Applied Research

Our applied research is grounded in a simple but radical commitment: science must serve people, not just the Ivory Tower. We take seriously the charge that research should move beyond the academic discourses and into the lived realities of communities—especially those most impacted by social and structural systems producing social and health inequities, across the globe.

Our projects are designed not as exercises in knowledge production for its own sake, but as science for action. We mobilize the scientific enterprise in direct conversation with communities, practitioners, and those at the forefront of local movements, ensuring that inquiry is conducted with, by, and for those whose voices are often excluded from the research process.

This approach prioritizes the creation of tangible, material benefits: whether through tools, frameworks, or strategies that can be applied in real-world settings. At the same time, it pushes toward building alternative models of science for social impact—models that resist extractive logics, reimagine accountability, and demonstrate how knowledge can be a force for equity, justice, and systemic transformation, beyond publications.

The projects featured here reflect that ethos. Each one is designed not only to advance scholarship but to catalyze change, sustain communities, and expand the possibilities of what science can do when it is aligned with social impact.