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Research and Centers

Grounded in the strong University of California research tradition, our faculty-led research centers and programs engage students and the community and encompass a range of topics that reflect our mission.

Research at GPS

21st Century China Center
Aiming to deepen public knowledge and understanding of contemporary China and strengthen U.S.-China relations, this center promotes active discourse on China’s domestic evolution and its international engagement.

21st Century India Center
The center seeks to serve as a world-class hub for public engagement, current challenges and opportunities on the most important issues facing India today.

Big Pixel Initiative
This initiative is a a living, learning laboratory related to everything spatial, to investigate best practices in geospatial data visualization, user-experience interfaces and design techniques for scientific discovery and decision-making.

Center for Commerce and Diplomacy
This center produces high-quality research that informs government and business leaders about the challenges and institutions of international commercial diplomacy in a changing world.

Cowhey Center on Global Transformation
Examining central questions about economic growth, equality and market change in the Pacific, this center brings together the worlds of academic inquiry and policy analysis.

Center for U.S.-Mexican Studies
Supporting academic research on Mexico and U.S.-Mexico relations, this center explores the creation, implementation and evaluation of public policy in these countries.

Fudan-UC Center on Contemporary China
Connecting all 10 campuses of the UC system, this center brings together leading research scholars from both Fudan University and UC for conferences and cooperative research.   

Japan Forum for Innovation and Technology
Aiming to foster new collaboration and innovation between San Diego and Japan, this center acts as a hub for cross-disciplinary research on contemporary business, science and technology in Japan and its associated policies and strategies.

Korea-Pacific Program
Promoting greater understanding of contemporary North and South Korea, this program supports a variety of organized research projects, presents a seminar series and hosts a visiting scholars program.

Policy Design and Evaluation Lab
Combining advanced social science methodology with the power of information technology, this lab designs policies and programs that alleviate poverty; promote health, welfare and security; and enhance accountability.

SDG Policy Initiative
The SDG Policy Initiative uses the UN's Sustainable Development Goals as a framework for bringing together policymakers and researchers to inform evidence-based solutions for a sustainable future.

Science Policy Fellows Program
This program facilitates the exploration of policy implications and the practical application of research in engineering, medicine, and marine and earth sciences for strategic decision-making.

UC and UC San Diego 

Climage Change
UC San Diego nurtures and supports a collaborative and interdisciplinary research culture that advances the frontiers of climate science knowledge and develops mitigation strategies informed by broad academic disciplines.

Deep Decarbonization Initiative 
This campus-wide initiative is focused on helping the world cut emissions of warming gases essentially to zero given the very real science, technology, economic and political constraints that exist.

UC Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation
Facilitating innovative research on the causes of international conflict and cooperation, this institute serves the entire UC system and is committed to educating the next generation of problem solvers and peacemakers.