Contact: Jon Meerdink ([email protected])

ANN ARBOR — Three researchers at the University of Michigan’s Institute for Social Research have been awarded catalyst grants funded by the Graham Sustainability Institute.

Atiyya Shaw, Ph.D. of the Research Center for Group Dynamics (RCGD), Sunghee Lee, Ph.D., of the Survey Research Center (SRC) and Uttam Sharma, Ph.D., of the Population Studies Center (PSC), will receive funding for their respective research projects as a part of four grants intended to support climate resilience and sustainability.

“We’re so pleased to support these innovative projects through our sustainability catalyst grant program,” said Jennifer Haverkamp, Graham Family Director, in the Graham Sustainability Center’s release on the grants. “The projects chosen for this round of funding wonderfully embody our commitment to advance sustainability by working together, thinking creatively, and centering justice for high-impact solutions.”

Shaw and Lee’s project, titled A Road to Equity: Mitigating Bias in Transportation Infrastructure Planning, is focused on investigating biases in transportation survey data. By doing so, the research team, which also includes Joe Grengs, Ph.D., hopes to improve the accuracy of information used in infrastructure planning in the state of Michigan. Full project details are available here.

Meanwhile, Sharma’s project, titled Energizing Nepal: Developing a Research Agenda to Guide Sustainability Transitions, will investigate the ways in which Nepal is transitioning from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources. Full project details are available here.