Transdisciplinary Areas of Excellence

The TAEs address critical social, scientific, technological, economic, cultural and policy issues that can best be addressed by teams of faculty employing the perspectives and methodologies of multiple disciplines.

In 2013, Binghamton University developed a new approach to hiring faculty and supporting research by creating five Transdisciplinary Areas of Excellence (TAEs). A sixth TAE, was added in 2018. In 2024, the Citizenship, Rights and Cultural Belonging TAE was absorbed by the University's Human Rights Insitute. All are areas of inquiry in which Binghamton has developed strength in research and graduate education and raise complex questions.

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Seed grant program

The Transdisciplinary Areas of Excellence (TAE) Seed Grant Program funds collaborative projects that connect faculty across different methodologies and disciplinary specific understandings in order to stimulate the advancement of new ideas that can build Binghamton University's expertise and reputation.

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Data Science

A central hub for data-centered research, the Data Science area of excellence is a collaborative group from across campus whose members are at the leading edge of the data science revolution within their own disciplines, fostering collaboration on identification of significant problems to bridge between theory and applications, advance techniques to gather and interpret data, and address the urgent problems facing society.

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Health Sciences

Health Sciences area of excellence will integrate cutting-edge biomedical research with systems science, industrial engineering and microelectronic device development.

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Material and Visual Worlds

Objects and images have an undeniable hold on us. We may take them for granted; yet they shape our behavior even as our desires and behavior shape them. As humans, the material and visual forms we create define us to a remarkable extent.

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Smart Energy

Smart Energy area of excellence will build upon existing strengths in four key areas of alternative energy research: Solar and thermoelectric energy harvesting; Energy storage; Energy efficiency in electronic systems; Sensor development for energy resource management.

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Sustainable Communities

By developing new paradigms and vital partnerships within the University and with community members and organizations, this area of excellence will help us understand what it takes to model, build and maintain sustainable communities.

Steering Committees

Each TAE is guided by a faculty steering committee of 12-15 members.

  • The steering committees identify new faculty positions necessary to support the work of the TAEs;
  • participate in recruitment of TAE faculty;
  • offer seed grants to faculty through a competitive process;
  • organize symposia, conferences, and workshops; and foster research collaboration.

Since their creation, Binghamton has recruited 78 new faculty to the TAEs. These individuals joined more than 100 members of the Binghamton faculty who have elected to participate in one of the TAEs.

Letters of Intent

Deadline for a Letter of Intent will be Monday, December 16, 2024 via the InfoReady platform, forthcoming. The deadline for proposals will be in Februaary, 2025. See Request for Proposals below to submit materials. LOIs are required for proposals with a large budget, greater than $15,000, and strongly recommended for all proposals. The LOI is not binding, however it will help to gauge interest in the next, potential round of seed grant applications. This information will also be helpful to have in the event additional funding channels are identified.

Request for Proposals

The submission deadline will be in February, 2025, forthcoming. To apply for a TAE Seed Grant, complete the cover page and budget page. Link to fillable form here. Submissions will occur via the InfoReady platform, which is a Work In Progress - please check back soon! The 2024-25 submission, (deadline has passed and is no longer available), was located via this link: Then submit your proposal online.

Contact us

The TAE central office is located in Academic A, Room 330. The TAE central office will be moving to Rockefeller Center (RC), room 262 in the near future.

TAE Administrative Director: Amy Keough