Research

Our faculty are internationally known for their work in areas such as freshwater contaminants, biological pollutants, fisheries, invasive species, aquaculture, observation technology, climate variability, weather prediction, and water policy.

Our research teams include scientists, economists and legal experts who are advancing fundamental and strategic science and training the next generation of freshwater, climate, and weather professionals. Their work informs policy, improves management, and promotes the health and sustainability of the Earth and its ecosystems worldwide.

Investment in our research includes funding from the National Science Foundation, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Department of Energy, state of Wisconsin and local government, as well as corporate partners, foundations and private donors.

Our researchers and students collaborate with on-site partners, and our building houses offices for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, U.S. Geological Survey, Wisconsin Sea Grant, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Milwaukee Riverkeeper, Southeast Wisconsin Watershed Trust, Freshwater Collaborative of Wisconsin and Milwaukee’s Harbor District.

Rebecca Klaper in labSustainable Nanotechnology
9On-site governmental and nonprofit collaborators
Student at desk looking at radarWeather and Climate

Research Impact

  • Using Buoys to Monitor Water Quality in the Bay of Green Bay
    Research Specialist Jessie Grow and Emeritus Professor J. Val Klump from UW-Milwaukee School of Freshwater Sciences, along with Michael Zorn from UW-Green Bay are featured in an article about monitoring water quality with buoys in the bay of Green Bay. The article is published in the Environmental Monitor, a Fondriest publication, and covers how these …
  • SFS Hosts IAGLR 2025 – Abstract Submission is Open
    UW-Milwaukee School of Freshwater Sciences will host IAGLR's 68th Annual Conference on Great Lakes Research. The conference will be held June 2–6, 2025, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The International Association for Great Lakes Research (IAGLR) is a scientific organization made up of researchers studying the Laurentian Great Lakes, other large lakes of the world, and their watersheds, as …
  • Spectrum News 1 Highlights Wisconsin Sea Grant Funded Fish Nutrition Research
    UWM School of Freshwater Sciences Professor Dong Fang Deng and PhD student Alex Gregory are featured in this Spectrum News 1 article on research to improve fish nutrition. Their research, funded by Wisconsin Sea Grant, is looking at black soldier fly oil as an ingredient in fish food. Read Full Story

We’re committed to advancing key research priorities

Explore freshwater systems and develop methods for their preservation and management. Study the impacts of climate change, human activity, and invasive species on the Great Lakes and Earth’s ecosystems worldwide. Improve water safety through cutting-edge research. Track the presence and sources of pathogens and determine the impacts of contaminants on human and ecosystem health. Form collaborations among scientists, engineers, and industry.

Predict weather and climate and their impacts to society. Manage, replace and restore the Great Lakes’ commercial and recreational fisheries. Drive new technologies in water research and management and fisheries management and urban aquaculture. Advance understanding of atmospheric processes on local to global scales. Link science to action and generate transformational policies from great science.