The Biodiversity Center's five-year Strategic Plan provides a roadmap for strengthening biodiversity research, education, outreach and shared resources across the university. We aim to reduce barriers to collaboration, support innovative research, expand educational opportunities and connect biodiversity expertise with communities throughout Texas.
Five Strategic Priorities
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Research Excellence
Advance collaborative, interdisciplinary biodiversity research across UT Austin. Learn more about our research themes.
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Education & Career Pathways
Create experiential learning opportunities and clearer pathways from education to careers.
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Public Outreach & Engagement
Connect biodiversity science with educators, policymakers, conservation organizations and the public.
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Essential Biodiversity Resources
Strengthen and support shared assets, including field stations, collections and research infrastructure.
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Leadership, Governance & Culture
Foster collaboration and long-term sustainability through transparent governance, strong leadership and a shared vision.
Research Themes
Identified through faculty input and the broader biodiversity research landscape, these research themes provide a shared framework for advancing biodiversity research, helping foster collaboration, guide strategic investments and connect researchers with key resources and partnerships.
- Discovery and Documentation of Biodiversity
Using field research, collections, systematics and genomics to track biodiversity across space and time. - Mechanisms Generating and Maintaining Biodiversity
Exploring the evolutionary, ecological and genomic processes that shape biodiversity. - The Impact of Environmental Change on Biodiversity
Examining how changes in climate, land, water use and other human pressures affect species and ecosystems. - Stewardship, Policy and Human Dimensions
Applying biodiversity science to conservation, resource management, policy and societal challenges.
Five-Year Vision
In the next five years, the Biodiversity Center will catalyze, amplify and coordinate biodiversity research, education and public engagement opportunities across disciplines. The center will foster collaboration, enhance accessibility of biodiversity resources and training, develop shared priorities, build public awareness and amplify the work of faculty, students and staff across the University.
Looking Ahead: Five-Year Roadmap
- Year 1: Establish governance, assess resources, strengthen partnerships and launch research coordination efforts.
- Year 2: Expand student learning opportunities, advance digitization, strengthen research collaboration and launch a community hub.
- Year 3: Deepen collaboration across programs, grow national partnerships and conduct a mid-cycle review.
- Year 4: Embed successful practices, pursue major funding opportunities and expand donor engagement.
- Year 5: Evaluate progress, refresh the strategic plan and strengthen long-term leadership continuity.
Get Involved
Standing Committees
Five Biodiversity Standing Committees are being launched, with UT faculty, staff, postdocs and student representatives from across disciplines and units, to support and advocate for our field stations, collections, research, educational opportunities and more. These bodies provide structured programmatic input to leadership from the broader community, and inform implementation of the strategic plan.
Contact the Biodiversity Center to learn more about the committees and ways to get involved.