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20 March 2026
The Cooperative Institute for Earth System Research and Data Science (CIESRDS), the cooperative agreement portion of CIRES that defines the formal partnership with NOAA, held their five-year science and administrative review March 17-19, 2026.
The Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES) operates under a ten-year cooperative agreement with NOAA. This review marks the approximate halfway point and an opportunity for a panel of experts to assess the quality of science, the strength of management, and the value brought to NOAA's mission. The outcome of this review directly informs whether and how the partnership continues, making it one of the most consequential evaluations as an institute.
The review was conducted by an independent panel of scientists: Dr. Erica Fleishman (Oregon Climate Change Research Institute (OCCRI) and Oregon State University), Dr. Ben Kirtman (Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Studies, University of Miami), Dr. Michael Prather (University of California Irvine), Dr. Cristiana Stan (George Mason University), Dr. Mark Svoboda (National Drought Mitigation Center (NDMC) and University of Nebraska-Lincoln), Dr. Kent Tobiska (Space Environment Technologies (SET)), Dr. Ryan Torn (University at Albany, SUNY), and Dr. Brad Colman (NOAA Science Advisory Board).
CIRES scientists working at CSL presented research under three of the eight CIESRDS research themes:
Theme 1: Future Atmosphere
Theme 3: Climate Science and Prediction
Theme 5: Weather Research and Forecasting
Review materials highlighting scientific approach and accomplishments as well as administrative practices, including briefing books containing more research from CSL, are available at CIESRDS Review 2026.
