Environmental Studies

While PEI has a graduate program, it does not offer graduate degrees. Students interested in pursuing a graduate degree at Princeton University must apply for admission to a graduate degree-granting department or program by completing the electronic application form provided on the Graduate School website. PEI can be listed as the interdepartmental program of choice.

The goal of PEI’s graduate program is to provide opportunities for doctoral students to explore environmental topics from an interdisciplinary perspective. The Institute offers several opportunities including:

PEI-STEP Graduate Fellowship Program
The PEI-STEP Graduate Fellowship program enables Ph.D. candidates in science, engineering, and other academic disciplines to participate in the Woodrow Wilson School’s Science, Technology, and Environmental Policy certificate program (STEP) while developing an environmental policy dimension of their doctoral theses.

Program participants are mentored by a member of the STEP faculty in addition to their departmental advisors. PEI-STEP students are required to complete three STEP approved courses (earning a grade of B+ or better) and to develop an advanced policy paper of publishable quality which is often incorporated as a chapter of the student’s dissertation. Students meeting the requirements receive a Graduate Certificate in Science, Technology, and Environmental Policy from the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs in addition to being awarded a degree from the department in which the student is enrolled.

PEI-STEP students receive half financial support (stipend and tuition) for two years from PEI as participants in the program.

Admission to the PEI-STEP program is made by competitive application in the spring. Princeton graduate students in their first, second, or third year of study are eligible to apply, although most awards are made to post-generals Ph.D. students.

Princeton Energy and Climate Scholars (PECS)
Ph.D. candidates from diverse disciplinary backgrounds may apply for membership in

Princeton Energy and Climate Scholars (PECS) -- an honorific society that encourages students to transcend the boundaries of their respective fields in considering topics in energy and the environment. Fellows meet monthly as a group and with members of the Faculty Advisory Board to share insights from their research. PECS fellows participate in several outreach initiatives and engage in a collaborative project. Membership in the group is for two years and is determined by competitive application in the spring. Selection is made by representatives of the faculty and PECS student leadership. Typically, only post-generals Ph.D. students are eligible for participation, but special cases will be considered. The group is self-governing.

Graduate Research Funds
PEI administers several competitive funds for graduate research including the Mary and Randall Hack ’69 Graduate Award for innovative research on water and water-related topics and the Walbridge Fund Graduate Award for research on climate science, climate policy, and energy projects. Applications are received in the spring semester for review by a faculty committee.

Certificate

Certificate Requirements:

Program Description:

The PEI graduate program values fundamental disciplinary strengths while providing avenues for students to reach across disciplinary lines to solve environmental problems.

Courses:

Princeton graduate students are encouraged to include graduate courses on environmental topics in their program of study. Students are able to select from PEI-sponsored graduate courses as well as courses in affiliated programs.

Dissertation and FPO:

For students conducting research with a highly environmental component it is suggested the dissertation committee include at least one PEI faculty member from a department other than the student’s home department.

Additional Requirements:

Seminars and Colloquia
In addition to courses, students attend colloquia related to their interests. PEI offers a weekly faculty session, a monthly graduate seminar series, and a yearly poster session to foster interdisciplinary exchanges and encourage a spirit of cohesiveness among program students.

Faculty

Director

Daniel I. Rubenstein

Executive Committee

Ian C. Bourg, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Princeton Environmental Institute
Michael A. Celia, Civil and Environmental Engineering
William A. Gleason, English
Lars O. Hedin, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton Environmental Institute
Melissa S. Lane, Politics
Robert Nixon, English, Princeton Environmental Institute
Michael Oppenheimer, Woodrow Wilson School, Geosciences, Princeton Environmental Institute
Laure Resplandy, Geosciences, Princeton Environmental Institute
Daniel I. Rubenstein, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

Courses

Permanent Courses

Courses listed below are graduate-level courses that have been approved by the program’s faculty as well as the Curriculum Subcommittee of the Faculty Committee on the Graduate School as permanent course offerings. Permanent courses may be offered by the department or program on an ongoing basis, depending on curricular needs, scheduling requirements, and student interest. Not listed below are undergraduate courses and one-time-only graduate courses, which may be found for a specific term through the Registrar’s website. Also not listed are graduate-level independent reading and research courses, which may be approved by the Graduate School for individual students.

CEE 587 Ecohydrology (also

ENV 587

) A description of the hydrologic mechanisms that underlie ecological observations. The space-time dynamics of soil-plant-atmosphere is studied at different temporal and spatial scales. A review is done of the role of environmental fluctuations in the distribution of vegetation. Emphasis is made in the dynamics of soil moisture. The signatures revealing fractal structures in landscapes and vegetation are reviewed as result of self-organizing dynamics. Unifying concepts in the processes responsible for these signatures will be studied with examples from hydrology and ecology.

CHM 544 Metals in Biology: From Stardust to DNA (also

ENV 544

) A course in inorganic physiology and biochemistry, presenting the chemical principles adopted by nature to perform biological functions. Topics include metal ion function in protein and nucleic acid structure, metalloenzyme mechanisms, metal regulation of gene expression, biological energy conversion via ion pumping, storage and mobilization of the elements, and biomineralization.