The Sustainability Science Program at Harvard University’s Center for International Development offers doctoral, post-doctoral, and mid-career fellowships in Sustainability Science. The fellowships are tenable at the Center for International Development during Harvard’s academic year beginning in September 2010. Fellowships are available for 10 months (September 2010-May 2011), 12 months (September 2010-August 2011), the fall semester (September-December 2010), the spring semester (February-May 2011), or for two academic years (post-doctoral fellows only) (September 2010-August 2012).
The Sustainability Science Program at Harvard’s Center for International Development seeks to facilitate the design, implementation, and evaluation of effective interventions that promote sustainable development. To that end, we seek to advance scientific understanding of human-environment systems; to improve linkages between relevant research and innovation communities on the one hand, and relevant policy and management communities on the other; and, more broadly, to build capacity for linking knowledge with action to promote sustainability. The Program is directed by Bill Clark, Michael Kremer, and Nancy Dickson. More information about the Sustainability Science Program can be found at http://www.cid.harvard.edu/sustsci
Who Should Apply
The Sustainability Science Fellowships are open to advanced doctoral and post-doctoral students, and to mid-career professionals engaged in research or practice that advances the goals of the program (see above). Prospective fellows should have a focused personal research or writing objective that is consistent with those goals. In addition, applicants should be interested in spending some of their time as fellows in collaborations with other fellows and faculty in the program in ways that will advance the interdisciplinary, problem-driven agenda of sustainability science more broadly. The Fellowships are tenable at Harvard during the University’s academic year beginning in September 2010. Applications for the mid-career fellowships are invited from individuals in governmental, non-governmental, private organizations, or academia with at least five years of professional experience doing work involved in linking science and practice for sustainable development. Applications for the post-doctoral fellowships are welcome from recent recipients of the Ph.D. or equivalent degree. (Applicants must have completed their Ph.D. between 2006 and May 2010.) Applicants for a doctoral fellowship must currently be enrolled in a doctoral program and have passed their qualifying exams (completed coursework and passed oral and/or written exams) by May 2010. Applicants whose doctoral programs do not require qualifying exams must have completed all the required coursework for the Ph.D., since fellows will not be doing course work while at Harvard. Applications are solicited from individuals working in the natural and social sciences as well as relevant professions. Special funding for the Giorgio Ruffolo Fellowships in Sustainability Science is available to support citizens of Italy or developing countries who are therefore especially encouraged to apply. Further information regarding current and past fellows can be obtained through the program’s web site.
Each year, the Sustainability Science Program recruits approximately 15-20 fellows to work with one another and with Harvard faculty. Candidates who are offered a fellowship will be paired with a Harvard faculty host who has related interests. Applicants may identify potential faculty hosts in the on-line application, but applicants are not required to secure a host before applying. A list of Harvard faculty with interests related to sustainability science is provided on the web pages of the Sustainability Science Program Faculty Affiliates, Harvard’s Center for International Development and the Center for the Environment. Any member of the teaching faculty from any discipline at Harvard can serve as a host, regardless of whether the host has had a prior affiliation with the Sustainability Science Program or with any of the Centers listed above.
Fellows are expected to play a central role in the intellectual life of the Sustainability Science Program. This includes working on and presenting results of the personal research project proposed in the fellow’s application, preparation for and attendance at Program seminars and workshops, and authorship or co-authorship of a substantial paper addressing a topic agreed upon by the fellow and program directors. Fellows should expect to spend about half of their time on collaborative work they will be encouraged to develop with Harvard faculty and other fellows. The other half of their time may be devoted to personal research and writing. In order to enhance interactions within the program, we strongly discourage substantial additional activities or obligations during the period of the fellowship. Exceptions must be negotiated with the Program in advance of accepting a fellowship offer. Fellows are expected to be in residence at Harvard during the full period of their award except when doing field research or attending academic conferences. Such time away from Harvard should not generally amount to more than 25% of the fellowship period.
The Sustainability Science Fellowship is based on a 12-month stipend of $48,000 for post-doctoral fellows, $25,000 for doctoral fellows, and a negotiated amount for mid-career fellows with the aim being to provide a half-time salary buyout to be matched by the fellow’s home institution depending on their current salary, seniority, and other sources of support. (Stipends will be proportionately reduced for fellows spending less time in residence with the Program.) Fellows will have the option of purchasing Harvard employee medical and dental benefits. In the case of successful applicants with support for sabbatical or professional leave, packages can be negotiated in which Program funds complement such support. Office space and supplies, personal computers, telecommunications, and access to Harvard University libraries and other facilities will be provided. Expenses associated with project workshops are covered for fellowship holders by the Program. Limited support for field research expenses is provided on a competitive basis as budgets allow. Since the Program’s funds are limited, prospective fellows are strongly urged to pursue additional sources of stipendiary and research support. Applications from those with their own resources are also welcome.
The Sustainability Science Program is the hub of Harvard’s research, teaching, and interventions on the challenges of sustainable development.
Harvard’s Sustainability Science Program harnesses the University’s strengths to promote the design of institutions, policies, and practices that support sustainable development. The Program addresses the challenge of sustainable development by:
* advancing scientific understanding of human-environment systems;
* improving linkages between research and policy communities; and
* building capacity for linking knowledge with action to promote sustainability.
The Program supports major initiatives in policy-relevant research, faculty research, training of students and fellows, teaching, and outreach.
Deadline: December 1, 2009
