We bring research to life

At Cornell AES, we provide funding, expertise and resources to advance critically important research, improving the health and welfare of people and our planet.

Three intertwined goals guide and propel our work:

  • Advance diverse, sustainable and viable agriculture and food systems
  • Build healthy and resilient communities
  • Improve stewardship of New York’s land resources and environmental assets

To achieve these goals, we support and partner with researchers from three Cornell colleges: Agriculture and Life Sciences, Human Ecology and Veterinary Medicine. Cornell AES fosters transdisciplinary collaborations to help solve the planet's most challenging problems. 

We manage a $6 million annual research budget, allocated from the National Institute of Food and Agriculture. Our competitive grant model supports over 150 research projects a year. Whether it be investments in long-term soil health, improving the resilience and nutritional value of crops, decreasing diseases in dairy cows, or tackling juvenile obesity – no other source of continuous funding addresses such a broad array of real-world issues important to our communities and our future. 

At our research farms and plant growth facilities we provide the testing grounds for research projects, state-of-the-art facilities, highly specialized, modern equipment, and staff with indispensable expertise. We are stewards of 127,000 square feet of greenhouse space, 125 controlled environment growth chambers and nine research farms across New York state.

Our agricultural operations serve as living laboratories and provide rich hands-on learning opportunities for students. For our many public events we partner with Cornell Cooperative Extension to share knowledge and research-based solutions with local communities, helping them to thrive in a rapidly changing world.

Our mission

Cornell AES empowers research with funding, resources and expertise to catalyze science-based solutions to social, environmental and agricultural challenges.