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Cornell University

Migrations

A Global Grand Challenge

About

Researching, Teaching, and Building for a World on the Move

We study how all living things—humans, animals, insects, microorganisms, plant life—migrate from place to place on our planet. They cross borders, escape threats, live with changing climates and food supplies, recreate habitats, develop cultural patterns, seek improved quality of life, adapt and evolve, or face extinction.

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zebra herd in Africa Migrant field workers in California A NASA Visible Earth satellite image of Komodo National Park, Indonesia Coffee berries

News & Events

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News

, Cornellians

At face value, a whale in the Arctic Ocean may have little in common with a Central American political refugee. What connects them, and countless other populations, is their broad identity as migrators.

Also: they’re among the hundreds of subjects explored by Cornell’s Migrations initiative, the University’s first-ever Global Grand Challenge—an initiative to unite the Hill’s top scholars under a common mission to tackle Earth’s problems.

Research

Learn more about the research, teaching, and engagement activities that we are using to transform our approaches to the issues of Migrations—and influence policy, practice, and leadership worldwide.

How Unequal Resources Shape Flood Migration

Lindy Williams

Sociologist Tracks Climate Risk Decisions in Pandemic

How International Law Can Protect Migrants

Ian Kysel

Human Rights Expert Advocates for Migrants and Refugees

How the Seas Shape Civilizations

Eric Tagliacozzo

Historian of Water Studies the Movement of People

Power, Inequality, and Immigrant Worker Rights

Shannon Gleeson

Labor Relations Expert Examines What Works, What Doesn’t

How Global Actions Can Benefit Multiple Ecosystems

Amanda D. Rodewald

Ecologist Studies Bird Migration, Biodiversity, Environment, Communities

Ancestral Migrations Stopped at Fencelines

Steven A. Osofsky

Wildlife Veterinarian Builds One Health Partnerships — and Solutions