Global research

Notre Dame researchers prioritize partnership and seek to learn from before they seek to act. Connection drives understanding, and understanding yields solutions to today's most pressing global challenges.

A young man wearing a blue polo shirt and tan pants kneels in a grassy field, writing on a yellow notepad. He wears a black backpack and works in front of a tall white wind turbine and a row of green trees under a bright blue sky. A bearded man wearing sunglasses and a backpack looks over his shoulder outdoors, with three large digging tools or pickaxes attached to his pack. Hands of two researchers outdoors in a wooded area. One person holds a small plastic bottle as the other uses a glass pipette to transfer liquid into it. The background features bright green foliage and sunlight.

Global research

A bog’s life

As Ireland contemplates its energy future, a Notre Dame student works to restore its ecological past.

A woman with long dark hair, wearing a white sweater and jeans, kneels on a wooden plank in a grassy bog, tending to a scientific instrument.

Global research

Empowering through education

A pathway out of poverty for children in India.

A brown-skinned teacher in a sari smiles warmly while facing a classroom of young girls in India. The girls, seen from behind, wear maroon and white uniforms and have their dark hair styled in buns. A chalkboard hangs on the wall behind the teacher.
  1. A man with grey curly hair and pink glasses types on a keyboard at a desk, looking at two monitors. The left screen shows a colorful scientific map. The right shows a dark, cloudy beach scene from Sri Lanka and text about an MJO event.

    Video

    ND :30 - Joe Fernando

    Professor Joe Fernando measures oceanic and atmospheric wave patterns to develop models that will predict monsoons up to several weeks in advance.

  2. A man in a white lab coat and black glasses intently works inside a laboratory fume hood. Orange and yellow equipment are visible within.

    Video

    ND :30 - Tengfei Luo

    Aerospace and Mechanical Engineer Tengfei Luo is working to desalinate water with an ionic liquid as a new solvent.

  4. Four smiling young people sit on rocks. One wears a green

    News

    Nepal study abroad program leads to research opportunity with real-world impact

    Last year marked the first year of the Nepal Summer: Sustainability and Energy Systems summer study abroad program. Like all study abroad programs, the program was intentionally designed to combine coursework with cultural immersion, appealing especially to engineering students but open to students from all disciplines and grade levels. Led...

  5. Five women in a dense forest gather large green leaves. One wears a pink jacket and multi-colored headscarf, another an olive jacket, a third a beige sweater. Two women in red headscarves wear a pink patterned sweater and an orange jacket, respectively. They are smiling and working.

    News

    Nepal’s green success story has a hidden social gap, Notre Dame research shows

    In recent years, Nepal has been heralded as a global leader in community-based forest conservation. By handing over nearly a third of its nationally owned forest to local villagers in the 1980s, the country reversed years of deforestation and effectively doubled its forest cover. However, a new study from the...

  6. A woman with blond/brown hair in a gray suit, Olena Zelenska, speaks at a podium. Framed on either side are the flags of the United States and Ukraine. Behind her directly is a banner for the Global Coalition of Ukrainian Studies.

    News

    University of Notre Dame joins the Global Coalition of Ukrainian Studies

    The University of Notre Dame has joined the Global Coalition of Ukrainian Studies after signing a memorandum of cooperation, formalized Sept. 24, at the Ukrainian Institute of America in New York City. Notre Dame joined four other American institutions that were also publicly welcomed to the coalition at this event:...

  7. Aerial view of a river and arid land—complex terrain for a forest map. A large fire burns at the right, showing how remote sensing captures the loss of forests and carbon sequestration critical to fighting climate change.

    News

    New study reveals major gaps in global forest maps

    Are global forest maps reliable? New research from the University of Notre Dame shows satellite datasets agree only 26 percent of the time, undermining carbon storage estimates and international climate policy.

  9. Smiling dark-skinned woman in a yellow top, red patterned skirt, and yellow headwrap holds a baby under a tree. The baby, in a white hat, sucks its finger. A crowd in colorful attire gathers in the sunny background near a white building.

    News

    Clean water access improves child health in Mozambique, study shows

    In Mozambique, more than one in three children under five suffer from stunting, or impaired physical growth. New research from Santosh Kumar Gautam, associate professor of development and global health economics at Notre Dame’s Keough School of Global Affairs, shows that improving access to safe drinking water can reduce the odds...

  11. A crane lifts a plywood wall section at a construction site. A worker in an orange safety vest is visible. Lumber is stacked nearby, and a dark van and red pickup truck are parked on the gravel driveway. A blue metal-sided building is partially visible in the foreground, and a forested hillside is in the background.

    News

    Notre Dame professor’s research on housing resilience finds an audience in Alaska

    Keough School political scientist Susan Ostermann presented new research in Alaska showing how building regulations influence home design, safety, and resilience. Her findings reveal that oversight can encourage innovation without raising costs—insights now informing state and local housing policy debates amid seismic and environmental risks.

  13. A bald, dark-skinned man with a beard and blue glasses, wearing a white quarter-zip with navy collar stripes, speaks with an engaged expression. A woman in a maroon sweater uses a laptop in the blurred background.

    Video

    ND :30 - Ellis Adjei Adams

    Adams’ work examines the social, political, institutional, and governance dimensions of environmental and natural resources, particularly water.

  14. A group of people are standing in muddy water, with one woman in the foreground washing clothes in a plastic basin.

    Article

    Fighting infectious disease at its source

    Eradicating schistosomiasis is a complex problem that requires a complex solution

  15. Two baby baboons sit on a dirt road, looking out at a grassy field.

    Article

    Fighting to understand the scientific impact of community

    By studying the Amboseli baboons of Kenya, Notre Dame biologist Beth Archie explores how social relationships directly impact health, fertility, and lifespan. This decades long primates study provides vital clues into why strong community ties lead to longer, healthier lives for humans.

  16. A small child with a concerned expression peeks out from behind a bright blue food stand.

    Article

    Fighting mosquito-borne diseases

    A new partnership between Notre Dame and the Mayo Clinic is working in Belize to track and stop the Zika virus in real time. By combing medical entomology with clinical expertise, researchers are improving local diagnostic speeds and identifying disease hotspots to protect communities.

  19. Large chunks of melting icebergs in a bay off the coast of Russia

    News

    Does Russia stand to benefit from climate change?

    There exists a narrative about climate change that says there are winners and losers — with Russia being one of the countries that stand to benefit from its effects. In a new study, researchers at the University of Notre Dame found that Russia is suffering from a variety of climate...

Discover and engage
  1. A woman in a navy blue shirt helps a young girl wearing glasses assemble wooden craft pieces.

    Article

    25 years of impact in South Bend

    The Robinson Community Learning Center stands as a lasting symbol of trust, partnership, and shared purpose between Notre Dame and its closest neighbors.

  2. The bronze sculpture Desert Rose by Arnaldo Pomodoro is placed at the center of the ecological greenhouse at the Gardens of Castel Gandolfo. The curved glass structure—covered with solar panels—frames the work within a light-filled, sustainable environment. Stone pathways and carefully trimmed hedges unfold beneath a canopy of Mediterranean pines.

    Article

    Sowing seeds of hope: Vatican partnership advances global sustainability

    The collaboration supports research, education, and action to build a more just, sustainable future.

  3. Broadly smiling woman with dark hair in a navy jacket with gold buttons, arms crossed, in front of bookshelves.

    Podcast

    What happened to the American family?

    The American family has changed dramatically over the past four decades, raising urgent questions about marriage, economic stability, and child well-being.

  4. Statue of Sacred Heart of Jesus, two lit candles, surrounded by worn black and brown shoes and scattered red tokens on wood.

    Article

    A saint of our own?

    The humble piety of Notre Dame cobbler Brother Columba inspires a canonization push.

  5. Golden Dome and Basilica of the Sacred Heart silhouetted against a red and orange sunset, reflected in a Notre Dame lake.

    Photo Essay

    A model March

    Semester in full swing, snow, sun, fun, madness, and mulch.

  6. Congregation and clergy gather at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart with a purple banner and white-draped coffin.

    Photo Essay

    Remembrance and appreciation

    Lou Holtz, 1937–2026

  7. Smiling man with gray hair wearing a navy blazer, light blue dress shirt, and blue striped tie with orange accents, seated in a conference room with artwork and a monitor visible in the blurred background.

    Article

    A dignity movement

    2026 Laetare Medalist Timothy Shriver

  8. Smiling older man with short gray hair wearing a gray blazer and light blue shirt, set against a deep blue background overlaid with colorful financial candlestick chart graphics in teal, pink, and red.

    Podcast

    How do you measure success?

    Mendoza professor Joe Holt joins Jenna Liberto to talk purpose-driven goals, meaningful work, and redefining success.

  9. Students and three priests in white vestments gather for a night mass around a lit snow chapel and altar, snow-covered Sorin Hall in background.

    Photo Essay

    Between winter and spring

    The month in photos, February 2026