Clare Cannon Appointed Director of the UC Davis Institute of the Environment
The University of California, Davis, Office of Research is pleased to announce the appointment of Clare Cannon as the director of the Institute of the Environment, effective November 1, 2026. Cannon, a professor in the Department of Human Ecology in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, has served as an interim director of the Institute since July 2025.
As the director, Cannon will champion interdisciplinary research collaborations leveraging the work of the Institute’s centers and programs and involving campus stakeholders, government agencies, businesses, and non-profit and community organizations to surface innovative solutions and guide informed policy decisions for some of the planet’s pressing environmental, climate, energy and health challenges.
“Clare brings a genuine passion and deep expertise at the intersections of environment, health and social equity—qualities that will strengthen the Institute’s impact,” said Simon J. Atkinson, vice chancellor for research at UC Davis. “Over the last year, she has demonstrated effective leadership, a clear strategic vision and a deep commitment to the Institute’s mission.”
In 2025, as the interim director of the Institute, Cannon launched a new strategic plan, Transforming Environmental Futures, that reflects the Institute’s dual role as both a research driver and enabler—supporting faculty, staff and students in advancing applied environmental science and policy research. This five‑year roadmap outlines nine integrated strategies designed to strengthen interdisciplinary environmental research, expand partnerships and increase public impact through 2031.
“I am thrilled to lead the Institute into our next chapter by expanding our great work through our interdisciplinary, applied environmental, health and climate research to benefit the people of California and beyond and make a real-world positive impact,” said Cannon.
A background rooted in collaboration and solutions-focused research
An interdisciplinary scholar, Cannon is widely recognized for her contributions to environmental justice, climate adaptation, feminist research and health equity. Her research examines how environmental hazards, climate‑driven disasters and structural inequalities shape health and well‑being across rural, urban and marginalized communities. Her approach integrates quantitative, qualitative, spatial and participatory methods to advance evidence‑based climate adaptation and environmental justice policy.
She is a member of the UC Davis Environmental Health Sciences Center, collaborating with toxicologists, epidemiologists, and environmental scientists on research examining environmental exposures and health disparities. She served as Vice President of the Society for the Study of Social Problems, where she supports scholarly development and contributes to national conversations on inequality, environmental justice, and social change. Cannon is also the UC Davis co-lead for the UC Center for Climate, Health & Equity.
Cannon received her bachelor’s degree in American and religious studies from Scripps College, Claremont Consortium, a master’s in social ethics from Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York and a doctorate in sociology from Tulane University.
About the Institute of the Environment
The mission of the Institute of the Environment, an organized research unit within the Office of Research, is to comprehensively understand, effectively solve, and clearly communicate pressing environmental, climate, energy and health challenges. The Institute achieves this through a combination of cutting-edge research, dynamic education and proactive public engagement—all grounded in a profound commitment to environmental and climate justice.
