Fellowships in Sustainability Science :: Sustainability Science Program

Sustainability Science Program

Fellowships in Sustainability Science

The 2007 fellowship competition is now closed. Please check back in October 2007 for details on the 2008 competition.

What is the Sustainability Science Fellowship?
What is the Sustainability Science Program?
Who can apply for a Sustainability Science Fellowship?
With whom do fellows work?
What are the responsibilities of Sustainability Science Fellows?
What support is provided by the Sustainability Science Fellowship?
What is the preliminary application procedure due by 15 December 2006?
What is the full application procedure for finalists due by 1 February 2007?
What criteria are fellowship applications evaluated on?
How do I receive updates about the fellowship opportunities with the Sustainability Science Program?
What related fellowships are available at Harvard?

What is the Sustainability Science Fellowship?

The Sustainability Science Program at Harvard University�s Center for International Development offers doctoral, post-doctoral and practitioner fellowships in Sustainability Science. The fellowships are tenable at the Center for International Development for Harvard�s academic year beginning in September 2007.

What is the Sustainability Science Program?

The Sustainability Science Program at Harvard�s Center for International Development seeks to advance basic understanding of the dynamics of human-environment systems; to use that understanding to facilitate the design, implementation, and evaluation of practical interventions that promote sustainability in particular places and contexts; and to improve linkages between relevant research and innovation communities on the one hand, and relevant policy and management communities on the other. The Program was established in Fall 2006 and is directed by Bill Clark and Nancy Dickson. More information about the Sustainability Science Program can be found at http://www.cid.harvard.edu/sustsci.

Who can apply for a Sustainability Science Fellowship?

The Sustainability Science Fellowships are open to advanced doctoral and post-doctoral students, and to professionals engaged in the practice of harnessing science and technology to promote sustainable development. The Fellowships are tenable at Harvard during the university�s academic year beginning in September 2007. Applications for the practitioner fellowships are invited from individuals in governmental, non-governmental or private organizations 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. by August 2007.) 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 August 2007. 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 both the natural and social sciences as well as relevant professions. Special funding is available to support fellows who are citizens of Italy or developing countries who are therefore especially encouraged to apply.

With whom do fellows work?

Each year, the Sustainability Science Program recruits approximately ten fellows to work with one another and with Harvard faculty. Some of each year's fellows will come from natural science backgrounds, others from the social sciences and professions. Further information regarding fellows can be obtained through the program�s web site at http://www.cid.harvard.edu/sustsci/research_fellows.html.

What are the responsibilities of Sustainability Science Fellows?

Fellows are expected to play a central role in the Sustainability Science Program. This includes preparation for, and attendance at seminars and workshops, authorship or co-authorship of a substantial paper addressing an agreed upon topic relevant to their research project and in some cases, two to three months of field study. Fellows will be expected to work about half time on a research project with a Harvard faculty member and other fellows. The other half of their time may be devoted to personal research and writing. Substantial additional activities or obligations during the period of the fellowship are strongly discouraged and must be negotiated with the Program in advance of accepting a fellowship offer. The term fellowship is a 10- or 12-month award, while a semester fellowship is a 4-month award.

What support is provided by the Sustainability Science Fellowship?

The Sustainability Science Fellowship is based on a 12-month stipend of $45,000 for post-doctoral fellows, $25,000 for doctoral fellows, and a negotiated amount for practitioner fellows depending on their seniority. (Stipends will be proportionately reduced for fellows spending less than 12 months in residence with the Program.) Health benefits are also offered. 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.

What is the procedure for the preliminary application (due by 15 December 2006)?

Applications for the fellowship are made in a two-stage process: a preliminary application open to all individuals who meet the criteria described above, and a full application open only to individuals explicitly invited by the Program after a review of the preliminary application. Preliminary applications must be emailed to sustsci_grants@ksg.harvard.edu by 15 December 2006. Candidates preparing preliminary applications should submit:

A cover sheet including the names of three referees who are prepared to submit recommendation letters if the candidate is invited to submit a full application (template available at http://www.cid.harvard.edu/sustsci/grants/fellows/07_fel...)
A 3-page description of the applicant�s proposed personal research project, including specific information demonstrating how the applicant�s proposed work would contribute to �sustainability science,� the emerging field of use-inspired research seeking understanding of the interactions between human and environmental systems as well as the application of such knowledge to sustainability challenges relating to advancing development of agriculture, habitation, energy and materials, health and water while conserving the earth�s life support systems. For doctoral students, this statement of research interests can and probably should be derived from their dissertation prospectus. All materials must be submitted in English.
A curriculum vitae (3 page maximum), listing publications and graduate coursework on research methodology relevant to the planned research.

Applicants will be notified by 22 December 2006 whether they are invited to submit a full proposal.

What is the procedure for the full application by invited finalists (due by 1 February 2007)?

A full proposal can be submitted only by individuals invited by the Program to do so based on review of the preliminary proposals. Full proposals must be sponsored by a Harvard faculty member (i.e. an individual with a teaching appointment) who is prepared to work with the fellow. Fellows may make their own faculty contacts, but the Program will also seek to inform fellows of faculty with related interests whose might serve as sponsors, based on information received in the preliminary application. It remains the responsibility of the fellow, however, to secure sponsorship by a Harvard faculty member.

The full proposal consists of the material described in the preliminary proposal plus letters from 3 referees and a Harvard faculty sponsor. It must be submitted by 1 February 2007 to sustsci_grants@ksg.harvard.edu.

If invited to submit a full application the applicant is responsible for asking 3 referees for letters of recommendation attesting to the applicant's suitability for the Sustainability Science Fellowship. Applicants applying for doctoral fellowships should have one recommendation stating that the applicant has/is expected to pass their qualifying exams by Summer 2007. If an applicant does not have qualifying exams at his/her university, then the applicant�s major advisor should state this in the letter of recommendation and confirm that the necessary coursework will have been completed by August 2006.

The Harvard faculty host must submit a letter of support describing in detail the level of commitment to the research and the candidate. Potential candidates should start early to identify and establish a relationship with a Harvard faculty member. The host will be a mentor to the fellow. Finalists unfamiliar with Harvard faculty members will be assisted in identifying candidate hosts. A broad selection of potentially interested faculty can be obtained from the relevant web pages of Harvard�s Center for International Development (http://www.cid.harvard.edu/cidpeople/) and its Center for the Environment (http://environment.harvard.edu/research/ri_environment.htm). Any faculty member from any discipline can serve as a host, regardless of whether the host has had a prior affiliation with Harvard�s Center for International Development or Center for the Environment.
Referees and hosts should email their letters directly to sustsci_grants@ksg.harvard.edu. Applicants bear full responsibility for ensuring that all materials are received by the due date and will not be notified of incomplete applications. Decisions will be announced in late February.

What criteria are used to evaluate fellowship applications?

Fellowship applications will be evaluated according to the criteria listed below. No proposal is expected to meet all of these criteria, but those scoring high on many of the criteria will be most likely to succeed in the competition.

Prior success and potential contribution of the applicant to scholarship or practice of sustainability science;
Project significance: the potential impact of the research project on sustainability science scholarship or practice;
Problem-driven relevance: How would successful completion of the project contribute to solving a practical problem of sustainable development;
Contains a developing world component (this could include north-south relations; comparative work; solely be based in a developing country; work focusing on implications for the developing world of an issue such as trade, globalization�);
Conducts field work in the developing world;
Develops institutional links with an academic or practitioner/ applications/ problem-solving oriented institution in the developing world;
Provides synergies with a regional center at Harvard, e.g. centers for Latin America, Asia Center, Africa;
Diversity: The Program will attempt to select a group of fellows from a range of academic disciplines and nations whose work will focus on a variety of topics. Recipients may include people with degrees in the sciences, economics, law, government, public policy, public health, medicine, design, and the full array of humanities. Their research topics will be equally varied. Interdisciplinary research projects are encouraged, although this is not a requirement for the fellowship. Candidates with interests in approaching sustainability issues through a single discipline are therefore also encouraged to apply.
Host�s commitment: the host faculty member�s enthusiasm for the proposed project, his or her ability to mentor the fellow, and his or her ability to provide office space and a productive work environment.

How do I receive updates about the fellowship opportunities with the Sustainability Science Program?

To receive periodic messages about fellowship opportunities with the Sustainability Science Program, subscribe to the list "sustsci_fellowships" by sending a message (with no subject) to:

majordomo@lists.hmdc.harvard.edu
containing the line in the message field:
subscribe sustsci_fellowships

What related fellowships are available at Harvard?

Related fellowship opportunities are available through a number of other Harvard Programs and Centers. Applicants who receive such fellowships and are pursuing research related to sustainability science are invited to apply to the Sustainability Science Program for joint appointment as non-stipendiary fellows.

Harvard University Center for the Environment: Post-doctoral fellowships, see http://www.environment.harvard.edu/navigation2/funding.htm.
Science, Technology and Public Policy Program, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs: Post-doctoral and pre-doctoral fellowships, see http://bcsia.ksg.harvard.edu/fellowships.cfm?program=STPP&pb_id=118&gma=24
David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies: Visiting scholars and professional fellows, see http://drclas.fas.harvard.edu/index.pl/resources/scholars.
US-Japan Program: Post-doctoral research fellowships, see http://www.wcfia.harvard.edu/about/funding/st_usjapan.htm
Harvard Academy for International and Area Studies, pre- and postdoctoral fellowships, see http://www.wcfia.harvard.edu/about/funding/st_harvardacademy.htm.

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Copyright �2006 by the President and Fellows of Harvard College.
Last revised 19 June 2007