The University of Tennessee is home to a wide range of faculty-led initiatives and research projects focused on sustainability — from environmental science and green engineering to sustainable agriculture and policy. Yet, with such a broad and interdisciplinary field, it can be challenging to know who’s working on what, and where potential opportunities for collaboration exist.
Enter the Green Portal — a new digital initiative designed to bridge that gap and bring together the university’s sustainability-minded faculty through a centralized, easy-to-use platform.
What is the Green Portal?
The Green Portal is a web-based application developed to foster connection, visibility, and collaboration among UT faculty engaged in sustainability-related work. Built using R Shiny, the platform draws on data collected through a campus-wide Qualtrics survey to create a searchable, interactive database of faculty members, their research interests, and current projects.
Whether you’re a faculty member looking for interdisciplinary partners, or simply curious about what others are doing in the sustainability space, the Green Portal offers a powerful and user-friendly way to explore UT’s vibrant green research network.
Core Features:
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Interactive Faculty Directory – Users can browse and filter faculty profiles based on research themes, departments, or specific sustainability interests. This encourages discovery and facilitates meaningful academic connections.
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About Us Page – This section provides an overview of the project, its goals, and how it supports collaboration and data sharing within the UT community.
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Locally Warehoused Data – All data is stored securely and locally to support long-term usability, ensure regular updates, and maintain control over future platform developments.
Get Involved
If you are a faculty member working in or adjacent to sustainability fields, we encourage you to participate by sharing your information through our ongoing Qualtrics survey. By joining the Green Portal network, you contribute to a larger effort to enhance communication and collaboration around some of today’s most pressing environmental and societal challenges.
Together, we can make sustainability research at UT more visible, connected, and impactful.