We are committed to training the next generation of solutions-oriented Arctic leaders. There are many ways for Harvard Kennedy School students to collaborate with us, including our Arctic course, research assistant opportunities, events, and other programming. Sign up for our newsletter to get updates on events and opportunities to get involved.
Pre- and Postdoctoral Fellowships: Early-career Arctic scholars are encouraged to apply for our academic fellowship program.
Students are deeply involved in the operation and success of our research projects and efforts. They conduct collaborative and independent research under the guidance of faculty, senior fellows, and staff. HKS students are encouraged to apply for research assistant positions as opportunities become available.
Open roles are listed below.
The Arctic is a complex and dynamic region undergoing rapid environmental, socio-economic, and geopolitical change. The Arctic Initiative works with a diverse set of partners to better understand and respond to both the challenges and opportunities shaping the region. In this role, the Research Assistant will support the Initiative’s research and activities focused on Arctic adaptation and resilience, working closely with experts, Arctic leaders, and partners.
Key responsibilities include contributing to a project that highlights case studies of community resilience across the Arctic. The Research Assistant will help develop a series of ArcGIS StoryMaps that draw from existing case studies to surface key lessons that may be adapted or replicated in other circumpolar and global contexts.
The Research Assistant will also support a separate research effort focused on producing outputs from a resilience workshop held in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada. This workshop was the second in a series designed to support community-led initiatives addressing challenges associated with rapid environmental change, including permafrost thaw, wildfires, and other co-occurring impacts. Responsibilities will include contributing to a workshop report and related products that synthesize key insights and community-identified priorities.
This role will work closely with members of the Arctic Initiative team, including Predoctoral Fellow Justin Barnes and Senior Program Coordinator Tessa Varvares.
The Arctic is undergoing rapid environmental changes, including permafrost thaw, wildfires, and other ecosystem disruptions, which are affecting the health and well-being of Northern communities. The Arctic Initiative works with Arctic experts, community leaders, and organizations to understand these challenges and emphasize their connections to public health.
In this role, you will support a research project examining the health and well-being impacts of permafrost thaw and related environmental changes in the North American Arctic. Responsibilities may include conducting literature reviews, synthesizing data, producing concept notes and reports, and developing research summaries to inform policy engagement and community-focused strategies.
The Research Assistant will collaborate with experts, Arctic leaders, and partner organizations to advance understanding of these emerging health challenges and support efforts to address the interconnected environmental and social impacts facing Northern communities, with a particular emphasis on public health. This work will include contributing to a policy brief on the health impacts of wildfires, drawing on both existing research and insights from a community-led resilience workshop held in the Northwest Territories, Canada.
This role will work closely with members of the Arctic Initiative team, including Senior Program Coordinator Tessa Varvares.
Loss of sea ice, shifting species distributions, and changes in ocean food webs are among the many impacts of rising air and water temperatures in the Arctic Ocean. Arctic ecosystems, wildlife, and communities are experiencing the compounded pressures of rapid climate change alongside increasing industrialization. Maritime shipping, mining, road construction, and oil and gas development are expanding across coastal and marine areas of the Arctic.
The Research Assistant (RA) will work closely with Senior Fellow Margaret Williams to support a project developing short case studies on effective Arctic marine biodiversity conservation and governance. These case studies will highlight opportunities to replicate or build upon successful approaches in the current, challenging geopolitical context.
Responsibilities include writing brief summaries for publication on the Arctic Initiative’s website, preparing a presentation for the University of the Arctic Congress, and assisting with a project to inform U.S. Arctic audiences about a specific solution recognized by the International Maritime Organization: Emission Control Areas (ECAs).
"What brought me to the Arctic Initiative was the focus on the people and communities – I’ve learned so much about how climate change is impacting the health and wellbeing of people across the region, and how different communities are building resilience." - Aruni Ranaweera MPP 2025
IGA-671M: Policy and Social Innovation for the Changing Arctic
The first Harvard course to focus on the Arctic, “Policy and Social Innovation for the Changing Arctic” emphasizes creative thinking about solutions to pressing Arctic issues. The January-term course is taught by Arctic Initiative co-founder Halla Logadóttir and supported by the Arctic Initiative team. Students are individually mentored by senior Arctic experts as they research a policy area of concern and develop their own innovative and interdisciplinary solutions. Op-eds written by students about their ideas have been published in Arctic Today, and students have traveled to the annual Arctic Circle Assembly in Reykjavik to pitch their ideas in the Arctic Innovation Lab.
Watch the course trailer for IGA 671M: "Policy and Social Innovation for the Changing Arctic."
"Halla Logadóttir’s class was perhaps my favorite at Harvard. She made me a better communicator, being one of those unique teachers able to simultaneously convey technical expertise, policy experience, and deep humanity." - Stirling Haig MPP 2024
Events and Programming
Student participation is crucial to many of the events we host and co-host throughout the year. Please keep your eye on our upcoming events; if you have an idea for an event or would like to make the Arctic Initiative aware of one that you or a student organization is planning, please email our Senior Program Coordinator Tessa Varvares at tvarvares@hks.harvard.edu.
Highlights
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Students explored the impacts of the rapidly changing Arctic Ocean and how those changes relate to their home countries and professions during a five-week study group organized by Senior Fellow Margaret Williams and supported by Research Assistants Jonny Yau MPP 2025 and Bhuvan Ravindran MPP 2026.
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Cooperation or Conflict in the Arctic: What to Do About Russia During a Climate Crisis?
A Spring 2024 study group, led by Senior Fellow Margaret Williams, evaluated the costs and benefits of renewing cooperation with Russia on science and conservation issues following the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
Since 2014, close to 1,000 students from over 30 countries have participated in the Arctic Innovation Lab, pitching their solutions to challenges facing a changing Arctic. Participants have just two minutes to persuade a panel of judges that their idea can promote a sustainable Arctic future.
This workshop offers a fun, low-stakes environment for students to explore the interaction between geospatial data and policy. Students gain literacy in ArcGIS software and learn about climate science and mapping from experts at the Arctic Initiative, Woodwell Climate Research Center, and Esri.
Northern Lights showcases stories from and about the Arctic, as told by students from Harvard and around the world. Since its launchin March 2021, the podcast has featured an eclectic mix of stories, covering subjects such as healing from domestic violence among Alaska Native women and COVID-19 impacts on Arctic tourism.
