Academic and research institutions are often leaders in setting targets for sustainable operations, however their research laboratories can pose a challenge to meeting their own climate goals. For occupant health and safety reasons, as well as particular equipment, these buildings have greater thermal demands and increased mechanical requirements compared to other buildings, and they typically operate on natural gas. Even though transitioning buildings to operate entirely on electricity is necessary for decarbonization unlike gas-burning buildings, all-electric buildings will achieve net-zero as the energy grid transitions to clean sources for this particular building type, technical hurdles remain. Drawing on the example of an all-electric research laboratory now under construction at the Columbia University Irving Medical Center in New York City, this session will examine collaborative design approaches to decarbonizing laboratories in the context of ambitious university climate targets, changing state and local energy policy, community needs, and the renewable energy transition. A panel of experts will demonstrate how universities and their design partners can leverage strategies such as early-phase energy design charettes, advanced modeling techniques, and a holistic approach to facade and mechanical design to achieve highly efficient, net-zero-carbon laboratory buildings that satisfy occupant health and safety requirements today.