Harvard University has opened the application process for scholarships in the Sustainability Sciences program. The scholarships are intended exclusively for PhD students, postdoctoral researchers, and mid-career scholars. Those interested must submit an application form by February 2015. The results will be announced one month later.
Sustainability Science Fellowships at Harvard University
Doctoral, Postdoctoral, and Mid-Career Fellowships
Application deadline: February 2, 2015
The Sustainability Science Program at Harvard University is accepting applications for resident fellowships in sustainability science for the academic year beginning in September 2015. This year’s competition focuses on three thematic areas related to energy and sustainability. We are seeking applications that focus on: 1) decarbonizing energy systems in the European Union; 2) designing, developing, and/or implementing sustainable energy technologies and policies in China; and 3) the impacts of fossil fuel subsidies on economic, environmental, and health indicators, and the actions that can be taken to reduce them. The fellowship competition is open to advanced doctoral and postdoctoral students, as well as mid-career professionals engaged in research or practice aimed at facilitating the design, implementation, and evaluation of effective interventions that promote sustainable development. The thematic areas are led by Professors Henry Lee and Joseph Aldy. The program is also open, however, to strong proposals in any area of sustainability science. In addition to the general funds available to support this fellowship, special funding for the Giorgio Ruffolo Fellowships in Sustainability Science is available to support citizens of Italy, China, or developing countries, who are therefore especially encouraged to apply. For more information on the fellowship application process, see http://www.hks.harvard.
Sustainable Energy and the European Union
Faculty leader: Henry Lee, Jassim M. Jaidah, Director of the Environment and Natural Resources Program
Faculty co-leaders: Laura Diaz Anadon, William Clark
This thematic area explores policies that will help decarbonize the EU’s energy sector in light of the 2030 Framework for Climate and Energy Policy, which will be adopted in October 2014. The EU is considering more ambitious targets for renewable energy and increased energy efficiency goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. Fellows will be expected to work on the sustainability of the renewable energy supply chain in the EU, from inception to commercialization. The overall renewable energy life cycle can be examined in its entirety, or the work can focus on a specific stage of the life cycle. The program is particularly interested in analyzing the sustainability of renewable energy in EU economies that have traditionally lagged behind other member states in terms of increasing the use of renewable energy technologies, as well as the challenges and opportunities for expanding the deployment and use of those technologies.
Sustainable Development of the Energy Sector in China: Challenges and Options
Faculty leader: Henry Lee, Jassim M. Jaidah, Director, Environment and Natural Resources Program
Faculty co-leaders: Laura Diaz Anadon, Venkatesh Narayanamurti
This thematic area addresses the environmental implications of energy policies in China and explores how China can manage these implications. Fellows work to identify and promote policies that will contribute to the responsible use of China’s natural resources (e.g., water, air, land) and/or the adoption of cleaner and less carbon-intensive industrial and energy technologies. Research areas include, but are not limited to: analyzing the impact of energy and industrial policies on water scarcity and air pollution; assessing policies to promote a low-carbon energy portfolio; and analyzing options to improve energy efficiency and increase the use of alternative energy sources.
Fossil Fuel Subsidies: Impacts, Opportunities, and Challenges to Reform
Faculty leader: Joseph Aldy, Assistant Professor of Public Policy
Fossil fuel subsidies distort the prices of electricity and fuels for the majority of the world’s population. Failing to account for the full social cost of energy—such as harm to human health and environmental damage—results in implicit subsidies of nearly $2 trillion globally each year. In many developing countries, government subsidies for fossil fuels compete with potentially socially desirable uses of fiscal resources, such as investments in public health, education, infrastructure, and low- or zero-emission energy sources. Nonetheless, pricing energy—and especially fossil fuel-based energy—below its social opportunity cost persists throughout the world, raising the question: if fossil fuel subsidies are so bad, why are they so common? We are interested in fellows whose research focuses on 1) empirical estimates of the environmental and health impacts of fossil fuel subsidies in developing countries, 2) the potential fiscal trade-offs associated with fossil fuel subsidies, 3) how pricing energy below cost affects global commodity price levels and volatility, as well as incentives for investment in non-fossil energy alternatives, 4) the political economy that underpins policies that continue to subsidize fossil fuels in developing countries, or 5) case studies of successful energy price reforms to identify key lessons for informing future reform efforts.
