The research portfolio in the CEHS spans from basic studies of the physics and chemistry of our environment to epidemiology, contributing to an integrated understanding of the impact of our environment on our health. At the most basic level, we study chemicals in our environment, how they move in our environment and the physical and chemical parameters of pollutants that make their way into the water we drink and the air we breathe. From there, work in the CEHS spans from the atomic level, to the molecular, pathway, network, cellular, organismal and ultimately population level to create a systems level understanding of how exposures impact health. Through our understanding of chemical and biological factors that impact health, results generated by the CEHS researchers open doors to new policies to regulate exposures, and new ways to prevent and treat exposure-induced diseases.

The CEHS researchers work in five different research theme areas. These theme areas bring together researchers from disparate disciplines to create synergistic research teams capitalizing on both the research strengths and the technological strengths of MIT and Harvard School of Public Health.