National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis

NCEAS conducts transformational science focused on informing solutions that will allow people and nature to thrive. We are an independent research affiliate of the University of California, Santa Barbara, with a global network and impact. OUR MISSION We work to accelerate scientific discoveries that will enhance our understanding of the world and benefit people and nature, as well as to transform the scientific culture to be more open, efficient, and collaborative. We do this by - Enabling collaborations between the brightest minds in the environmental sciences - Conducting breakthrough science that is grounded in big-picture thinking - Improving analyses through computing innovations that increase the (re)usability of data - Partnering with agencies and organizations that can help put the science to action - Training and inspiring generations of scientists to practice synthesis and open science Our History and Impact NCEAS is the product of a revolutionary idea. In the early 1990's, leading ecologists began discussing a discipline-wide issue with scattered data. Not only was there a need to combine disparate existing data to seek new, bigger picture insights from them - to synthesize them - there was also a need for a place where the collaboration necessary for such research could occur. Accompanying these discussions was the rise of the internet and the recognition of its potential to revolutionize information accessibility. In addition, there was an increasing involvement of disciplines outside of ecology in solving environmental questions and challenges. These emerging notions - synthesis, data access, and collaboration - made the timing ripe for an approach that could integrate data, theories, and methods to deepen our understanding of the natural world. These notions informed the eventual concrete idea put forth by the National Science Foundation (NSF), which solicited proposals for an institution to host a first-of-its-kind ecological synthesis research center. The University of California Santa Barbara submitted a bid and received the award, and in 1995 the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis (NCEAS) was born. Traditional scientific practices had typically consisted of solitary lab or fieldwork, and researchers were often protective of their data. The establishment of NCEAS radically altered these practices by promoting collaborative research that relied on sharing and re-using data, paving the way for modern ideas about open science and data stewardship ethics. NSF supported NCEAS for the first 17 years of its existence. Though prescribed time limits on funding have ended our NSF support, many foundations, institutes, individuals, and partnerships now help NCEAS continue to thrive and innovate.