Student Opportunities

The Belfer Center’s Environment and Natural Resources Program (ENRP) and the Science, Technology, and Public Policy Program (STPP) are developing a virtual English/Mandarin lecture series entitled “The Energy-Climate Challenge.” The programs have enlisted five Harvard Kennedy School faculty members to deliver ten hour-long lessons with the goal of sharing information on the latest developments at the intersection of climate and energy policy.

The research assistant will support this project by: 

• reviewing and proofreading machine translations of the lectures, ensuring accuracy and maintaining the intended meaning of the source material;
• researching and gaining familiarity with sector-specific terminology and concepts to ensure accurate translations;
• making edits to translated text in both the translation management software and PowerPoint.
  
  This position is project-based and can be done remotely. Work hours are flexible but aimed at approximately 10 hours per week for the duration of the fall 2024 semester. The research assistant will report to ENRP Communication and Outreach Specialist Liz Hanlon and work closely with Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies Communications Manager Sam Maclean.

Qualifications

Required:

• Native or near-native proficiency in both Mandarin Chinese and English
  Strong written communication on technical and non-technical subjects
• Excellent time management and organizational skills - this is a time-sensitive project
• Proficiency with PowerPoint

Preferred:

• Experience or proven interest in climate and energy policy
• Experience with English-to-Mandarin Chinese translation
• Familiarity with translation management software and/or AI translation tools such as Rask AI

Please submit CVs to Liz Hanlon (ehanlon@hks.harvard.edu) by September 16. 

Hydrogen holds promise as a versatile, low-carbon energy carrier that could advance the energy transition. Last year, the Future of Hydrogen project began assessing the opportunities and challenges of scaling a green hydrogen demand market across the United States, European Union, and Japan, given current supply-side incentives, industrial realities, and budding demand-side legislation. Building on this work, the hydrogen RA will develop a policy framework for building, strengthening, and reinforcing a green hydrogen market in the United States. The ideal applicant would have a strong background knowledge of green hydrogen issues. 

Application Deadline: 9/18/2024

Please direct questions and applications to ENRP/STPP Research Associate Rachel Mural (rmural@hks.harvard.edu). Applications should include:

• Your resume
• Cover letter detailing your previous experience and interest in the position
• Short writing sample

Biofuels offer the potential for low-carbon, low-cost alternatives to petroleum-based fuels, particularly in the heavy transport sector. However, the position of biofuels in future energy systems remains uncertain. The biofuels RA will investigate the opportunities and barriers to the development of economically competitive biofuels, while interrogating their compatibility  with sustainable rural development and global conservation efforts. The biofuel RA would expand our understanding of the major regulatory and technological challenges currently impacting the policy landscape.

Application Deadline: 9/18/2024

Please direct questions and applications to ENRP/STPP Research Associate Rachel Mural (rmural@hks.harvard.edu). Applications should include:

• Your resume
• Cover letter detailing your previous experience and interest in the position
• Short writing sample

From an energy perspective, artificial intelligence (AI) is a double edged sword. On one hand, new algorithms can improve energy grid stability and reliability and help researchers discover alternative fuel sources. On the other hand, AI requires a large amount of energy and natural resources to operate, a challenge that is projected to increase as algorithms become more complex and datasets grow. The Artificial Intelligence and Energy RA will explore topics relating to the intersection of AI and energy, such as grid stabilization opportunities, data center energy usage, land use, water needs, among other topics. The RA will also consider whether policy and regulatory options are necessary to curb negative externalities of AI development and expansion. 

Application Deadline: 9/18/2024

Please direct questions and applications to ENRP/STPP Research Associate Rachel Mural (rmural@hks.harvard.edu). Applications should include:

• Your resume
• Cover letter detailing your previous experience and interest in the position
• Short writing sample

We welcome applications from incoming students in a two-year program (MPP, MPA, or MPA/ID) with an interest in energy and environmental policy issues. Both domestic and international students are eligible to apply.

Successful applicants will:

• Have a demonstrated interest in environmental and energy issues, either through public or private sector work experience or through related entrepreneurial experience as an undergraduate; preference will be given to candidates with a demonstrated interest in public-private partnerships and market-oriented solutions to realize environmental or energy goals.
• Make a strong case that they intend to focus their studies at the HKS on environment or energy issues. Roy Family Fellows will consult with ENRP faculty to ensure that their curriculum choices will advance their understanding of and ability to contribute to environmental policy.

Fellows are selected based on outstanding merit from among the applicants who meet all relevant HKS admissions criteria. Two-year degree program students will receive funding for both academic years, so long as the recipients remain in good academic standing and enroll in a program of courses relevant to environment and energy issues.

Instructions on how to apply can be found on the HKS Student Financial Services Office website.

We welcome applications from Harvard College students who have completed two semesters of course work and are returning to the college for the coming fall semester. You must be a returning student to apply.

Award recipients will be chosen based on the merit of their projects. Each internship award provides up to $7,000 for the summer.

Internships must:

• focus on a topic related to the environment, climate, energy, sustainability or natural resources
• be conducted under the direct auspices of a public, private or non-profit organization anywhere in the world
• directly benefit the work of the sponsoring organization
• further the student's education

Your internship can involve research, or implementing or managing programs or projects. The work does not have to be with an environmental or energy organization, nor does it have to focus exclusively on environmental or energy topics. For example, a project with a local planning board that involves working on climate or environmental issues would be eligible. 

You must negotiate your project and/or responsibilities with an eligible organization, which must agree in writing to employ you for a minimum of ten weeks between the end of the spring semester and the beginning of the fall semester.

The organization must agree to provide the student with supervision and direction. If the internship is in-person, the organization must provide workspace and office resources.

The student must work a minimum of ten weeks between the end of the spring semester and the beginning of the fall semester to receive the full stipend. How you schedule the time is up to you and your employer. You may work less than 10 weeks, but the stipend will be pro-rated.

A committee of faculty and staff will review the applications and select the recipients. The committee will weigh the merits of the proposed project, the qualifications of the applicant, and the employing organization's ability to pay. Preference will be given to internship offers from organizations that would be otherwise unable to pay an intern.

The application cycle for Summer 2025 funding will begin in early Spring 2024.

Students should submit a written application that contains:

• A short description of the organization and the proposed project
• A one-page statement summarizing why this opportunity will benefit both you and the organization
• A letter from the employing organization agreeing to the arrangement and the responsibilities outlined above
• A recommendation letter from a member of Harvard University. Please ask your recommender to submit the letter to enrp@hks.harvard.edu and copy ggoldstein@hks.harvard.edu, and to include "Roy Family Environmental Summer Internship Funding" and your name in the subject line
• Your CV

To submit applications and questions, please email Galit Goldstein (ggoldstein@hks.harvard.edu), with the subject line "Roy Family Environmental Summer Internship Funding."

All Harvard PhD candidates in good standing may apply. Preference is given to HKS PhD students.

Crump Fellows are expected to be involved with one or more ongoing research projects within the sponsoring HKS center or program and to write at least one publishable paper in the area of energy, environment, or natural resource policy. 

The application deadline for the 2024-2025 fellowship has passed. The 2025-2026 application cycle will open at the beginning of the Spring 2025 semester.

Application Process: Students should submit, by email, an application that contains:

• A one-page cover letter summarizing why this opportunity will benefit them
• A research proposal, including title, description, and high-level budget (2 pages maximum)
• CV
• Recommendation letter from a member of the Harvard faculty with whom the applicant has discussed this proposal
• A list of other sources, if any, approached for funding

Please submit applications and questions to Galit Goldstein (ggoldstein@hks.harvard.edu), with the subject line "Crump Fellowship Application."

All students in the first three years of any of Harvard Kennedy School's doctoral programs may apply. Preference is given to students in their first or second year.

Awardees will receive between $5,000-$10,000. The award can be used for a variety of activities. Prior awards provided funds for data access, to conduct field work, to attend conferences, to learn a foreign language in a host country, or visit research-relevant scholars, practitioners, and institutions. No tuition support may be covered by this award.

Norberg-Bohm Fellows are expected to produce a working paper or report on the research experience and may be asked to present at an HKS seminar.

Applicants will be assessed on the quality and relevance of their proposed research.

The application deadline for the 2024-2025 fellowship has passed. The 2025-2026 application cycle will open at the beginning of the Spring 2025 semester.

Application Process: Students should submit, by email, an application that contains:

• A one-page cover letter summarizing why this opportunity will benefit them
• A research proposal, including title, description, and high-level budget (2 pages maximum)
• CV
• A list of other sources, if any, approached for funding

Please submit applications and questions to Galit Goldstein (ggoldstein@hks.harvard.edu), with the subject line "Norberg-Bohm Fellowship Application."

Dr. Vicki Norberg-Bohm's work focused on understanding the process of technological change and the role of public policy for stimulating innovation and diffusion of environment-enhancing technologies. Her research resulted in expanded interest in the field of technology innovation for sustainable development. She completed her PhD in Public Policy at Harvard in 1996. Dr. Norberg-Bohm then went to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology where she was Assistant Professor in the Department of Urban Studies and Planning and Co-Director of the Program on Environmental Research and Education from 1994 to 1999. She returned to Harvard in 1999 to direct the Energy Technology Innovation Policy Project from 1999 until 2003. She passed away in 2004.