Cambridge to host first Global Climate Research Prize

Cambridge to host first Global Climate Research Prize

Paul Casciato Fri, 05/22/2026 - 13:53

Researchers from four of the world’s leading universities have been shortlisted for the €200,000 Global Climate Research Prize, and will gather with other academics, policymakers and international dignitaries at the historic Cambridge Union to celebrate the team who will win this new award for recognising breakthrough research that addresses the climate crisis and supports innovative solutions with global impact.

Founded by Clare Hall and LUT University, the biennial Global Climate Research Prize aims to become a leading international platform for climate research and collaboration. The initiative brings together universities and institutions from across the world, including Harvard University, Imperial College London, ETH Zürich, and the University of Tokyo, to support research with transformative and cross-border implications for climate resilience and sustainability.

Finalists were announced on Friday 8 May at the British Embassy in Finland.

“The threat of catastrophic climate change creates an urgent need to develop innovative ideas for mitigating and adapting to this global emergency,” said Professor Lord Martin Rees, former President of the Royal Society and Honorary Fellow of Clare Hall.

Professor Alan Short, President of Clare Hall, said the ambition is to establish the prize as “a globally respected forum where leading researchers, thinkers, and policymakers come together to advance solutions to climate change.”

The shortlisted research projects address some of the world’s most urgent environmental and public health challenges, including water security, greenhouse gas monitoring, clean energy technologies, and the spread of infectious diseases linked to rising global temperatures.

The finalists are:

National University of Singapore
Assistant Professor Xiaogang He
Research exploring how floodwaters can be stored and reused during drought periods, helping strengthen groundwater supplies and improve drought resilience.

University of Toronto / Total Carbon Column Observing Network (TCCON)
Professor Debra Wunch
A global greenhouse gas monitoring network combining satellite and ground-based observations to improve climate modelling and emissions tracking.

University of California, Berkeley
Professor and Nobel Laureate Omar Yaghi
Research developing materials capable of harvesting water from desert air using solar energy, alongside carbon capture and clean fuel technologies.

Stanford University
Professor Erin Gilmour Mordecai
Research examining how climate change is influencing the spread of mosquito- and tick-borne diseases, including malaria, dengue fever, and Lyme disease.

a globally respected forum where leading researchers, thinkers, and policymakers come together to advance solutions to climate change

Alan Short

Yes