environmental studies research fund

Environmental Studies Research Fund

The Environmental Studies Research Fund ( ESRF ) is a research program that sponsors environmental and social studies in Canada. Funds are obtained through levies on frontier lands paid by interest holders such as oil and gas companies. The ESRF Management Board consists of members from the federal government, the oil and gas industry, the regional offshore petroleum boards, and the general public.

The ESRF receives its legislative mandate through the Canada Petroleum Resources Act ( CPRA ). The act regulates interests in petroleum in relation to any lands where the Minister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs has administrative responsibility for natural resources. For this reason, Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada ( INAC ) is a member of the ESRF Management Board and chairs the ESRF Northern Advisory Committee, which advises the Management Board on northern priorities and potential research topics.

On behalf of the Minister of Natural Resources and the Minister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs, the Management Board sets priorities for study topics, determines the program budget, and helps develop study proposals. The ESRF provides a forum for industry and government to develop a common knowledge base and to jointly design a focused study program which addresses the needs of both groups and avoids a repetition of effort and expense. The Management Board assesses the information requirements of government and industry to determine study subject priorities for which a study program for the coming year is developed. Study reports are available on the ESRF publications page .

The ESRF Secretariat is located at Natural Resources Canada.

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Frequently asked questions.

You can find below the answers to the questions received during the current Environmental Studies Research Fund’s (ESRF) call for proposal.

Question: When multiple groups work in collaboration to design a single project proposal, how is the funding distributed?

Answer: In general, the group who submits the project proposal and signs the Funding Agreement for the project is considered the project lead. The project lead is accountable for the project and receives the funding. The project lead can then have subcontract agreements with the other groups to pay for their professional services.

Other situations will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis such as:

• When different groups are doing distinctly different tasks for the same project;
• When a group, other than the project lead, is in charge of a task which will require the acquisition and ownership of large equipment; or
• When the project will result in intellectual property owned by a group other than the project lead.

Question: Should a research proposal targeting a specific region, but which counts on the infrastructure included in a larger proposal, be submitted independently and considered for separate funding or should it be incorporated into the scope of the larger proposal?

Answer: At the Letter of Interest (LOI) phase of the research call it is not possible to determine how many or which project will be consider for funding. An independent group looking to submit proposal that is depended on another, may consider reaching out to the other group to determine how their project fits into the larger project’s scope. The independent group can then better evaluate if their project could exist within the larger one or if it would have more merit if submitted separately. Collaboration between groups can also be created during the Full Project Proposal phase of the research call.

Environmental Studies Research Fund

The Environmental Studies Research Fund ( ESRF ) is a research program that sponsors environmental and social studies in Canada. Funds are obtained through levies on frontier lands paid by interest holders such as oil and gas companies. The ESRF Management Board consists of members from the federal government, the oil and gas industry, the regional offshore petroleum boards, and the general public.

The ESRF receives its legislative mandate through the Canada Petroleum Resources Act ( CPRA ). The act regulates interests in petroleum in relation to any lands where the Minister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs has administrative responsibility for natural resources. For this reason, Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada ( INAC ) is a member of the ESRF Management Board and chairs the ESRF Northern Advisory Committee, which advises the Management Board on northern priorities and potential research topics.

On behalf of the Minister of Natural Resources and the Minister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs, the Management Board sets priorities for study topics, determines the program budget, and helps develop study proposals. The ESRF provides a forum for industry and government to develop a common knowledge base and to jointly design a focused study program which addresses the needs of both groups and avoids a repetition of effort and expense. The Management Board assesses the information requirements of government and industry to determine study subject priorities for which a study program for the coming year is developed. Study reports are available on the ESRF publications page .

The ESRF Secretariat is located at Natural Resources Canada.

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Public Representative, Environmental Studies Research Fund

Portfolio: Natural Resources Canada Organization: Environmental Studies Research Fund (ESRF) Position title: Board Member (public representative) Type: Part-time Duration: Three-year term from the date of appointment

Public Representative South (1) on the Environmental Studies Research Fund Management Board starting in summer/fall 2021.

Background Information

The Environmental Studies Research Fund (ESRF) is a legislated research fund that supports environmental and social research related to oil and gas development in frontier areas, including the Atlantic offshore. Funds are collected annually through levies paid by lease-holding oil and gas companies active in Canada’s frontier lands.

The ESRF receives its legislated mandate through the Canadian Petroleum Resources Act , as well as the Canada–Newfoundland Atlantic Accord Implementation Act and the Canada–Nova Scotia Offshore Petroleum Resources Accord Implementation Act (the Offshore Accords). This legislation divides the Ministerial responsibilities for the ESRF based on geographical distribution north and south of the 60th parallel. The Minister of Natural Resources is responsible for the necessary approvals in the southern region, while the Minister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs is responsible for the approvals in the northern region.

The ESRF is directed by a management board composed of members from the federal government, industry, two Offshore Boards and the public. Their legislated responsibility includes establishing the guidelines and procedures for selecting ESRF’s research performers and research studies, and recommending the associated levy rates.

For more information on the program, please visit the Environmental Studies Research Fund website .

Position, time commitment & location

An opportunity exists for one public representative position on the Management Board. This representative will represent the public’s interest for the southern regions of Canada, primarily the Atlantic offshore. The term of appointment is three years, at pleasure, ending on the day of the appointment of a successor.

As a public representative, you will participate fully in deliberations and decision making of the Management Board. The Management Board meets via video/teleconference approximately three times a year, on an as needed basis, and in person twice a year. Reasonable travel expenses will be paid.

Remuneration

This is a volunteer position. Members do not become a part of the Public Service of Canada as a result of this Ministerial appointment. Members do not receive gifts, honoraria or fees. Travel expenses, incurred in the performance of duties, are reimbursed at a level consistent with the National Joint council (NJC) Travel Directive and Treasury Board of Canada Guidelines.

Ministerial Appointment

Ministerial appointments will be open, transparent and merit-based to promote the appointment of qualified Canadians who represent Canada’s diversity, in terms of linguistic, regional and employment equity representation.

Eligibility criteria and qualifications

A particular area of expertise is not required; however, some experience with the oil and gas sector, basic knowledge of off-shore oil and gas environmental issues in the Atlantic offshore, and experience representing the public’s interests on governing bodies, would be an asset.

Diversity and official languages

The Government of Canada will consider bilingual proficiency and diversity in assessing candidates for this position. You are therefore encouraged to include in your application your ability to speak and understand your second official language and if you are a member of one or more of the following groups: women, Indigenous peoples, persons with a disability, visible minority. Please note that there is no requirement to provide this information, i.e., provision of this information is voluntary.

Eligibility factors and conditions of appointment

• Members must be available to participate in periodic teleconferences.
• Members must be willing and able to travel to the biannual General Meetings of the ESRF. The biannual meetings are typically held in April and October and involves 2 days of participation.

If you are appointed to this position:

• Members must comply with the ethical, political activity and conflict of interest guidelines applicable to federal Ministerial appointments.
• All appointees are subject to the  Conflict of Interest Act . For more information, please visit the  Office of the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner’s  website.

How to apply

If you are interested in this challenging opportunity, please submit your résumé and a letter of recommendation from a person with a position of responsibility within a community or a not-for profit organization to the ESRF Secretariat at: [email protected] . The review of applications will begin on April 16, 2021. Candidates are strongly encourage to submit their applications by this date. After this date, your application will be retained and may be considered up until appointments are made.

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The Environmental Studies Research Fund (ESRF) was established under the Petroleum Resources Act   (PRA) to finance environmental and social studies relating to oil and gas exploration, development and production in the Northwest Territories (NWT).  The ESRF is directed by the Environmental Studies Management Board with representation from the Government of the Northwest Territories, the oil and gas industry and the general public.  The ESRF is funded through levies paid by oil and gas companies holding publicly administered petroleum interests in the NWT.

For more information, visit www.nwt-esrf.org .

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Research Funding Opportunities

Funding opportunities currently open or planned can be found below. The list may change periodically and should only be used as a guide to assist potential applicants. Please check back for updates or sign up to receive notifications of new funding opportunities. Research Grants Listserv

All forms necessary for completing an application are noted in the announcement and available to download. Funding Opportunities: How to Apply and Required Forms  

Open Funding Opportunities

Air Quality Information: Making Sense of Air Pollution Data to Inform Decisions in Underserved Communities Overburdened by Air Pollution Exposures Funding Opportunity - April 8, 2024 - June 26, 2024

Advancing Sustainable Chemistry Funding Opportunity - March 18, 2024 - May 29, 2024

Coastal Ecosystems Climate Resilience Funding Opportunity - March 13, 2024 - May 1, 2024

Environmental Research Apprenticeship Program for College and University Students Request for Applications (RFA)  - February 15, 2024 - May 15, 2024

Notice of Intent

The Notice of Intent information is preliminary, is for informational purposes, is subject to change, and applicants must still review the funding opportunities and respond to the content and comply with the requirements described in the funding opportunity when its issued.

Nanosensor Technology This Funding Opportunity will solicit research to develop and demonstrate nanosensor technology with functionalized catalysts that have potential to degrade selected contaminants in addition to detecting and monitoring pollutants. - Opening Soon

Innovative Water Technology Grant Program: Predictive Models for Removal of Micropollutants from Water by Novel Adsorbents This funding opportunity will solicit research to develop, test and deploy predictive models for novel adsorbents for removal of emerging micropollutants from water and to estimate the effectiveness of these adsorbents to remove specific classes of micropollutants in full-scale, fixed-bed, flow-through unit operations.  - Opening Soon

National Priorities: De Facto Water Reuse This funding opportunity will solicit research on drinking water supplies with a significant fraction of wastewater effluent from upstream discharges and advance the understanding of potential impacts de facto water reuse poses on drinking water quality.  - Opening Soon

STAG Program: Enhanced Aquifer Recharge in Sole Source Aquifers This funding opportunity will solicit ground water research assisting local governments, universities, Tribes, and related water institutions, primarily located in rural areas, in advancing planning research, and implementation of Enhanced Aquifer Recharge (EAR) for sole source aquifers.  - Opening Soon

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Publications

Annual reports.

2022 2023 ESRF Annual Report

2021 2022 ESRF Annual Report

2020 2021 ESRF Annual Report

2019 2020 ESRF Annual Report

2018 2019 ESRF Annual Report

2017 2018 ESRF Annual Report

2016 2017 ESRF Annual Report

2015 2016 ESRF Annual Report

Assessing Terrain Sensitivity to Permafrost Thaw and Fire to Understand and Predict Boreal Caribou Habitat and Forage Quality in the Sahtú (Wilfrid Laurier University, University of Guelph/ University of Colorado Boulder)

• 2017-2018 Report  
• 2018-2019 Report  
• 2019-2020 Report  
• 2020-2021 Report  
• 2021-2022 Report  
• 2022-2023 Report  

Regional hydrologic and ecologic characterization and baseline assessment of remote northern Canadian terrain in advance of shale oil and gas development (University of Waterloo)

• 2016 Report  
• 2018 Report  
• 2019 Report  
• Locating Priority Groundwater Monitoring Locations in the Central Mackenzie Valley Using Thermal and Optical Band Landsat Imagery Paper 2017  
• Hydrogeological Site Characterization Methods for Discontinuous Permafrost Terrain  
• Feasibility and Design of a Novel Airborne Geophysical Survey Method to Map Permafrost Discontinuity in Northern Environments

Accelerating recovery of boreal caribou habitat via lichen seeding for oil and gas related remediation (Wilfrid Laurier University)

• 2021 Report  
• 2022 Report  
• 2023 Report

Additional reports  

Concordia University. Penetration of spilled oil into thawing frozen soil - Final Report 2023

Yamoga Land Corp. Community of Practice report

Environmental Sensor Workshop Summary and Highlights 11 to 13 February 2020

Boreal woodland caribou winter range in the Central Mackenzie Valley

Methane Emissions Across the Inuvik to Tuktoyaktuk Region Annual Report June 2020

Leghagots'enete (learning together): the importance of indigenous perspectives in the identification of biological variation

Central Mackenzie Surface Water and Groundwater Baseline Assessment -Report 1: Technical State of Knowledge

Central Mackenzie Surface Water and Groundwater Baseline Assessment -Report 2: Plain Language Summary

Human Footprint, Habitat, Wolves and Boreal Caribou Population Growth Rates

Seismic Regeneration Vegetation Data Analysis Results and Discussion

Landscape Projections on Boreal Caribou Habitat in NWT Summary Report 2016

Multi-species monitoring using winter track surveys in the Sahtú Settlement Region Final Report

Concordia University, Remediation of Petroleum Impacted Soil Using the Natural Washing Agent, Final Report

NAIT, Towards a Northern Landscapes Sensitivity Atlas, Cartographic Approaches to Net Environmental Benefit Analysis (NEBA) Proof of Concept Report

NAIT, Towards a Northern Landscapes Sensitivity Atlas, Cartographic Approaches to Net Environmental Benefit Analysis (NEBA) Plain Language Summary

NAIT, ESRF - The Northern Landscapes Sensitivity Atlas_Plain Language Report

NAIT, ESRF - The Northern Landscapes Sensitivity Atlas_Report

Research Awards and funding

Awards and funding for research.

Herman Roberson Memorial Award

Geological Sciences and Environmental Studies has established this award to Benefit Binghamton University students who have focused on Environmental Law and Policy. An award of $500 is given annually to graduating seniors who are majoring in Environmental Studies and who have completed the Environmental Law and Policy class (or a class of a similar nature).

AASHE Sustainability Awards

The AASHE Sustainability Awards recognize sustainability achievements, research advancements and student leadership. By raising the visibility of high-impact sustainability projects and pioneering research, the awards program helps to disseminate innovations and inspire continued progress toward sustainability.

Campus Achievement Sustainability Award

Student Sustainability Leadership Award

Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship

Description: Undergraduate scholarship for students planning research careers in science, mathematics or engineering. Competition is open to US citizens, resident aliens or US nationals who are full-time sophomores or juniors. Each scholarship provides up to $7,500/year for tuition, fees, books, room and board. University nomination is required; a maximum of four Binghamton students can be nominated each year.

Bret Black '77 Environmental Studies Scholarship

This scholarship is awarded each year to a junior or senior who is a declared major in Environmental Science who demonstrates both academic merit and financial need.

Student must have a FAFSA on file to demonstrate financial need according to federal financial aid guidelines. No additional application or inquiry is required in order to be considered for this scholarship. A review of qualified students is done based on donor terms, and selection is made based on high academic achievement and financial need. Recipients are selected in the Spring for the following academic year.

Jordan Peter Hirsch Memorial Scholarship

This scholarship is awarded each year to a full-time sophomore, junior, or senior with a cumulative gpa of 3.0 or above. Preference is for a student with demonstrated financial need who is majoring in Biological Sciences, Biochemistry, Chemistry, Geological Sciences, Environmental Studies, or who has expressed an interest in the study of science. Student must be a non-smoker.

Student must have a FAFSA on file. Review and selection of recipient is done by committee.

Udall Scholarship

The Udall Foundation awards scholarships to college sophomores and juniors for leadership, public service, and commitment to issues related to Native American nations or to the environment. Benefits include up to $7,000 scholarship and a four-day orientation in Arizona. Academics are important but so are community service and evidence of leadership. Open to all fields.

Scholarships are awarded in any of three areas:

To students who have demonstrated commitment to careers related to the environment including policy, engineering, science, education, urban planning and renewal, business, health, justice, economics, and other related fields; or

To Native American and Alaska Native students who have demonstrated commitment to careers related to tribal public policy, including fields related to tribal sovereignty, tribal governance, tribal law, Native American education, Native American justice, natural resource management, cultural preservation and revitalization, Native American economic development, and other areas affecting Native American communities; or

To Native American and Alaska Native students who have demonstrated commitment to careers related to Native health care, including health care administration, social work, medicine, dentistry, counseling, and research into health conditions affecting Native American communities, and other related fields.

Annie's Sustainable Agriculture Scholarships

Annie's Sustainable Agriculture Scholarship Program is open to full-time undergraduate and graduate students studying at an accredited 2 or 4 year college or graduate school in the U.S. Students must be focusing studies on sustainable agriculture. International students may apply as long as they are studying at a U.S. school. Scholarships are $10,000 per student.

National Garden Clubs Scholarship

One-year scholarships are available to juniors, seniors, and graduate students pursuing a Master's Degree in fields of study related to horticulture and the environment. Applicant must be planning a career related to gardening, landscape design, environmental issues, floral design, or horticulture. Annually up to 41 Scholarships are available, each in the amount of $4,000.00.

Garden Club of America Scholarships

The Garden Club of America has funded more than 1,300 recipients. The GCA offers 28 merit-based scholarships in 12 areas.

Brower Youth Awards

Earth Island Institute established The Brower Youth Award for Environmental Leadership in 2000 to honor renowned environmental advocate David Brower, who was quoted as saying "I love to see what young people can do, before someone old tells them it's impossible." It is with this spirit that we recognize the outstanding leadership efforts of young people who are working for the protection of our shared planet. Each of the six recipients of the Brower Youth Awards will receive a $3,000 cash prize and more.

Brown and Caldwell Scholarships

To honor Dr. Wesley Eckenfelder, Jr's dedication to the environmental industry, we offer a $5,000 Dr. Wesley Eckenfelder, Jr. Scholarship to support students who are interested in pursuing a career in the environmental profession. Further scholarships are offered for Minority, Women, LGBTQ, and Navajo.

Waterlogic's World Water Issue Scholarship

The World Water Issue Scholarship is open to entering and current college students. You must submit an essay on the topic of the water scarcity crisis and a possible solution in order to be considered for this award.

Tough Turtle Turf Scholarship

Tough Turtle Turf Scholarship recognizes the importance of investing in students in the environmental and/or water conservation industry. We are proudly offering an annual scholarship of $1,500.

Schumann Environmental Studies Research Fund

This fund was established in 2001 by Robert F. and Marilyn H. Schumann. Awarded to a Harpur College student in the Environmental Studies program who has been recommended by a faculty member to write an honors thesis on an approved topic. Recipients must exhibit high potential and motivation to successfully complete their field.

Harpur Edge Student Support Fund

The Harpur Edge Student Support Fund was established to provide Harpur undergraduates with financial assistance to pursue experiential educational opportunities. Examples include:

Students who have been matched for Liberal Arts to Careers Externship (LACE), for travel and related expenses

Other experiential educational initiatives (research, volunteering, special projects, internships)

Who is eligible:

Harpur College of Arts and Sciences undergraduate students

Minimum GPA of 2.75 in good academic standing

Current Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) on file at the University's Office of Financial Aid and Scholarship Services. Students with financial need will have priority.

Confirmation of LACE match for upcoming session OR valid proposed use of funding for educational pursuit

Undergraduate Award to Support Research and Creative Work

The Undergraduate Award to Support Research and Creative Work is designed to support the expenses for students' independent research or creative work. To qualify, your project must be supervised by a Binghamton University faculty member. Funding is competitive and award amounts vary. The maximum award is $300.

Undergraduates from all Binghamton University schools and colleges are eligible. Must be enrolled in independent study or honors credit in the semester in which you apply (exceptions may be granted only if a student has exceeded the maximum number of thesis or independent study credits allowed by his or her college). Preference will be given to students who do not have access to support through faculty research grants, who have not already received an Undergraduate Research Award, to those completing senior theses, and to upper-level students.

Summer Scholars and Artists Program

The Binghamton University Undergraduate Research Center offers the Summer Scholars and Artists Fellowship to support undergraduates in special research, scholarship or creative activities during the summer. This award provides a stipend for students to conduct primary research or creative activities with guidance from faculty mentors. The fellowship is intended to support the student's original research or creative project(s), not to support research assistance for a faculty member's research project. The fellowship supports undergraduate students in at least eight weeks of full-time scholarly activity. Each fellowship consists of a $3,000 student award and a $1,000 faculty award. In addition, a stipend is available for campus housing if needed. Support for the awards is provided by the divisions of Academic Affairs and Student Affairs.

The nature of the summer experience is discipline specific. For example, proposals for theater apprenticeships or individual study for students in music performance are appropriate along with those for other types of creative activities. Proposals from students in all academic disciplines, departments and colleges are welcome.

Fran Garside Award for Environmental Studies

The League of Women Voters of Broome and Tioga Counties offer a special award in honor of Fran Garside, a distinguished member of the League. The League provides $500 award to a full-time or part-time student who is enrolled in a degree program, needs financial support, and demonstrates an interest in environmental studies. The award will provide funds for school costs with the objective of helping maximize a student's ability to obtain a degree.

Criteria for this award are:

Students must be enrolled in environmental studies or closely related fields

Awards will be presented for the following school year

Preference will be given to a non-traditional student

Echoing Green's Social Entrepreneurship Fellowship

Echoing Green will provide more than $4.6 million in unrestricted seed-stage funding and strategic foundational support this year to emerging leaders working to bring about positive social change. Over the past three decades, our total investment is over $40 million to more than 700 world-class leaders.

Undergraduate Conference Travel Funding

The Undergraduate Research Center (URC) supports faculty-mentored undergraduate research, scholarship and creative activity. We encourage undergraduates to pursue scholarly and creative projects and to present their results at regional and national professional meetings or conferences. Support is available from the URC to help undergraduate students pay for professional meetings or conferences.

Applicants must meet the following criteria to be considered:

Must be a full-time undergraduate student in good academic standing. Cannot receive funding for a conference/meeting that takes place after graduation.

Must be presenting your research as first or second author (on the research abstract) at a professional conference or meeting.

Must be attending the conference or meeting during the academic year in which you apply. Summer conferences should be applied for in the spring semester.

Group applications are not accepted. You must apply as an individual and clearly state your contribution to the project.

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Funding and Research Support

Our graduate students have access to a wide range of research equipment and facilities from across campus, through their advisors and focal departments. In addition to these general resources, we offer our graduate students certain privileged opportunities for funding and research support. 

Graduate Employment (GE) 

All Environmental Studies graduate students receive funding for their master's or ESSP doctoral programs. The program offers graduate employee (GE) appointments for all admitted graduate students. These GE appointments take the form of teaching assistants, research assistants, or administrative positions. The positions cover tuition, pay a stipend at the GTFF union-negotiated rate, and provide health insurance and other benefits.

Typically, doctoral students are given five years of GE funding and support, while master's students usually receive two years of GE appointments.  

Soderwall Research Grants 

Generous support from the Arnold Soderwall Environmental Studies Endowment Fund allows the Environmental Studies Program to provide graduate students with funding for research expenditures, such as conference travel, research equipment and supplies, travel for research, or other research-related expenses. 

Other Information and Guidelines: Priority for funding starts with those presenting research at a conference, followed by those who wish to attend a conference to promote their research.  Funds cannot be used to pay tuition, supplies for classes, or travel that is primarily for educational purposes, and equipment purchased with these funds remains with the ENVS program.

Summer Research Fellowships 

The Environmental Studies department if often able to award Summer Research Fellowships for several graduate students over the summer. These fellowships are for master's students and Ph.D. students to use for direct research costs such as travel or fieldwork, or to compensate for time devoted to data analysis, research, or writing.

Eligibility and Criteria:  The fellowship cannot be held at the same time as another summer GE position, and students without access to summer GEships or other summer funding through their focal departments will receive highest priority for these fellowships. Master's students can only hold this Fellowship one time. A call for applications will be sent to current ENVS graduate students and faculty annually, in the spring, as funding becomes available.  

Interdisciplinary Environmental Seed Grants 

The Environmental Studies department occasionally offers $5,000 seed grants to encourage new and emergent interdisciplinary research collaborations with graduate students in the Environmental Studies program. These seed grants are designed to encourage and support the development of new and/or early-stage interdisciplinary research collaborations within the Environmental Studies Program. Projects usually have (1) an applied component (broadly construed) and/or (2) a commitment to building connections across the natural sciences, social sciences, humanities, and/or professional schools. All proposals must have at least one ENVS/ESSP graduate student and can even include multidisciplinary teams of graduate students. 

To learn more about these opportunities, contact Ben Hinde, Graduate Program Specialist, [email protected] .

Research Connect

Latest Environmental Research Funding Opportunities

Discover a selection of the latest funding, awards and projects for environmental research, offered by a variety of societies, educational establishments and government branches.

Humans impact the natural environment in a variety of ways, including pollution, overpopulation, burning fossil fuels, and deforestation. Such actions have accelerated climate change, caused soil erosion, poor air quality, poor water quality, and reduced fishing stocks.

Environmental research funding opportunities and funding grants related to the natural environment are critical in advancing our understanding of our impact on the world, and how it might be reversed. This matters because Earth is the only home that humans have, providing air, food, and much else.

Environmental research funding – a selection from our subscription database

To access more funding opportunities, log in to ResearchConnect or get in touch today to learn more about subscribing to our services.

Shared Island Bioeconomy Demonstration Initiative

2024-04-17T16:02:06+01:00 April 17th, 2024 |

Maximising UK Adaptation to Climate Change Research Projects

2024-04-10T16:02:07+01:00 April 10th, 2024 |

Sea-Changers Marine Conservation Grant

Bes long-term research grants.

2024-03-13T15:02:06+00:00 March 13th, 2024 |

RES Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Grants

2024-02-28T15:02:07+00:00 February 28th, 2024 |

Supergen Energy Storage Network+ ECR Outreach Competition

Pairi daiza foundation grant for biodiversity and conservation research.

2024-02-21T15:02:07+00:00 February 21st, 2024 |

DASA Competition: Rapid Detection of Toxic Gases

2024-02-14T15:02:07+00:00 February 7th, 2024 |

INNOspace Masters Competition

2024-03-20T15:02:06+00:00 February 7th, 2024 |

NERC Doctoral Focal Awards in the Environmental Sciences

2024-03-06T15:02:06+00:00 February 7th, 2024 |

RSE Healthy Planet, Healthy People Community-Led Awards

2023-11-29T15:02:07+00:00 November 29th, 2023 |

SCOR Visiting Scholars Program

Transport decarbonisation demonstrators competition.

2023-11-22T15:02:08+00:00 November 22nd, 2023 |

Plant Health Innovations for Biosecurity SBRI Competition

2023-11-15T15:02:09+00:00 November 15th, 2023 |

Canada-UK Critical Minerals: Sustainability and Circularity Competition

envious-dev 2023-11-08T15:02:06+00:00 November 8th, 2023 |

IRMC Algeria Research Grants

2023-11-01T15:02:06+00:00 November 1st, 2023 |

Want to access more research funding?

Simply access the latest research funding by logging in to ResearchConnect. Or, if you want to find out more about our services, get in touch today.

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LSU Civil, Environmental Engineering Researchers Study Coastal Wetland Root Dynamics

BATON ROUGE, LA – A team of LSU researchers led by LSU Civil and Environmental Engineering Associate Professor Navid Jafari (principal investigator) and LSU CEE Research Assistant Mohamed Hassan (co-PI) recently received a $50,000 National Science Foundation I-Corps grant to commercialize its algorithms in studying root productivity in Louisiana wetlands. A second grant was awarded by the Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory (EMSL), which is part of the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland, Wash., that allows the team to use X-ray computed tomography (XCT) and optical coherence tomography (OCT) scans to study these roots. 

“Coastal wetlands are valuable ecosystems that improve water quality, provide wildlife habitat and biodiversity, sequester carbon, and protect coastal communities from hurricanes by dampening waves, distancing urban centers from open water, and reducing storm surge heights,” Jafari said. “Understanding how coastal root productivity affects this is essential to preserving land.”

The NSF I-Corps focus of the project is based on the development of X-Roots technology, which utilizes advanced algorithms to analyze XCT, OCT, and SEM scans of belowground root systems. 

“The algorithms enable the segmentation and classification of wetland soil components, including macro-pores, dead roots, live roots, and sediments, with a high degree of precision,” Hassan said. “X-Roots expands understanding root systems and their impact of ecosystems. This, in turn, opens the door for innovation, conservation, and commercial growth in potentially multiple industries. By offering insights into wetland root systems, this technology may address pressing global challenges, such as climate change and land management in these critical environments.”

“Beyond applications in agriculture, forestry, environmental conservation, and land management, XCT technology has the potential to change how researchers understand and interact with belowground ecosystems, particularly in wetland ecosystems,” Hassan said.

The team will work with LSU’s Office of Innovation & Technology Commercialization (ITC) on patenting their algorithms. 

About LSU ITC

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Soil bacteria help regulate the cycling of carbon and nutrients on Earth. Over time, these bacteria have evolved strategies that determine where they live, what they do, and how they deal with a changing environment. However, microbiologists do not fully understand how bacteria’s genes relate to their life strategies. By analyzing large DNA sequencing datasets from around the globe, researchers discovered a new way of categorizing the dominant life strategies of soil bacteria based on their genes. This technique allowed the researchers to link different life strategies with specific climate and soil conditions.

Soil bacteria are crucial for planetary health, but they are hard to study because they are so diverse and invisible to the human eye. Researchers used widely available gene sequence data to classify soil bacteria according to their life strategies. This makes it easier for researchers to predict how soils might respond to climate change or to engineer microbes with desirable life strategies. This research also helps solve the longstanding problem in biology of connecting gene sequences to the metabolism of bacteria and other life forms.

The research team categorized the life history strategies of soil bacteria using biological traits derived from metagenomic sequencing data. Next, the researchers used a mathematical technique to group the traits into life history strategies. Three main strategies emerged based on different genetic traits.

Some bacteria display a minimalist strategy, with small genomes that support basic metabolism and growth. Other bacteria have larger genomes, allowing them to extend their metabolic capacities. Bacteria with bigger genomes can react more effectively than bacteria with small genomes to changing environmental conditions and can more effectively recycle nutrients. The most advantageous strategy in a given location depended on variables like soil pH, nitrogen availability, annual precipitation, and seasonality. Minimalist bacteria with small genomes were favored in pH-balanced soils exposed to drought and big seasonal swings, a strategy that the researchers related to stress tolerance. Under dry, variable, and more acidic conditions, the preferred strategy was expanded metabolism allowing for rapid response to environmental changes. These bacteria resembled weedy plants that grow quickly after disturbances like drought or fire. The third major strategy—with expanded metabolism for nutrient cycling—was prominent among bacteria living in consistently wet, acidic soils. These bacteria are analogous to plants that out-compete their neighbors by overtopping them.

Gabin Piton University of California, Irvine and INRAE [email protected] Steven Allison University of California, Irvine [email protected]

This research was funded by the Department of Energy Office of Science, Biological and Environmental Research program, the European Research Council, and the U.K.  Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council Institute Strategic Program on Food, Microbiome and Health.

Publications

Piton, G. et al. , Life history strategies of soil bacterial communities across global terrestrial biomes. Nature Microbiology 8 , 2093–2102 (2023). [DOI: 10.1038/s41564-023-01465-0]

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Esf graduate students receive great award.

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Syracuse, N.Y. – April 17, 2024 - Two graduate students from the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF) are among 27 students selected for the 2024 SUNY  Graduate Research Empowering and Accelerating Talent (GREAT)  award. Recognized as outstanding student researchers, Christian Bright and Leah David Rubin will each receive $5,000 in flexible funding for research expenses, professional development, and stipend supplements.

"Our graduate students are addressing the environmental issues that impact people globally with innovative approaches,” said ESF President Joanie Mahoney. “Christian's work stands to impact wetlands management and their role in carbon sequestration, while Leah's research has the potential to influence decisions not only in Maine but also in other coastal areas regarding fisheries and the livelihoods dependent on them. The ESF community applauds their dedication and welcomes this award as support for their impactful research endeavors.”

The SUNY GREAT Award program, now entering its third year, provides incentives for SUNY graduate students to compete for federal awards sponsored by agencies including the National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, and U.S. Department of Energy, among others.  

Bright is a doctoral student in ESF’s Department of Environmental Science. She is studying how managing wetlands by adjusting water levels affects the environment. Wetlands are important habitats for birds and other wildlife and provide valuable services such as carbon sequestration. Bright is measuring the gases emitted by wetlands and studying how different water levels and plant growth stages impact carbon levels. Through this research, Bright hopes to discover how changing wetland plant communities and fluctuating hydrology through management may affect carbon budgets and whether they can optimize these conditions to promote greater levels of carbon sequestration over time.

Rubin is a doctoral student in the College’s Department of Environmental Biology.

Her research seeks to understand how Maine fisheries have changed over time using data from bones found in archaeological digs, records of fish catches from the past, and stories passed down through generations. Rubin also hopes to better understand how tourism and selling seafood globally affect people who fish to feed themselves, especially in Maine's coastal towns.

Rubin’s work will help Maine keep its local food sources secure, manage fisheries, and keep waterfront areas available for people who work on the sea.

About SUNY ESF

The SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF) is dedicated to the study of the environment, developing renewable technologies, and building a sustainable and resilient future through design, policy, and management of the environment and natural resources. Members of the College community share a passion for protecting the health of the planet and a deep commitment to the rigorous application of science to improve the way humans interact with the world. The College offers academic programs ranging from the associate of applied science to the Doctor of Philosophy. ESF students live, study and do research on the main campus in Syracuse, N.Y., and on 25,000 acres of field stations in a variety of ecosystems across the state.

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PhD Student Madeline Pernat honored with prestigious NSF fellowship

This year the NSF awarded 27 University of Colorado Boulder students, including 18 from the College of Engineering and Applied Science, with the graduate research fellowship.

Fellows receive a three-year annual stipend of $37,000 and full coverage of tuition, fees and insurance, along with opportunities for international research and professional development that span five years. 

What does it mean to you to have received the NSF GRFP? Firstly, I am honored to receive the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship. I am passionate about the research that I do, and I like to think that my enthusiasm for my work resonated with the reviewers. Secondly, I am grateful to everyone who has helped me reach this point in my academic journey, from my family, partner and undergraduate professors at Montana State University, to my current professors and advisors here at CU Boulder. I really see this award as a testament to the support of all these individuals – without them, I don’t believe I would be where I am today.

Tell me about your research. My research focuses on large-scale water management in the Colorado River Basin. The Colorado River is a vital source of water for the American Southwest, fueling its productive cities and agricultural regions. The utilization of the Colorado River’s waters is made possible by engineered infrastructure designed to store and deliver the river’s waters effectively – particularly through Lake Powell and Lake Mead, the largest reservoirs in the basin. These reservoirs function as “savings accounts,” storing water during times of surplus and allowing for the release and use of that water during drier periods.  However, since the onset of the Southwest's "megadrought" in 2000, these reservoirs have consistently experienced higher rates of withdrawals than replenishment, leading to significant drops in reservoir levels. As of now, Lake Powell and Lake Mead are only about one-third full.

The current policies governing the operations of Lakes Powell and Mead are set to expire at the end of 2026, necessitating the development of new "post-2026" policies. This process is being undertaken by the Bureau of Reclamation, amidst challenging conditions of ongoing drought and low reservoir levels. My research, currently funded by the Bureau of Reclamation, takes place against the backdrop of these negotiations. The development of these new policies involves significant challenges, to name a few: a) many people and stakeholders depend on the Colorado River, often with competing interests that are difficult to balance, and b) the future, especially in terms of hydrology, is uncertain – we don’t know how much water will be available in the post-2026 era.

My research addresses these challenges through a twofold approach. The first part utilizes multiobjective optimization to generate new potential operating policies. This approach is used due to the presence of many conflicting objectives within the basin, such as ensuring water deliveries, producing hydropower, and meeting environmental flow requirements. Given these conflicting objectives, there is no single "optimal" policy that can satisfy all objectives simultaneously. Instead, multiobjective optimization is used to search for a set of policies, where each policy strikes a unique balance among the objectives. The generated policies cover a wide range in terms of performance characteristics, enabling various stakeholders to identify policies that cater to their specific interests while also understanding their tradeoffs and potential shortcomings. 

Secondly, I am developing a novel visual framework to enhance the decision-making process. This framework will enable stakeholders and decision-makers to visualize the array of potential future scenarios we could experience post-2026, while also illustrating how various policies would perform across these potential scenarios. Utilizing a visual “map” (as shown in the bottom figure), users can navigate through these potential future scenarios and assess the performance of different policies at a simple glance.

Why is this research important to you? My research in water management is important because it bridges many important domains: engineering, data science, science communication, politics, economics and social justice. Although my academic background is primarily in engineering, I believe that in order to maximize my impact as a researcher, I must have a comprehensive understanding of these other diverse areas. I view the Colorado River Basin, with its pressing water management issues, as an exceptional case study for understanding this interconnectedness.

My interest in this research began in my undergraduate years after reading “Where the Water Goes” by David Owen, which discusses water management in the Colorado River Basin. Reading this book just seemed to connect the dots for me. It showed me a field where having a strong technical background in engineering is important for understanding the system and its challenges, while also emphasizing the need to understand and appreciate the system's broader societal and environmental dimensions.

Tell me a little more about your work with the Kasprzyk Research Group and CADSWES. The Kasprzyk Research Group primarily focuses on multiobjective decision problems and the optimization and analysis of environmental systems and CADSWES specializes in water resources systems modeling. Over the years, Professors Kasprzyk and Zagona have not only developed a strong connection between their research interests but have also established collaborative ties with the Bureau of Reclamation. Their collaborative efforts and the work of the many students they have co-advised, have significantly advanced water resources management, especially in the Colorado River Basin. I feel incredibly fortunate to be a part of this team and to learn from some of the best in the field.

Image caption:   Madeline Pernat developed a novel visual framework to enhance the decision-making process. Utilizing a visual “map," users can navigate through potential future scenarios and assess the performance of different policies at a glance. The figure on the left displays a map of potential future scenarios, where each hexagon, referred to as a neuron, represents a possible scenario in terms of hydrology and water demand. The figure on the right presents the same map but illustrates how a specific policy performs across each neuron/scenario.

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Alba Yerro-Colom to use National Science Foundation CAREER award to better predict and prevent landslides

Using computational modeling, the project will study how rainfall patterns interact with water, roots, and soil and takes climate change into account.

• Courtney Sakry

15 Apr 2024

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Almost one-fifth of the global land surface is classified as highly susceptible to rainfall-triggered landslides. According to the World Health Organization, landslides are more widespread than any other geological hazard to occur worldwide and are increasing because of climate change. 

Alba Yerro-Colom , assistant professor in the Charles E. Via, Jr. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering , is motivated to advance the understanding of these natural occurrences while considering how vegetation and changes in rainfall patterns could better predict their potential damage. She has been awarded a National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) award to address this issue.

Landslides are natural events that commonly develop when soil, rocks, or debris move down a slope that's often covered in vegetation. They are dangerous for people. Between 2007 and 2015, 7,000 rainfall-triggered landslides killed over 25,000 people and injured another 2,000, according to NASA’s Global Landslide Catalog.

Using plants to stabilize slopes has been considered an environmentally friendly solution, but it isn’t fully understood how different plant roots affect landslides. 

Yerro-Colom's $570,000 award aims to develop a numerical framework to study how rainfall patterns affect the interaction between water, roots, and soil during a landslide event and how different plants can make the outcome better or worse. 

This award, the most prestigious given by the National Science Foundation for early career faculty, encourages faculty to serve as academic role models in research and education and encompasses Yerro-Colom’s long-term research career goal: to improve the knowledge of geotechnical problems that threaten the stability of civil infrastructure and the safety of communities.

About the project

Landslides can cause significant damage to homes, infrastructure, and lives.

With climate change affecting global weather patterns, the risk of landslides is expected to increase. Climate change brings altered rainfall patterns, including more intense rainstorms and longer periods of droughts and wildfires. These all can contribute to the frequency of landslides, posing a growing risk to communities, especially those already facing poverty.

“By understanding how vegetation and climate change interact to influence landslide risks, we can better prepare and protect vulnerable communities,” said Yerro-Colom. “It is crucial to invest in research to mitigate the impact of landslides in the face of climate change.”

Yerro-Colom's project will develop a tool to simulate the entire process of a landslide, from its initiation to its consequences. Additionally, the project will provide a comprehensive understanding of landslide dynamics by using physics-based mathematical tools combined with advanced machine learning models. This knowledge will serve as a foundation for creating new guidelines to enhance the effectiveness of solutions for landslide prevention and community preparedness.  

“The goal is to allow us to make better plans for preventing rainfall-triggered landslides and keeping communities safe. We want to better understand the effectiveness of vegetation reinforcement in natural and built slopes in a global climate change scenario,” said Yerro-Colom.

Yerro-Colom was recently awarded another National Science Foundation grant  for the prediction of earthquake-triggered failures in complex sites. Additionally, she just wrapped up an Early-concept Grant for Exploratory Research  project that used a similar computational method to improve the accuracy and resolution of data used to study soil liquefaction risk. 

The landslide study will contribute to reducing landslide-related losses by making better ways to predict them. The research findings, numerical tools, and tutorial manuals resulting from this study will be freely available online with open access. An outreach plan will disseminate the information to maximize its impact on societies at risk of landslides, which will improve the understanding and management of slope stability and landslide impacts. This information will help regulators, geotechnical engineers, and landowners to make responsible decisions about landslide risk. In the future, it could also help with other natural disasters.

“Eventually, the resulting knowledge and numerical software can also give us a baseline to better understand the consequences of other natural hazards also affected by climate change and vegetation, such as wildfires and erosion,” said Yerro-Colom.

She will teach these ideas through activities and exhibits at local museums such as the Science Museum of Western Virginia in Roanoke. There will also be graduate education to provide tools and expertise to future geotechnical engineers that will equip them with proficiency to approach challenges and to effectively communicate to non-technical audiences.

“We especially want to serve local, low-income, and rural communities in the Appalachia by increasing the literacy around the technical aspects of landslide hazards and climate change," Yerro-Colom said.

Chelsea Seeber

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