CSEi has an executive committee that reports to the University’s provost and oversees faculty recruitment, budget, engagement, and long-term planning. The committee is led by Geophysical Sciences Professor David Keith.

CSEi invites letters of intent from all UChicago tenure-line faculty, academics, and staff with PI status for Seed Grants and Faculty Research Grants. Seed Grants are designed to ignite new areas of investigation, while Faculty Research Grants are intended to make a significant contribution to the field of climate systems engineering.