UC Berkeley announced on April 22 the appointment of Rachel Morello-Frosh as the university’s first associate provost for energy, climate, and environment. Morello-Frosh will begin her new role on July 1.
The position is intended to strengthen connections among researchers across campus and enhance Berkeley’s leadership in addressing environmental issues. Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost Benjamin E. Hermalin said, “An interdisciplinary approach is really going to be critical for having an impact and making real significant breakthroughs in energy, climate and environment. Rachel will create horizontal linkages and break through academic silos.”
Morello-Frosh is a professor in the Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management as well as the School of Public Health at UC Berkeley. She researches environmental justice impacts related to climate change, air pollution, and chemical exposure. In her new capacity, she will work to create a hub for interdisciplinary research collaborations on campus while also seeking external partnerships to address pressing climate challenges.
“I’m very excited to take on this position because there’s so much transformative, socially beneficial research going on at Berkeley in this realm,” Morello-Frosh said. She explained that one goal is to make it easier for faculty from different disciplines to collaborate: “This office will have a key role in being a convener… We will help make it easier for people to come together.”
Vice Chancellor for Research Kathy Yelick said that with similar positions emerging at other universities nationwide and internationally, Morello-Frosh’s appointment gives UC Berkeley a seat at important conversations about how higher education institutions are addressing energy and environmental problems.
The Rausser College of Natural Resources plays an important part within UC Berkeley by advancing societal well-being through research focused on environmental sustainability and human health improvements according to its official website. The college receives support from donor contributions that fund undergraduate opportunities, graduate fellowships, student scholarships according to its official website, includes facilities such as greenhouses and field plots dedicated to plant science research according to its official website, functions as part of both UC Berkeley itself and the broader University of California system according to its official website, focuses on interdisciplinary approaches involving biological, ecological, economic and social sciences according to its official website, and has been recognized nationally and globally as a leader in natural and social sciences according to its official website.
Looking ahead, Hermalin commented: “Who better than Berkeley to work on such an important existential issue? We are here to better society. One way is by doing amazing research in all kinds of fields, and then tying that research to education and service.”
