
AI + Climate · Discovery Partners Institute
Bringing climate science down to earth
The DPI Climate R&D Hub works with federal agencies, industry and academic partners to advance climate science and AI for climate-resilient cities, communities and policy.
- 10research projects
- 6public toolkits
- 60+publications
- $56M+in research funding the Climate R&D Hub has been part of
AI + X at DPI
AI + Climate
Advancing climate resilience through AI-powered research, policy, education and industry partnerships focused on urban sustainability, environmental equity and climate risk assessment.
AI + Climate is one of the AI + X research areas at Discovery Partners Institute. The work rests on three thrusts: data, computing and AI.
AI + X at Discovery Partners Institute →How we work
Our research approach
- What is the impact now?Assessment of the status quo
- What will the impact be?Scenario analysis
- What should we do?Adaptation and mitigation strategies
Research methods
- Environmental sensing and field observations
- High-performance computing and climate modeling
- Machine learning and AI for climate science
- Open visualization toolkits
- Geospatial (GIS) analysis
Four interconnected loops
Science + accessibility
Our work runs on four interconnected loops, with data and AI running through all four, joined by one aim: climate science that is rigorous and that people can use.
- Trustworthy climate scenarios
High-resolution climate projections for cities, built on careful modeling and observations.
- Environmental factors
Heat, floods, air quality and ecosystems, studied together with sensors, models and machine learning (ML).
- Communities and equity
Who is most exposed to heat, floods and poor air, and how research can help close those gaps.
- Local to international partnerships
Community groups, agencies and universities as partners.

Anchored at Chicago
From Chicago neighborhoods to partners around the world
- Chicago-centricStreet-level forecasts with AerisIQ, heat and air quality toolkits, and nature-based solutions for Chicago communities.
- Chicago outwardFlood and ecological corridor studies in the Quad Cities, and service on the Illinois Commission on Environmental Justice.
- Global reachAcademic and industry partners, including the CLEETS Global Center with universities in the US and UK, clean transportation research in India and the UNESCO Megacities Alliance for Water and Climate.
Capabilities & projects
What we work on
News
Latest from the Climate R&D Hub
Let’s build climate resilience together
Students, researchers, cities, agencies and community partners: there are many ways to work with the DPI Climate R&D Hub.







