The Bay Area Environmental Research Institute ("BAER Institute") is a California 501(c)3 not for profit corporation dedicated to promoting and conducting research in the environmental sciences, particularly atmospheric science. Established in 1993 by Director of Research, Robert W. Bergstrom, and Chief Executive Officer, Sharon A. Sittloh, BAER Institute scientists have worked with state and federal agencies on a wide variety of research topics.

BAER Institute is well recognized nationally for its significant contributions to the area of environmental research. Since its founding, BAER Institute has been guided by a fundamental commitment to original research.

BAER Institute's areas of expertise include the general areas of biology, chemistry and physics. Specific projects range in scale from the study of microbes and how they develop in primitive atmospheric conditions to utilizing satellite data to monitor and understand the Earth and Martian atmospheres. Currently, BAER Institute's scientists are working in conjunction with scientists at the NASA Ames Research Center on a number of projects. In addition, BAER Institute has research grants from the National Science Foundation, the University of Texas and Biosphere 2. We also work with University researchers and have sponsored scientific visitors from the University of Leeds (UK), Dalhousie University (Canada), the Free University of Berlin (Germany), and the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory