New UAlbany Research Fund Accelerates Public Impact with the University of Puerto Rico
ALBANY, N.Y. (Nov. 6, 2026) — From using AI to understand climate and mental health equity to making Puerto Rico’s power grid more resilient to storms, the University at Albany is investing up to $250,000 to accelerate public impact research projects with the University of Puerto Rico.
Gov. Kathy Hochul announced the new UAlbany Puerto Rico Public Impact Accelerator Fund Friday during the annual Somos Inc. Puerto Rico Conference in San Juan, where UAlbany President Havidán Rodríguez joined leaders from across New York to discuss issues important to the state’s Latino population.
Building on UAlbany’s longstanding ties to the UPR system, the fund will accelerate joint research projects with UPR that address significant public safety, health, economic and quality of life concerns on the island that overlap with UAlbany’s core research strengths in areas such as atmospheric science, emergency preparedness, artificial intelligence and health equity.
This accelerator fund is a powerful example of how we can put our scholarship and science into action to deliver positive impact for the communities we serve. - Havidán Rodríguez
The funding, which falls under UAlbany’s Catalyst 2030 initiative to incentivize public impact research, will kickstart projects on topics including:
Developing and testing AI tools to protect energy infrastructure in Puerto Rico
UAlbany principals: Eric Stern, AI & Society Research Center and Department of Emergency Preparedness & Homeland Security; Chris Thorncroft, Atmospheric Sciences Research Center
Studying weather and climate extremes around the island
UAlbany principals: Brian Tang, Sujata Murty and Justin Minder, Department of Atmospheric & Environmental Sciences
Designing an advanced mesonet weather observation system
UAlbany principals: June Wang, New York State Mesonet; and Chris Thorncroft and Jorge Gonzalez-Cruz, Atmospheric Sciences Research Center
Preparing for the clean-power transition and economy
UAlbany principals: Jorge Gonzalez-Cruz, Jeff Freedman, Richard Perez, Chris Thorncroft, Jan Woodcock, Atmospheric Sciences Research Center
Understanding the health and mental health impacts of climate change
UAlbany principals: Amy Nitza, Global Center for AI in Mental Health; Elizabeth Vásquez, Center for Elimination of Health Disparities and Department of Epidemiology & Biostatistics
“Under the leadership of Gov. Hochul, New York’s longstanding bonds to Puerto Rico have only strengthened. The University at Albany is proud to have developed strong research partnerships with the University of Puerto Rico system,” said Rodríguez, who served for more than a decade on the faculty of University of Puerto Rico Mayagüez (UPRM).
“When Hurricane Maria hit the island 10 years ago, UAlbany students, faculty, and staff moved quickly to provide much-needed support,” he said. “Today, we are building on that relationship by funding research collaborations with UPR on topics including AI for sustainability and resilience, weather and climate extremes, renewable energy, and health equity. This accelerator fund is a powerful example of how we can put our scholarship and science into action to deliver positive impact for the communities we serve.”
Rodriguez’ academic expertise is in the socioeconomic impacts of disasters and he helped lead SUNY’s relief response to Hurricane Maria, which struck the island in September 2017 less than a month into his tenure as UAlbany’s president.
The five newly funded projects involve collaborations by students and faculty in leading UAlbany research units with colleagues at the UPRM and University of Puerto Rico Rio Piedras and include other key local partners, such as the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority, National Weather Service and Caribbean Coastal Observing System.
They build on UAlbany’s ongoing collaboration with the government of Puerto Rico to seek federal support to establish a mesonet on the island — work is informed by UAlbany’s deep expertise building and operating the New York State Mesonet.