations with offices at Georgia Tech that focus on community, government, and industry engagement so as to develop meaningful external partnerships that will advance the work of this center  

All faculty who hold a majority appointment within the College of Sciences are eligible and encouraged to apply. Learn more and apply via InfoReady. 

Funding

Initial support for Sci4GT is generously provided by the College of Sciences Betsy Middleton and John Clark Sutherland Dean's Chair fund. Cluster hire funding has been awarded by Provost Steven W. McLaughlin. 

Sci4GT will also seek funding from state, national and international organizations, private foundations, and government agencies to expand impact. Philanthropic support will also be sought in the form of professorships, programmatic support for the center, and seed funding.