The ESC at Qatar University has a long history of fundamental and applied research, consultancy and national capacity building since its early inception. The center was first established in 1980 by a special Amiri Decree as the Scientific and Applied Research Center (SARC). In 2005, Qatar University restructured the SARC, renaming it as the Environmental Studies Center (ESC) with a mission to conduct research and commissioned studies for the environmentally sustainable development of the country. In 2015, the name of the center was changed to the Environmental Science Center to better reflect our research-driven objectives.