Contact
Our work is anchored by three interconnected labs: UMERA, NACERA, and SIERA. We welcome specialists who thrive within a single domain as well as systems thinkers and connectors who work across them. If you are drawn to the co-evolution of cities, ecosystems, and AI co-evolve, we look forward to hearing from you.
MIT Undergraduates
We host undergraduates year-round through UROP, during fall, spring, and summer terms, and occasionally through directed study and SuperUROP. Past students have worked on ML-based resource flows mapping in global cities, computer vision techniques to detect landslide risks in the Colombian Andean-Amazon Piedmont, built interactive tools for climate vulnerability assessment, developed on the ground research for the music industry to engage music fans in climate action, and contributed to foundational work on AI systems that reason about the physical environment. We welcome students from across MIT, architecture, DUSP, EECS, IDSS, CEE, EAPS, mathematics, Sloan, and beyond. If you’d like to get involved, send us a short note describing your background, interests, and what you’re curious about.
MIT graduate students
Current graduate students are welcome to get involved through research assistantships on project-based initiatives, thesis mentorship, and cross-lab projects. Beyond campus, we often offer IAP or summer engagements supported by programs such as MISTI, bridging the gap between students and our global network to facilitate field research in critical ecosystems such as the Peruvian Amazon or Biogeographic Chocó region of Colombia. Because ERA projects are inherently interdisciplinary, we encourage current and prospective students to reach and discuss which projects and which labs best align with their academic trajectory.
Collaborators
ERA’s work is fundamentally collaborative. We are always interested in expanding our network of collaborators and exploring joint research and action opportunities. We partner with universities, research institutions, municipal and national governments, multilateral organizations, community-based organizations, and industry partners. Our past collaborations span Pratt Institute, Georgia Tech, Syracuse University, Mohammed VI Polytechnic University, the SINCHI and Humboldt institutes of Colombia, Ministry of Environment of Colombia, Municipalities (Alliance of Cities for Biogeographic Chocó), MIT Lincoln Laboratory, Warner Music Group, Live Nation, Coldplay, Involved Group, Mocoa environmental oversight community-group and Chocó Environmental Youth Network, among others. If your organization is working on urban sustainability, biodiversity and ecosystem stewardship, climate adaptation, or AI models for environmental challenges, and you see a meaningful overlap with our methods and goals, we’d like to hear from you.
Sponsors
ERA is building a portfolio of philanthropic, foundation, corporate, and government sponsors who share our research vision. Sponsorship supports frontier research across our three labs, the on-the-ground deployment of methods in partnership with communities, and the open dissemination of data, models, and computational tools for cities and ecosystems worldwide. ERA is seeking the generosity and vision of inaugural financial support for our research and action efforts. We work closely with each sponsor to align support with research priorities. Also, we are creating a board of advisors to join us as we build our team and begin co-creating and deploying the next generation of solutions toward a sustainable world. We welcome your interest in either or both!
Contact us via email at
Location within MIT campus
134 Massachusetts Ave, Bldg W41-5504Cambridge, MA 02139
Mailing address
MIT ERA, 77 Massachusetts Ave, Bldg W41-5504
Cambridge, MA 02139