Fellowships in Sustainability Science :: Sustainability Science Program :: Center for International Development

Sustainability Science Program

Giorgio Ruffolo Fellowships in Sustainability Science

The 2008-09 fellowship competition is now closed. Applicants will be notified by early April about the status of their applications. Please check back in October 2008 for details on the 2009-10 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 full application procedure due by 1 February 2008?
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 during Harvard's academic year beginning in September 2008. Fellowships are available for 10 months (September 2008-May 2009), 12 months (September 2008-August 2009), the fall semester (September-December 2008), or the spring semester (February-May 2009).

What is the Sustainability Science Program?
The Sustainability Science Program at Harvard's Center for International Development seeks to facilitate the design, implementation, and evaluation of effective interventions that promote sustainable development. To that end, we seek to advance scientific understanding of human-environment systems; to improve linkages between relevant research and innovation communities on the one hand, and relevant policy and management communities on the other; and, more broadly, to build capacity for linking knowledge with action to promote sustainability. The Program 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 2008. 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. between 2004 and May 2008.) 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 May 2008. 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 for the Giorgio Ruffolo Fellowships in Sustainability Science is available to support 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 15 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 current and past fellows can be obtained through the program's web site at http://www.cid.harvard.edu/sustsci/research_fellows.html. Candidates who are offered a fellowship will be paired with a Harvard faculty host with related interests. Applicants may identify potential faculty hosts in the on-line application, but applicants are not required to secure a host before applying. A list of Harvard faculty with interests related to sustainability science is provided on the web pages of the Sustainability Science Program Faculty Affiliates, Harvard's Center for International Development and its Center for the Environment. Any member of the teaching faculty from any discipline at Harvard can serve as a host, regardless of whether the host has had a prior affiliation with the Sustainability Science Program or with any of the Centers listed above.

What are the responsibilities of Sustainability Science Fellows?
Fellows are expected to play a central role in the intellectual life of the Sustainability Science Program. This includes working on the research project proposed in the fellow's application, preparation for and attendance at Program seminars and workshops, and authorship or co-authorship of a substantial paper addressing a topic agreed upon by the fellow and program directors. Fellows should expect to spend about half of their time on collaborative work with Harvard faculty and other fellows. The other half of their time may be devoted to personal research and writing. In order to enhance interactions within the program, we strongly discourage substantial additional activities or obligations during the period of the fellowship. Exceptions must be negotiated with the Program in advance of accepting a fellowship offer. Fellows are expected to be in residence at Harvard during the full period of their award except when doing field research or attending academic conferences. Such time away from Harvard should not generally amount to more than 25% of the fellowship period.

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.) Fellows will have the option of purchasing Harvard employee medical and dental benefits. 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. Ruffolo Fellows in Sustainability Science who receive a funding beyond their SSP Fellowship will be allowed to reduce their Ruffolo Fellowship by $0.50 for every $1 they receive outside the fellowship and be allowed to apply for the balance of the advertised stipend they would have received as a research grant.

What is the application procedure due by 1 February 2008?
Applications for the fellowship are due 1 February 2008. Candidates should submit:

1. An on-line application cover sheet, see http://www.cid.harvard.edu/sustsci/grants/fellows/application.html

The cover sheet includes the names of three referees who candidates must ask to submit recommendation letters in support of their applications. Candidates who are offered a fellowship will be paired with a Harvard faculty host with related interests. Applicants may identify potential faculty hosts in the on-line application, but applicants are not required to secure a host before applying. A list of Harvard faculty with interests related to sustainability science is provided on the web pages of the Sustainability Science Program Faculty Affiliates, Harvard's Center for International Development and its Center for the Environment. Any member of the teaching faculty from any discipline at Harvard can serve as a host, regardless of whether the host has had a prior affiliation with the Sustainability Science Program or with any of the Centers listed above.

2. The following documents in pdf format should be attached to a SINGLE email message and sent to:sustsci_grants@ksg.harvard.edu by 1 February 2008. The subject heading of the email should read 'Sustainability Science Fellowship' followed by the applicant's last name.

Proposal: Please attach a description of the proposed project including specific information demonstrating how the applicant's work contributes to 'sustainability science,' the emerging field of use-inspired research encompassing studies of the interactions between human and environmental systems as well as the sustainability challenges relating to agriculture, biodiversity, cities, energy and materials, health and water. Maximum length is 1500 words (about 3 pages of single spaced type) plus literature citations.
Curriculum vitae: Please attach a curriculum vitae, listing publications and graduate coursework on research methodology or experience relevant to the planned project (3 page maximum).
Writing Sample (e.g., peer-reviewed article, journal article)

3. Additionally, the three (3) recommenders named in the cover sheet should email their letters of support directly to:sustsci_grants@ksg.harvard.edu by 1 February 2008. The subject heading should read 'Sustainability Science Fellowship: Recommendation for [candidate's name]. Referees should attest to the applicant's suitability for the Sustainability Science Fellowship, including relevant information on scientific originality, professional productivity, and demonstrated ability to work in groups. Applicants applying for doctoral fellowships should have one recommendation from a thesis advisor or other university official stating that the applicant has/is expected to pass their qualifying exams by Summer 2008. 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 June 2008. (Our strong preference is for recommendations letters to be sent by email. If letters must be mailed, the postal address is: Sustainability Science Fellowships, Sustainability Science Program, Center for International Development, Harvard University, 79 JFK Street, Cambridge, MA 02138 USA.)

Applicants bear full responsibility for ensuring that all materials, including recommendation letters, are received by 1 February 2008. We will not notify applicants of incomplete applications, and will not review such applications. Decisions will be announced by April 2008.

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 more 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. We are interested in work relevant to any significant problem. For the 2008-09 competition, however, we will give some preference to applicants who address the challenges related to meeting human needs for water in the context of sustainable development.
Contains a developing world component (this could include north-south relations; comparative work; be solely based in a developing country; work focusing on implications for the developing world of an issue such as trade, or globalization, etc.);
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.

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/program/index.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
Harvard Academy for International and Area Studies, pre- and postdoctoral fellowships, see http://www.wcfia.harvard.edu/programs/academy.