RISE-EARTH Collaboration Headquarters

Fostering interdisciplinary solutions for sustainable energy, environmental systems, and economic resilience.

A foggy Wisconsin agricultural landscape

Welcome to the RISE-EARTH Collaboration Headquarters (HQ), proudly housed within the Wisconsin Energy Institute (WEI).

The HQ is dedicated to advancing scholarship by reimagining environmental systems, economic processes, and sustainable energy solutions. Built to support the campus-wide Wisconsin RISE Initiative, the mission is to unite faculty, students, and community partners to solve complex global challenges—ranging from water quality to the impacts of a changing climate on agriculture. Currently there are 42 RISE-EARTH faculty hires on campus.

Vision & Future Initiatives

The RISE-EARTH HQ serves as a catalyst for innovation by providing institutional backing for new and existing UW–Madison researchers. As the initiative grows, the HQ aims to catalyze research and innovation through several planned activities, including:

  • Collaborative Networks: The RISE-EARTH HQ will help organize and facilitate regular campus-wide meetings. These gatherings will focus on building cross-college partnerships and creating lasting connections with external partners, such as community organizations and industry leaders.
  • Student Engagement: Training young people to be future leaders who can solve complex global problems is a core priority. As the initiative expands, the HQ hopes to involve students directly through research, teaching, and outreach opportunities.
  • Seed Grant Competitions: The RISE-EARTH HQ will design and execute annual seed grant opportunities that will allow faculty to generate new concepts and launch vital research initiatives.

Executive Leadership Team

The RISE-EARTH Collaboration HQ has an Executive Committee, which includes faculty from a wide range of disciplines to help identify strategic opportunities. This committee consists of: ​​Chris Kucharik (Chair), Ankur Desai, Andrea Hicks, Nancy Kendall, Nancy Wong, Shawn Kaeppler, Steph Tai, Brad Pierce, Morgan Edwards, Christy Remucal, and Matt Ginder-Vogel.

Resources

Find Collaborators

The Data Science Institute hosts a tool that helps university faculty and staff discover relevant research, shared interests, and potential collaborators across campus. Check out RABBIT, an AI-powered faculty discovery tool that is available to all UW–Madison faculty and staff, to find potential collaborators.

Funding Opportunities

The Office of Research and Sponsored Programs (RSP) is UW–Madison’s central hub for finding and managing research funding. Check out RSP’s Finding Funding page for links to resources that help researchers find funding.

The Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research (OVCR) provides research funding for faculty through its annual cross-campus Fall Research Competition, as well as funding for travel for faculty to domestic and international meetings, named professorships, mid-career awards, and faculty fellowships. Check out OVCR’s Funding page for more details.

Campus Partners & Hubs

  • Wisconsin RISE Initiative: Learn more about the broader campus-wide initiative that includes RISE-EARTH, RISE-AI, and RISE-THRIVE.
  • RISE-AI Collaboration HQ: Explore the RISE-AI Collaboration Headquarters, for more resources and upcoming events.
  • Sustainability Research Hub: This UW-Madison hub is supporting innovative, large-scale, cross-cutting sustainability research on campus and beyond.

Stay Connected

Join the RISE-EARTH email list to receive updates and stay in touch.