Radical Collaboration

Cornell faculty are reaching across disciplines to tackle society’s most complex challenges and to make breakthrough discoveries. These radical collaborations—collisions of thoughts and perspectives from vastly different fields—lead to unexpected and unconventional solutions and deepen our thinking.


Climate change adaptation requires Indigenous knowledge

Karim-Aly Kassam is leading a project that brings together Indigenous and rural communities and scholars from across the globe to develop ecological calendars that integrate local cultural systems with seasonal indicators.

Grants fund Cornell AES work to improve lives in NYS

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has awarded $3.9 million in funding to the Cornell University Agricultural Experiment Station to support 52 projects across three colleges.

‘Visions of Dante:’ seeing the Italian poet with new eyes

The exhibition at the Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art explores the visual nature of the “Divine Comedy,” which has inspired scholars and artists from medieval times through today.

Grant funds machine learning discovery in quantum physics

Physicist Eun-Ah Kim is leading the way toward applications of quantum mechanics, including the discovery of new quantum materials and the development of quantum computing.

eBird data can help track bee health

A two-year, $500,000 grant will allow a team of Cornell data scientists and ecologists to use eBird data to explore a new way to track pollinator health and biodiversity.

DRNets can solve Sudoku, speed scientific discovery

An interdisciplinary research team led by Carla Gomes, professor of computing and information science, has developed Deep Reasoning Networks, which combine deep learning with an understanding of the subject’s boundaries and rules.

NIH-funded research to address rising male infertility

Paula Cohen, associate vice provost for life sciences, is leading an eight-year, $8 million, multi-institution grant to untangle the complex genetic rulebook for how sperm develops.

Meet Jinhua Zhao, Dyson’s new dean

From his research on environmental and resource economics to the high value he places on diversity and cross-disciplinary collaboration, learn about Jinhua Zhao in this Q&A.

Around Cornell

$25M center will use digital tools to ‘communicate’ with plants

The new Center for Research on Programmable Plant Systems, or CROPPS, funded by a five-year, $25 million National Science Foundation grant, aims to grow a new field called digital biology.