Kendall Fellowship: Environmental Justice and Climate Policy

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Friday, 31 October 2014

Kendall Fellowship: Environmental Justice and Climate Policy

Center for Science and Democracy and Climate and Energy Program

Union of Concerned Scientists

Location: Cambridge, MA (preferred) or Washington, DC Office

The Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS), the leading science-based organization at the center of today’s most exciting and important policy debates, seeks outstanding candidates for the Kendall Science Fellows program. This up to two-year fellowship is open to candidates who will have completed their Ph.D. by spring 2015. The fellow will work with staff in both the Center for Science and Democracy and the Climate and Energy Program at UCS, and with external partners from environmental justice (EJ) organizations, to study costs and benefits of emissions reduction strategies to combat climate change.  The fellow will contribute to formulating research questions, investigating, presenting, and making policy and other recommendations to strengthen connections and bridge gaps between the mainstream environmental movement and environmental justice movement. This fellowship will also have an impact on UCS’s broader environmental justice and equity priorities.

The Union of Concerned Scientists puts rigorous, independent science to work to solve our planet's most pressing problems. Joining with citizens across the country, we combine technical analysis and effective advocacy to create innovative, practical solutions for a healthy, safe, and sustainable future. Our members understand that scientific analysis—not political calculations or corporate hype—should guide our efforts to secure responsible changes in government policy, corporate practices, and consumer choices. The Kendall Science Fellows Program was established to honor Nobel Prize winning physicist Henry Kendall who was with UCS from our beginnings and was the long-time chair of our board.  Dr. Kendall was known for his unique ability to shake up the status quo and catalyze new thinking, and UCS looks to Kendall Fellows to do the same. Priority will be given to innovative and forward-looking proposals that are primarily scientific, technical, or analytic in nature but also show interest in the application of science to policy. Fellows will benefit from the opportunity to learn from the UCS approach to science and policy, and UCS will benefit from the new approaches and expertise of the Kendall Fellows.

Responsibilities

With the goal of strengthening UCS work on environmental justice and relationships with EJ communities, the Kendall Fellow will spend up to two years conducting original research to better understand the commonalities and differences between environmental justice and mainstream environmental positions on climate policy by doing the following:

  • Investigate impacts of climate change and climate change policies on EJ communities, which include Indigenous, of color, and low-income communities;
  • Investigate how climate change policy could be used to intentionally reduce the emissions of both greenhouse gases and co-pollutants in EJ communities;
  • Explore the effects of carbon-pricing mechanisms on EJ  communities;
  • Explore the impacts of complimentary renewable and efficiency policies to examine equity considerations in their development and implementation

In fulfilling this role, the Fellow will:

  • Investigate, assess, and monitor current and ongoing research and trends;
  • Generate written reports and scholarly articles on the fellowship topics;
  • Communicate findings within UCS and to experts in the field, media, policymakers, and the public;
  • Assist in forming recommendations around climate change policy;
  • Serve as a spokesperson for the Kendall Fellows program

Qualifications and Experience

The Kendall Fellow should have knowledge and experience with EJ polices and analyses or climate change reduction strategies and climate policy. Strong demonstrated experience in environmental justice with direct experience working in and with EJ communities. This position requires ease with and the ability to perform well in both social sciences and technical analyses, with cultural sensitivity and understanding of environmental justice communities.  

A Ph.D. in the social and/or physical sciences is required.

UCS is an equal opportunity employer continually seeking to diversify its staff, particularly to broaden opportunities for individuals from demographic groups that are historically underrepresented in the sciences and in environmental advocacy.

Compensation, Hours and Location

This is a full-time, up to two-year position preferably based in UCS’s Cambridge, MA headquarters; Washington, DC office will also be considered. Fellowship will begin between May and July of 2015. UCS offers excellent benefits and a rewarding work environment. Information about UCS is available at http://www.ucsusa.org

To Apply

Please submit a short application, including a statement of interest (up to 2 pages, including relevant background and experience, a brief description of a research idea in the selected area, and interest in working with UCS), curriculum vitae, and two references to jobs@ucsusa.org including “Kendall Fellowship” and “EJ and Climate Policy” in the subject line.  Email materials in Word or PDF format only. No phone calls please. Deadline: October 31, 2014or until filled.

Review of initial applications will begin November 1, 2014. Following an initial screening, top candidates will co-write a more specific fellowship proposal in coordination with UCS staff for submission to the Kendall Science Fellows Program Advisory Committee by January 6, 2015. Final decisions on the award of this competitive fellowship will be made by late January 2015.

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