CIEE’s Dr. Therese Peffer and Dr. Miriam Aczel are part of a multi-institutional research team that was awarded $12,000 in seed funding from the France-Berkeley Fund. The team’s project, titled “Climate Migration: Justice, Inclusion, and AI Solutions in the U.S. and France,” is a joint effort between CIEE and the Laboratoire Aménagement Économie Transports (LAET) to explore and share strategies for local decarbonization, sustainability, and urban resilience, particularly for frontline and migrant communities.
In collaboration with Dr. Nathalie Ortar from LAET, who will serve as the co-principal investigator with Peffer; Dr. Michàlle Mor Barak from the University of Southern California; and Dr. Lawrence Palinkas from UC San Diego, the team will synthesize lessons learned from sustainable urban redevelopment efforts—including CIEE’s Oakland EcoBlock project and the Lyon Confluence district—and examine the social implications behind these initiatives. The researchers will also leverage AI to analyze large datasets, identifying patterns, predicting future migration trends, and proposing efficient resource allocation to enhance community-scale climate adaptation.
Drawing from case studies and insights gained through the partnership, the team will develop a book and a United Nations policy brief, with an emphasis on how AI can help communities respond to climate change. The team will also organize webinars to communicate key findings and foster a broader dialogue around climate migration, social equity, and environmental justice.
Learn about the Oakland EcoBlock project
Learn about the Lyon Confluence district
About the France-Berkeley Fund
Established in 1993 as a partnership with the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the France-Berkeley Fund promotes and supports scholarly exchange in all disciplines between faculty and research scientists at the University of California and their counterparts in France.
Through its annual grant competition, the Fund provides seed money for innovative, bi-national collaborations. The Fund’s core mission is to advance research of the highest caliber, foster interdisciplinary inquiry, encourage new partnerships, and promote lasting institutional and intellectual cooperation between France and the United States.
View the full list of 2024-25 France-Berkeley Fund grant recipients
