NOAA Research

Centers of Excellence in Science

What do the NOAA Research Cooperative Institutes do?

The thirteen Joint and Cooperative Institutes bring together the resources of a research-oriented university or institution, NOAA Research, and other NOAA programs. They promote collaboration between university scientists and NOAA scientists so that academic and government researchers can work together to learn about and apply their knowledge to environmental processes.

The NOAA Cooperative Research Institutes are centers of excellence in research relevant to understanding the Earth's oceans, atmosphere, Great Lakes, Arctic regions, and regions similar to the US intermountain west, as well as the solar-terrestrial environment. Cutting-edge research is being conducted under a broad umbrella of environmental themes, such as climate variability, air quality, sea-ice dynamics, coastal ecosystems, fisheries oceanography, hydrology, and weather research and forecasting.

These theme areas, each with significant implications for human society, are interrelated, and scientific progress will require collaborations by scientists within and between disciplines. In each case, progress will depend on a combination of basic process studies, the development and deployment of technological systems for long-term observation, and the development of models that are based on an understanding of the underlying processes and that incorporate information from the observations.

Staff and Funding:

The NOAA Research Cooperative Institutes are a $100 million dollar NOAA program supporting 901 researchers across the country.

Map of US showing location of Joint Institutes


Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere (CIRA)
Dr. Thomas Vonder Haar, Director
CIRA, Colorado State University
Fort Collins CO 80523
970-491-8448

Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES)
Dr. Susan Avery, Director
CIRES, University of Colorado at Boulder
Campus Box 216
Boulder, CO 80309-0216
303-492-1143

Joint Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Research (JIMAR)
Dr. Tom Schroeder, Director
JIMAR, University of Hawaii
1000 Pope Road
Marine Sciences Building, Room 312
Honolulu, HI 96822
808-956-8083

Joint Institute for Marine Observations (JIMO)
Dr. Pearn P. Niiler, Director
JIMO, Scripps/University of California San Diego
9500 Gilman Drive
La Jolla, CA 92093-0213
858-534-4100

Cooperative Institute for Climate Applications and Research (CICAR)
Columbia University Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory
Palisades, NY

Cooperative Institute for Climate Science (CICS)
Princeton University
Princeton, NJ 08544-0710

Northern Gulf Institute (NGI)
Dr. David Shaw, Director
Mississippi State University
GeoResources Institute
Bldg. 1103, Rm. 233
Stennis Space Center, MS 39529
228-688-4218

Cooperative Institute for Arctic Research (CIFAR)
Dr. Gunter Weller, Director
CIFAR, University of Alaska Fairbanks
PO Box 757740
Fairbanks, AK 99775-7740
907-474-5698

Cooperative Institute of Climate and Ocean Research (CICOR)
Dr. Robert Weller, Director
CICOR Office Mail Stop # 29
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Clark Building Room 224
Woods Hole, MA 02543
508-289-2779

Cooperative Institute for Limnology and Ecosystems Research (CILER)
Dr. Thomas Johengen, Director
CILER, University of Michigan
2200 Bonisteel Boulevard
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2099
734-764-2426

Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Studies (CIMAS)
Dr. Joseph Prospero, Director:
CIMAS, University of Miami
Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science
4600 Rickenbacker Causeway
Miami, FL 33149-1098
305-361-4789

Joint Institute for the Study of the Atmosphere and Ocean (JISAO)
Dr. David Battisti, Director
JISAO, University of Washington
Box 354235
Seattle, WA 98195-4235
206-685-7457

Cooperative Institute for Mesoscale Meteorological Studies (CIMMS)
Dr. Peter J. Lamb, Director
CIMMS, University of Oklahoma
Sarkeys Energy Center
100 East Boyd Street, Room 1110
Norman, OK 73019-101
405-325-3041

Joint Institute logoFor more information please contact:

Dr. John Cortinas Jr., PhD
Cooperative Institute Program Manager
NOAA Research, R/LCX2
1315 E. West Hwy, Rm #11308
Silver Spring, MD 20910
Ph: 301-734-1090
Cell: 301-452-3013
Fax: 301-713-1459
john.cortinas@noaa.gov

July 17, 2007