The mission of the Sierra Nevada Research Institute is “to discover and disseminate new knowledge that contributes to sustaining natural resources and promoting social health and well-being in the San Joaquin Valley and the Sierra Nevada regions of California, and related regions worldwide, through integrated research in natural science, social and engineering sciences.”
How do we accomplish our mission?
- Faculty, researchers, and students in the Sierra Nevada Research Institute conduct basic and applied research using the San Joaquin Valley and the Sierra Nevada as their "outdoor laboratory" in the following areas:
- sustainable water and land management
- drought
- wildfire
- air, water and soil pollution
- climate change and competing land uses
- Strong interactions with related research units within the UC system: UC Water, CITIRS, UC Solar, and close collaborative relations with scientists and managers at national laboratories (particularly Lawrence Livermore National Labs) and local, state, and federal agencies
- We establish research facilities on the UC Merced campus and within the San Joaquin Valley and the Sierra Nevada regions of California
- Share SNRI data, information and research results with elected and agency decision-makers, public and private stakeholders through meetings, public forums, workshops and various media platforms
- Strengthening SNRI faculty engagement in Sustainability, Management, and Human Health Science
