Environmental Chemical Sciences (ECS)

The Environmental Chemical Sciences (ECS) Program supports experimental and computational research on the fundamental chemistry of processes in the environment. Recognizing the intrinsic complexity and heterogeneity of environmental systems, projects develop and utilize advanced experimental, modeling and simulation approaches to discover, explain, and predict environmental phenomena. Topics may include, but are not limited to: processes occurring at environmental interfaces and the chemical behavior and transformation under a variety of naturally occurring environmental conditions.

Submissions that address national needs for sustainability are particularly encouraged.  Examples of sustainable chemistry appropriate for the ECS Program include, but are not limited to: proposals that consider the nexus of food, energy, and water sustainability especially as related to nitrogen and phosphorus cycling.

Field measurements and instrument development in support of environmental measurements are not supported. Programs in other NSF Directorates and other Federal Agencies address aspects such as field studies, large-scale models of the environment, toxicity studies, industrial processes, remediation methods, and the behavior and fate of nanoparticles in the environment.