Internship at Columbia Sustainable Investment Center in the spring of 2022
This Columbia Sustainable Investment Center (CCSI) is a joint center of Columbia Law School and Earth Institute, accepting applications before January 15, 2022 intern position The spring semester of 2022. (The internship can be done remotely.) Based on the background and interests of the specific applicant, the interns are assigned to one or more specific research projects. You can also choose a work-study management position, and in some cases you can grant course credits.
CCSI is a leading applied research center and forum dedicated to the research, practice and discussion of sustainable international investment. Our mission is to develop and disseminate practical methods and solutions to maximize the impact of international investment on sustainable development. The center’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 laws and policies, as well as issues related to climate change, human rights, and energy Transformation and cross-disciplinary research related to business and finance.
Unless otherwise stated, candidates must commit at least 10-15 hours per week. Subsequent terms can continue to be used, and in some cases are preferred.
To apply for the 2022 spring internship, please send a cover letter, resume and writing sample, (All in one file, in this order), By January 15 to CCSI executive coordinator Nancy Siporin (nancy.siporin@columbia.edu), unless otherwise specified. Applications will be considered on a rolling basis. Please indicate whether you meet the conditions of work-study program (preferred but not required). The cover letter should include a clear list of the internships you are applying for (you can include any number of internships).
Internship opportunities in the spring of 2022 are currently available for the following projects (possibly remote):
Paid internship: Committed to the Greenhouse Gas/Carbon Accounting Methodology of the Material Emission Transparency Consortium (COMET)
CCSI is looking for SIPA, CBS, or engineering graduate students who are proactive and detail-oriented, with extensive knowledge and experience in greenhouse gas (GHG)/carbon accounting to support research and writing Comet InitiativeA partnership between CCSI, Penn Institute for Public Policy, RMI and the Secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (United Nations Climate Change), COMET is seeking to coordinate greenhouse gas/carbon accounting methods for the entire materials sector and its value chain. Currently, lack of coordination hinders bolder climate action. Candidates must have analytical skills and knowledge and experience in greenhouse gas/carbon accounting. Preference will be given to candidates who have strong research and writing skills and have experience or show interest in issues related to climate policy and extractive industries. Time commitment: at least 15 hours a week.
Paid internship: land investment and the private sector that respect rights
CCSI seeks a JD, LL.M or other graduate students (or aggressive and outstanding undergraduates) to support the center’s research on responsible and rights-respecting land investment. The internship will involve priority projects that require research, analysis, and writing. These projects may include participating in horizontal scanning activities to understand the status quo of respect for human rights in the private sector in the context of land-based investment, studying legislative initiatives to require domestic and foreign companies to respect human rights, and developing innovative resources for community, government and/or private sector participants (Including financial institutions, investors and companies). Preference will be given to candidates with strong research and writing skills. In the context of responsible land-based investment, knowledge or experience on issues related to the company’s responsibility to respect human rights (especially land rights and community rights) is desirable. Fluency in French is also desirable, but not required.
Paid internship: operations assistant (work study)
CCSI is looking for an undergraduate or graduate work-study program to assist with various substantive operational tasks. Work-study positions mainly need to help complete business and administrative tasks related to the operation of the center, and have the opportunity to specialize in one of many fields such as business operations, editing, communications, events or workflow support, and assist one of the three CCSI jobs in the extractive industry Process; land, agricultural and food systems; or investment laws and policies. Preference will be given to responsible and detail-oriented undergraduate or graduate students. Those with long-term availability are preferred. To apply for this operations assistant position, please send a cover letter and resume to Paulo Cunha, CCSI’s Director of Operations. (pcunha@law.columbia.edu).
For more information on internship opportunities and how to apply, please refer to CCSI website.
