Institute for Great Lakes Research

At CMU, we take a multidisciplinary approach to understanding the complex environmental issues affecting the Great Lakes basin. This area includes associated ecosystems such as tributaries, wetlands, and coastal regions, as well as the lakes themselves, and our research is coordinated through the Institute for Great Lakes Research.

IGLR faculty members are nationally and internationally recognized experts on coastal wetlands, conservation genetics, fisheries, invasive species, limnology, aquatic population modeling, microbial ecology, landscape ecology, and geographic information sciences.

We are committed to promoting and facilitating collaborative research and education on the Great Lakes. We partner with other institutions and agencies to leverage our expertise and training. External agencies supporting research include the Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Environment, and the Sea Grant.​

Student researcher in wetsuit holding a mussel