Climate Policy Associate

The Stockholm Environment Institute is pleased to announce that it has been selected by the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) as a host organization for the Mellon/ACLS Public Fellows Program, a career-building fellowship initiative designed to expand the reach of doctoral education in the humanities. In 2018, the Public Fellows program will place up to 25 recent PhDs from the humanities and humanistic social sciences in two-year staff positions at partnering organizations in government and the nonprofit sector. Fellows will participate in the substantive work of these organizations and will receive professional mentoring, an annual stipend of $67,500, and health insurance.

This position will be in SEI’s Seattle office, with a dedicated group of professionals committed to effective climate policy. The Seattle office works closely with governments, foundations, international agencies, and other research organizations to inform policy development at local, national, and international scales. We work collaboratively to research, analyze, evaluate, and design policies using insights from the physical and social sciences, economics, and other disciplines.

How to apply

Mellon/ACLS Public Fellows is a fellowship program offered by the American Council of Learned Societies and is made possible by a grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Please direct all inquiries about the fellowship program to ACLS.

All applications must be submitted through the ACLS Online Fellowship Application System. Find more information at Mellon/ACLS Public Fellows Competition for Recent PhDs. 

Apply now

Position Description

Reporting to the lead of SEI Seattle’s program, the Climate Policy Associate would contribute to SEI’s work on emerging topics in climate policy, which may include, among others, low-carbon cities, carbon pricing strategies, climate finance, and the climate implications of oil and coal extraction.

For example, the SEI-Seattle team’s ongoing projects concerning fossil fuels include an international study (with colleagues from Oxford, Stockholm, and Nairobi) on the role of citizen mobilization in shaping environmental policy decisions, a study of limiting oil production in California (with several partners), and organizing a conference in Oxford (UK) on fossil fuels and climate policy (fossilfuelsandclimate.org).

Likewise, our team’s work over the next year on low-carbon cities includes completing a major study of greenhouse gas reduction potential across all US cities, as well as a project developing a policy toolkit for cities interested in addressing the carbon “footprint” of their residents. This type of work will likely continue into the years ahead and could also form part of the Climate Policy Associate’s work portfolio.

In all cases, opportunities for the fellow will include literature research (e.g., on resident attitudes and behaviors), stakeholder interviews and engagement (e.g., with other NGOs or local government staff), writing of policy briefs, and meeting with decision-makers.
We are particularly interested in candidates who can broaden our existing work by bringing in humanistic perspectives on climate policy.

Key duties and responsibilities

• Gathering information and data, through literature research, internet, and interviews
• Preparing, applying, and helping conceptualize analytical tools and models, and/or designing and implementing research strategies and methods
• Drafting reports, articles, and blog posts
• Providing coordination and project management support
• Participating in the organizational management of the institute
• Assisting with the preparation of proposals and fundraising
• Assisting in external presentations, trainings, and other outreach
• Participating actively in our collaborative office culture

Qualifications

• PhD in the humanities or humanistic social sciences
• Familiarity with—or strong curiosity about—climate policy, energy systems, and sustainable development
• Excellent critical thinking skills and reasoning abilities
• Ability and tendency to question and evaluate methods, findings, and conclusions, including one’s own
• Clarity of written and oral communications and the ability to present research and analysis cogently to a wide range of audiences
• A sense of collegiality and the ability to work collaboratively with both internal and external colleagues
• A passion for interdisciplinary, objective research and analysis.Qualifications

Additional Eligibility Requirements

Applicants must:

• possess US citizenship or permanent resident status
• have a PhD in the humanities or humanistic social sciences conferred between September 1, 2014 and June 22, 2018
• defend and file/deposit their completed dissertations no later than April 6, 2018, and be prepared to verify this with official university documentation during the review and selection process.