The Research Development Office (RDO) works with SOEST faculty to move research ideas forward—from early concepts to competitive proposals and larger collaborative initiatives. We identify strategic funding opportunities, help shape projects, and bring together the expertise and partners needed to position SOEST for new areas of research leadership.
View the latest RFP Bulletin (link on Kuapo, SOEST’s intranet).
Strategic Research Priorities
SOEST brings together expertise across ocean, atmospheric, Earth, biological, engineering, and energy sciences. These priorities focus on areas where SOEST is especially well positioned to address pressing challenges facing Hawaiʻi, the Pacific, and island and coastal communities worldwide. They span fundamental research and applied, place-based solutions and help guide how RDO builds teams, develops partnerships, and pursues funding opportunities.
NATURAL HAZARDS, CLIMATE, AND WATER RESILIENCE
- Advancing prediction, early warning, and decision support for tropical weather, flooding, drought, wildfire, volcanic hazards, water insecurity, and compound events—helping island and coastal communities protect lives, infrastructure, natural resources, and essential systems.
COASTAL RESILIENCE AND MARINE ECOSYSTEMS
- Safeguarding coastlines, coral reefs, fisheries, biodiversity, and marine food systems through science, engineering, restoration, and stewardship that support adaptation to sea-level rise and changing ocean conditions.
OCEAN, CLIMATE, AND EARTH SYSTEMS
- Revealing how ocean circulation, biogeochemistry, carbon cycling, marine ecosystems, and climate variability interact—from the deep sea to the atmosphere—to improve prediction and understanding of environmental change.
OCEAN TECHNOLOGY AND PACIFIC OBSERVING SYSTEMS
- Developing and sustaining ships, sensors, satellites, autonomous platforms, seafloor networks, and data systems that deliver timely, decision-ready information for research, forecasting, resource management, and public safety.
EARTH, PLANETARY, AND SPACE SCIENCE
- Exploring volcanoes, earthquakes, planetary materials, surface processes, and space environments through advanced instrumentation, remote sensing, and Hawaiʻi’s unique natural laboratory—advancing discovery, hazard understanding, and exploration technology.
RESILIENT ENERGY SYSTEMS AND DECARBONIZATION
- Advancing renewable energy, storage, hydrogen, sustainable fuels, marine energy, and grid technologies designed for island systems—strengthening reliability and energy security while accelerating the transition to a low-carbon future.
MICROBIOMES, FOOD SYSTEMS, AND HUMAN AND ECOSYSTEM HEALTH
- Exploring microbial systems across oceans, soils, food, and people to advance ecosystem stewardship, sustainable agriculture and fisheries, nutrition, biotechnology, and human and environmental health.
ACROSS ALL PRIORITIES
- SOEST’s research is grounded in Hawaiʻi and the Pacific and strengthened by Native Hawaiian and Pacific knowledge, long-term community partnerships, advanced data science, education and workforce development, and a commitment to connecting discovery with decisions and action.
Let’s Collaborate
Rebecca H. Chung, PhD
Director of Research Development
rhchung@hawaii.edu
808-956-6182
SOEST Research Development Office
University of Hawai’i at Mānoa
1680 East-West Road, POST 802
Honolulu, HI 96822