Apply Now: Fall 2022 Columbia Center for Sustainable Investment Internships
This Columbia Center for Sustainable Investment The Columbia Law School and Earth Institute Joint Center (CCSI) is accepting applications until September 15 Internship positions Fall 2022 semester. (Internships can be conducted remotely.) Depending on the background and interests of a particular applicant, interns are assigned to one or more specific research projects. Work-study administrative positions are also available.
CCSI is a leading applied research centre and forum dedicated to the research, practice and discussion of sustainable international investment. Our mission is to develop and disseminate practical approaches and solutions to maximize the impact of international investment on sustainable development. The Centre’s work is organized around three main research areas: Sustainable Investment in Mining and Energy; Sustainable Investment in Land, Agriculture and Food Systems; and Sustainable International Investment Law and Policy, covering climate change, human rights, energy transition and Interdisciplinary research related to business and finance.
Candidates must commit at least 10-15 hours per week unless otherwise stated. Carryover to subsequent terms is possible and is preferred in some cases. Candidates must be currently enrolled in a degree program, and only students currently enrolled at Columbia University are eligible for paid positions.
To apply for a fall 2022 internship, please contact CCSI’s Executive Coordinator, Nancy Siporin (nancy.siporin@columbia.edu), unless otherwise specified. Applications will be considered on a rolling basis. Please indicate if you are eligible for work-study, which is preferred but not required. The cover letter should contain a clear list of the internship programs you are applying for – you can offer as many internships as you need.
Internships for Fall 2022 are currently available for the following (remotely possible):
Paid Internship: Researching Greenhouse Gas/Carbon Accounting Methods for the Coalition for Materials Emissions Transparency (COMET)
CCSI is looking for a motivated and detail-oriented SIPA, CBS or Engineering graduate student with extensive knowledge and experience in GHG/carbon accounting to support research and writing Comet Initiative. COMET is a partnership between CCSI, the Penn Institute for Public Policy, RMI and the UNFCCC Secretariat to harmonize carbon accounting approaches across the materials sector and its value chain. Currently, a lack of coordination is holding back bolder climate action. Candidates must possess analytical skills as well as knowledge and experience in carbon accounting. Preference will be given to candidates with strong research and writing skills, as well as experience or demonstrated interest in issues related to climate policy and extractive industries.
Paid Internship: Translate French documents into English (and vice versa)
CCSI is looking for bilingual students with professional translation skills to translate documents from English to French and vice versa. Undergraduate or graduate students will be accepted. Knowledge of tax-related issues and concepts is a plus. Summer and early fall time commitments total approximately 80-100 hours; applications will be considered on a rolling basis.
Paid Internship: Arabic-speaking Sustainable Finance Researcher
CCSI seeks law or policy graduate students (or motivated and high-performing undergraduate students) to support the Center’s research and advisory work related to sustainable finance. In particular, the study will support an analysis of the alignment of Islamic finance with “ESG investing” and other selected sustainable finance frameworks. The researchers will also support broader research into how investments or projects are assessed, selected and shaped to align with the SDGs, as well as the tools governments can use to support such policies. Internships will involve working closely with senior staff and the CCSI Director in research, analysis and event organization. Strong priority is given to sustainable financial literacy. The job requires speaking and reading in Arabic.
Paid Internship: Online Course (MOOC) on Mining and Energy Transition
The Paris Climate Agreement and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals outline a global consensus on the interconnected needs to curb man-made climate change and achieve sustainable development. Mining is at the heart of the sustainability challenge – through the challenges of decarbonizing the materials, mineral supply chains and infrastructure produced for new energy systems and a growing digital economy, as well as through the taxes and royalties paid by companies Public Investment. CCSI plans to create an eight-week Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) on “Mining and Sustainability Transformation”. The course aims to build broad stakeholder awareness, understanding and relevant technical competencies of the opportunities and challenges of the mining industry, which are at the heart of the sustainable development transformation. Selected interns will provide key support in all aspects of production, including content elaboration, liaison with production teams, curating readings and preparing for quizzes. The ideal candidate will be interested in natural resource management and sustainable development. Preference will be given to applicants with experience with online educational platforms (though not required).
Paid Internship: Responsible and Rights-Respecting Land Investment (French-speaker)
CCSI seeks JDs, LLMs, or other postgraduate students with native or very fluent written and spoken French to support the Center’s research and advisory work on responsible and rights-respecting land investments. Internships will involve working closely with senior staff on priority projects that require research, analysis, partner liaison and writing. These projects may include contributing to our technical support collaborations with civil society or governments, focusing on topics such as land rights in Francophone Africa, indigenous peoples’ rights, community development agreements and investment approval processes. Preference will be given to candidates with strong research and writing skills. Knowledge or experience is required on issues related to responsible land-based investment, land rights, government decision-making related to investment and/or community rights in the context of resource investment.
Paid Internship: Operations Assistant (Work-Study)
CCSI is looking for an undergraduate or graduate work-study student to assist with a variety of substantive operational tasks. Work-study positions primarily require assistance with business and administrative tasks related to center operations, with the opportunity to specialize in one of several areas such as business operations, editing, communications, events or workflow support. Preference will be given to a conscientious, detail-oriented undergraduate or graduate student. Those with long-term availability are preferred. To apply for this Operations Assistant position, please send a cover letter and resume to Paulo Cunha, Director of Operations at CCSI. (pcunha@law.columbia.edu).
Additional internships may be added, so keep checking CCSI websiteThere, you’ll also find more information about internship opportunities and how to apply.
