Water and energy are essential for sustaining life on earth. As the population grows and living standards improve, the demand for clean water and energy continues to rise simultaneously. In this regard, fossil-fuel consumption, CO2 emissions and byproduct formation will continue to grow in these industries. Integrating advanced nanomaterials in the water and energy sectors emerges as a pivotal strategy for satisfying global water and energy demands in a secure, affordable, and sustainable manner. In light of the foregoing, My PhD is centered on a newly emerging class of nanomaterials known as covalent organic frameworks (COFs). Owing to their porosity, crystallinity, modularity and tunability, COFs have emerged as attractive candidates for various applications including membrane-based separations, photocatalysis and ion transport. However, their wide-scale implementation is hindered by complications related to their synthesis, upscaling, and processing, which also impedes their commercialization and industrialization. In my thesis, I discuss my attempts to tackle the synthetic, scalability and processability challenges of COFs to accelerate their commercialization and facilitate their employment in the water and energy sectors to help us meet escalating demands securely, affordably, and sustainably.