Smithsonian Office is offering a Fellowship on Sustainable Planet and Climate Change. Eligibiity is a PhD or one enrolled Master’s degree.
About the Fellowship
Our planet faces unprecedented and interrelated crises of climate change, biodiversity loss, and the growing threat of infectious disease. With devastating impacts being felt across communities worldwide. As the largest museum, education, and research complex — with 21 museums, numerous research centers, and the National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute — the Smithsonian offers a unique opportunity to address these challenges utilizing its vast collections, exhibits, historical and current data sets, and in-house expertise.
The Smithsonian aims to advance solutions that fill us with optimism for our planet. And all species that call our planet home through the Life on a Sustainable Planet initiative. The Smithsonian is offering three in-residence fellowship programs under this initiative. The Smithsonian Climate Change Postdoctoral Fellowship, the Smithsonian Environmental Justice Fellowship, and the Resilience and Sustainability Science Postdoctoral Fellowship. Each program will support a cohort of fellows for a period of two years. Fellows will receive a stipend to conduct independent research that utilizes Smithsonian resources (e.g., data, facilities, expertise). Fellows are especially encouraged to apply if they have research projects that have the potential to produce rapid results.
More Information on Fellowship
Climate Change, Environmental Justice, and Resilience and Sustainability Fellows will form a cohort. They will participate in hybrid training related to leadership skill development, science communication, policy engagement. Also, effective transdisciplinary research techniques, and inclusive approaches to research and equitable outcomes. This cohort-based training will support fellows in connecting their research to action. The Smithsonian will support travel for participation in the cohort-based training.
Smithsonian Climate Change Fellowship: Climate change is dramatically and profoundly altering our planet. And for decades, Smithsonian researchers have been conducting studies and collecting data to understand these changes. The Smithsonian hosts one of the largest natural history collections in the world. And through its 21 museums and science and cultural research centers, the Institution conducts multidisciplinary research. Research on climate change with partners and collaborators in over 140 countries.
Through the Smithsonian Climate Change Fellowship, the Smithsonian seeks to support up to five fellows as they conduct independent research. In the spirit of the Smithsonian’s wide-ranging research effort. And in support of the Smithsonian’s goals to understand and inform solutions to climate change. These fellows will be able to leverage the Smithsonian’s resources, including its researchers, collections, exhibits, and data sets. To advance scientific understanding of climate change and the impacts it is having on nature and human well-being.
Fellows will be hosted by a Smithsonian museum or research center. Fellows must identify an advisor from one of the identified units. And we encourage applicants to identify a second advisor from another Smithsonian museum or research center to foster cross-institutional collaboration.
Smithsonian Environmental Justice Fellowship:
Climate change, pollution, biodiversity loss, and other environmental challenges affect everyone. But their impacts are felt most by those who are the most vulnerable. This includes historically underserved and marginalized communities, especially communities of color. Coupled with environmental challenges, social and health inequities disproportionately affect these vulnerable communities. Emphasizing the need to raise awareness of these injustices, support community-based solutions, and empower community members for change. As the world’s largest museum, education, and research complex — with 21 museums, the National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute. Numerous science and cultural research centers, with projects across the U.S and around the world. Including the newly launched Center for Environmental Justice at the Anacostia Community Museum — the Smithsonian Institution strives to play a leading role in addressing environmental justice.* Given the complexity of this challenge ahead, the Smithsonian seeks to convene diverse perspectives from a multitude of stakeholders, especially those closest and most impacted by the challenges, to inform and identify solutions. For any solution to be effective, rights and stakeholders must take into account the role of science, art, history, and culture in our society.
The Smithsonian will award up to five 2-year Environmental Justice Fellowships starting in Spring 2025. Fellows will be able to leverage the Institution’s vast resources and expertise to study environmental injustice and inform potential solutions. All proposals are welcome, but the following research theme have been suggested by Smithsonian Scholars.
Potential research themes include, but are not limited to:
- Environmental racism
- Community-driven outcomes in environmental research
- Pollution disparities and sustainable development
Resilience and Sustainability Science Postdoctoral Fellowship. Life on a Sustainable Planet will use the Institution’s more than 175-year history of scientific research and data gathering. Its expansive museum collection, and its diverse set of exhibits and educational programs to produce. Curate and communicate evidence-based strategies for adapting to and mitigating the impacts of climate change to the public. The Institution will pioneer new technologies to collect environmental data. Develop new platforms to analyze and share these data and work with partners and communities to inform conservation action.
Life on a Sustainable Planet, in part, is supported by the Adrienne Arsht Community-Based Resilience Solutions Initiative. Which in turn, is funding a cohort of resilience fellows, working across several Smithsonian units. And with outside partners, to use our collections to better understand resilience in nature and in human communities. And to strengthen connections between our collections and the latest scientific innovations. In this “living laboratory,” scientists will study how we can use fundamental knowledge of nature-based resilience solutions. In ecological systems such as tropical rainforests or oceans to help create resilient communities and to devise and field-test solutions.
Through the Resilience and Sustainability Fellowship, the Smithsonian seeks to support up to five post-doctoral fellows. As they conduct independent research in support of the Smithsonian’s goals to understand and expand resilience. These fellows will be able to leverage the Smithsonian’s resources, including its scientists, collections, exhibits, and data sets. This to advance scientific understanding resilience and sustainability in either marine or terrestrial systems.
Eligibility
Smithsonian Climate Change Fellowship. Applicants for Postdoctoral Fellowships must have or will have received the Ph.D. by the time the fellowship begins. Applicants must propose to conduct research in residence.
Smithsonian Environmental Justice Fellowship: Minimum: Enrolled in Master’s degree program, and relevant research and community-based engagement preferred.
Resilience and Sustainability Science Postdoctoral Fellowship. Applicants for Postdoctoral Fellowships must have or will have received the Ph.D. by the time the fellowship begins. Applicants must propose to conduct research in residence.
See detailed program descriptions.
Deadline: October 15, 2024.
Apply Through the Smithsonian Online Academic Appointment System (SOLAA). Select “Start Your Application” and only enter the program name.
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