Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) funded Study Scholarships and Research Grants for Master and Doctoral students from Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Iran, Jordan, Vietnam and Indonesia in the field of Water Management, Germany 2013-2014

Study Subject(s):Hydro Science and Engineering, Water Resources and Environmental Management, Water Resources Engineering and Management, Water Science

Course Level: Master and Doctoral

Scholarship Provider: Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF)

Scholarship can be taken at: Germany

Eligibility: In principle, applications are open to specialised highly-qualified Graduates and Doctoral students from the above-mentioned countries who have graduated from their studies in Engineering or Natural Sciences subjects no longer than six years ago.

Scholarship Open for International Students: Yes

Scholarship Open for Students of Following Countries: Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Iran, Jordan, Vietnam and Indonesia.

Scholarship Description: One of the priority funding points to which the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) attaches particular importance in its Framework Programme on “Research for Sustainable De-velopment is Sustainable Water Management (NaWaM): “One of the major challenges of the future is to ensure the supply of clean water to the world population. Population growth, water pol-lution and the increasing water consumption per capita have a strong impact on water quality. In addition, expansive climate changes and change in land use influence global and regional water cycles and thus question the medium and long-term avail-ability of water.” In view of this background, the BMBF specifically promotes research projects to develop, adapt and internationally dissemi-nate technologies and strategies for the sustainable management of the resource “Water”. Of particular interest in this context are the thematic fields of Water and Energy, Water and Health, Water and Nutrition, Water and Environment, as well as Water in Urban Areas. At the centre of the DAAD Special Programme funded with the resources of the BMBF on “Sustainable Water Management” lies in the promotion of young scientists from Kazakhstan, Mon-golia, Iran, Jordan, Vietnam and Indonesia. The programme section on “Study Scholarships and Research Grants for Foreigners” offers highly-qualified Students and Doc-toral Students from the above-mentioned countries the opportu-nity to study in specialised relevantly selected English-spoken Master’s programmes at German universities, or, for carrying out their PhD projects in Germany in the thematic field of “Water in Urban Areas” or “Water and Energy” (particularly, the increase of energy efficiency in connection with the treatment of drinking water and wastewater).

Duration of Scholarships: The whole support is structured to run for a period of 31 months (masters) and 43 months (Doctoral) Funding is provided for an obligatory four-month intensive lan-guage course (start: June 2013), a generally two-year Master’s programme  and three-year doctorate/PhD (start: October 2013), and an obligatory, at least three-month, Internship in a company engaging in commercial business and industry, in the specialised authorities of the Fed-eration and Federal States, and in the management and regula-tion of resources in corporations under public law, or in research institutions in Germany.

What It Covers:
For Masters: The scholarship/grant is made up of a monthly instalment of 750 Euros and an annual Study and Re-search costs subsidy amounting to 460 Euros.
For Doctoral: The support includes a monthly payment of 1000 Euros and an annual Study and Research Costs Subsidy amounting to 460 Euros.

For outward and return travel as well as for field work in the home country, country-dependent travel allowances are awarded. Furthermore, the DAAD covers the costs of health insurance as well as for accident and personal liability insurance. Possibly, surcharges can also be paid for accompanying spouses and children. The host institutes in Germany receive a monthly Research Costs Surcharge amounting to 200 Euros per scholarship/grant.

Application Procedure: The application documents must be submitted in full in duplicate. Applicants are kindly requested to use the Form “Application for Research Grants and Study Scholarships”

http://www.daadjkt.org/index.php?download-area

On the cover sheet, please specify the corresponding type of support. The following documents for Type of Scholarship A must be included with the application form:

-Curriculum Vitae (2 pages max.)
-Summary of the Bachelor’s thesis (2 pages max.)
-Bachelor’s degree certificate
-Academic transcript
-Letter of motivation (1 page max.)
-Proof of English language skills (TOEFL 550/213/80; IELTS: 6.0). Please do not submit the prediction score.
-If possible, proof of German language skills (e.g. TestDaF, Zertifikat Deutsch, Deutsches Sprachdiplom)
-Proof of contact with the desired Master’s Programme
For Type of Scholarship B:
-Curriculum Vitae (2 pages max.)
-Summary of the Master’s thesis (2 pages max.)
-Presentation of the planned doctoral project (3 pages max.)
-Confirmation of supervision by a scientist from a German University/Higher Education Institution
-Work plan and schedule (if possible, agreed upon with the German supervisor)
-Master’s degree certificate;
-Academic transcript (Master’s degree)
-Proof of English language skills (TOEFL 550/213/80; IELTS: 6.0). Please do not submit the prediction score.
-If possible, proof of German language skills (e.g. TestDaF, Zertifikat Deutsch, Deutsches Sprachdiplom)

The letters of recommendation by two scientists of your own choice must be included in sealed envelopes or sent by the referees directly to the DAAD in Bonn by the closing date of applications.

How to Apply: By Post

Scholarship Application Deadline: 31st October 2012

Call for participation: 2013 MyCOE / SERVIR Initiative in the Himalayas for Undergraduate and Graduate Students

The MyCOE / SERVIR Initiative in the Himalayas is a 10-month fellowship program for undergraduate and graduate students who are citizens of eligible countries*, currently enrolled in any field at an institution of higher education in an eligible country with ideas and plans for research that address themes of Climate Change in Mountain Area Regions using geographic technologies. Students are invited to propose a research project and will be competitively selected on the basis of their long-term potential to contribute to these topics in the region.  The MyCOE / SERVIR program will provide students with customized capacity training in GIS, remote sensing, GPS, and/or spatial techniques to help them enrich their research proposals. They will also receive professional development, have access to additional mentoring by international experts and engage in an online community with other fellows. Interested students must apply with a mentor who is willing to work closely with them throughout the duration of the program and attend the workshop. The program provides travel support and research stipends for both students and their mentors.

Up to 15 teams of students and their mentors will be selected for this Himalayas Initiative.  Over the life of the program, participants will have the opportunity to interact and exchange ideas with approximately 60 other teams from around the world that will be selected through MyCOE / SERVIR global initiatives.

The official language for this initiative is English.

Partners: My Community, Our Earth: Geographic Learning for Sustainable Development (MyCOE), Association of American Geographers (AAG) (MyCOE Secretariat); National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), United States Agency for International Development (USAID), The SERVIR Global Program; International Center for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), SERVIR-Himalaya and others.

*Eligible countries: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal and Pakistan. 
Please note that to be eligible, all participants must be citizens of one of the eligible countries AND also be studying (students) or working (mentors) and residing in the same or another of the eligible countries.

For more information please see http://www.aag.org/mycoe.servir/himalayas
Inquiries may be directed to mycoe@aag.org

CALL for APPLICATIONS - IPROMO: "Understanding and adapting to climate change in mountain areas" - 8 - 17 July 2012

IPROMO Course on “Understanding and adapting to climate change in mountain areas” 8 - 17 July 2012 Italy Dear Mountain Partnership focal points, We are pleased to announce the fifth summer course organized by IPROMO - the training programme on sustainable mountain development - jointly organized by the Mountain Partnership Secretariat at FAO and the University of Turin, Faculty of Agriculture, Department of Protection of Agroforestry Resources. IPROMO benefits from the patronage of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and this year it will be partially funded by the Development Grant Facility programme of the World Bank.     IPROMO’s theme this year is “Understanding and adapting to climate change in mountain areas” and for the first time the course will target in particular members of the national delegations to the UNFCCC – United Nations Framework Convention on  Climate Change. The aim of this year’s course is to share with the selected participants key facts about the main consequences of climate change in mountain areas, how to adapt to it and to provide some techniques for strengthening negotiation skills. At the end of the course, the participants will have a better understanding of changes happening in mountain ecosystems, their impact on natural resources and on social and economic systems, and on adaptation strategies. Their capacity to integrate mountain related language in negotiated texts will be enhanced. The course will run from 8 to 17 July 2012 with 10 days of full immersion learning. It will include lectures, practical work and field trips. The course will be held in Ormea, (Piedmont Region) and in Courmayeur (Valle d’Aosta Region) both in Italy, with several excursions and field activities. The course - which will be held in English - will be open to a maximum of 30 professionals who are part of the national delegations to the UNFCCC – preference will be given to participants coming from countries which are members of the Mountain Partnership. Participants from developing countries are encouraged to apply.  The total cost of the course (inclusive of full board, accommodation, taxes, teaching equipment, internal transfers but excluding travel costs) is 3,000 Euros. A limited number of scholarships – full (on site and travel costs) and partial (on-site only) - are available for selected participants from developing countries. Excellent knowledge of English, a university degree possibly in a technical area such as Agriculture, Forestry, Biology, Geology or Geography, and relevant working experience as member of the national delegation to the UNFCCC are indispensable prerequisites. Those who are interested in participating can register online at http://www.mountainpartnership.org/ipromoform/subscription/en/ and upload their curriculum vitae as a Word or PDF file.  Applications should be received by 20 May 2012 and a notification will be sent out by mid June to all applicants. Kindly share this call for applications with the members of your national delegation to UNFCCC. Thank you and kind regards, Rosalaura Romeo Mountain Partnership Secretariat www.ipromo-school.it/en/ www.mountainpartnership.org    For further queries: rosalaura.romeo@fao.org and silvia.stanchi@unito.it

The Mountain Partnership is a voluntary alliance of partners dedicated to improving the lives of mountain people and protecting mountain environments around the world. www.mountainpartnership.org

 

25 China UNESCO Fellowships for International Students in China 2012

2012 UNESCO/People’s Republic of China Fellowships– The Great Wall Co-Sponsored Fellowships Programme for International Students. Twenty five (25) fellowships for advanced studies at undergraduate and postgraduate level are available.

The fellowships, tenable at a selected number of Chinese universities, are of one year duration. These fellowships, which are in most cases to be conducted in English, are offered to senior advanced students wishing to pursue higher studies or intending to undertake individual research with periodic guidance from the assigned supervisor. In exceptional cases, candidates may be required to study the Chinese language before taking up research/study in their fields of interest.

Study Subject(s):Any Applicants can choose one academic program and three institutions as their preferences from the Chinese HEIs designated by MOE)
Course Level: Fellowships for advanced studies at undergraduate and postgraduate levels.

Scholarship Provider: Chinese Government and UNESCO

Scholarship can be taken at: China

Qualifications Required

(i.)                  Hold at least the equivalent of the Master’s Degree/above or the Bachelor’s Degree; 

(ii.)                 English proficiency is required; 

(iii.)               Be not more than 45 years of age; and

(iv.)                 Be in good health, both physically and mentally. 

Scholarship Open for International Students: Yes

Scholarship Description: China/UNESCO — the Great Wall Fellowship program is a full scholarship program set up by the Ministry of Education of P. R. China (hereinafter referred to as MOE) for candidates recommended by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). MOE entrusts China Scholarship Council (hereinafter referred to as CSC) to manage the recruitment and carry out the routine management of this scholarship program.

How to Apply: By Post

Scholarship Application Deadline: April 30th, 2012

Further Scholarship Information and Application [PDF]

UNESCO Website

NUFFIC Netherlands Fellowship Programmes (NFP) 2012

NUFFIC Netherlands Fellowship Programmes (NFP)

Deadline: 7 February 2012, 1 May 2012, 2 October 2012

Open to: Mid-career professionals with at least three years’ relevant work experience

Fellowship: Depends of the programme

Description

The Netherlands Fellowship Programmes (NFP) are designed to promote capacity building within organisations in 61 countries by providing training and education to mid-career staff. The NFP is funded by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs under the budget for development cooperation.

The overall aim of the NFP is to help alleviate qualitative and quantitative shortages of skilled manpower within a wide range of governmental, private and non-governmental organisations. This is done by offering fellowships to mid-career professionals to improve the capacity of their employing organisations.

NFP Sub-Programmes

·  Master’s degree programmes: Fellowships are available for a selected number of master’s degree programmes. These programmes are of duration of between 12 and 24 months. A master’s degree programme leads to a Dutch master’s degree.

·  Short courses: Fellowships are available for a selected number of Short courses offered by Dutch institutions that provide professional training at post-secondary level. These courses are of duration of between two weeks and twelve months. The courses lead to a Dutch certificate or diploma.

·  PhD studies: Fellowships are available for PhD research with a maximum duration of four years. You are allowed to seek alternative sources of funding. A minimum of 25% of your research must take place in an NFP country.

Eligibility

To be eligible for an NFP fellowship you must:

·  be a mid-career professional with at least three years’ relevant work experience;

·  be a national of, and working and living in one of the countries on the NFP country list valid at the time of application;

·  be nominated by your employer, who pledges to continue paying your salary and guarantees that you will be able to return to the same or an equivalent position at the end of your fellowship period;

·  have been unconditionally admitted by a Dutch institution to one of the Master’s degree programmes or Short courses on the 2012-2013 course list, or have agreed upon a PhD research proposal with the Dutch institution. This means that you must have met all the academic requirements set by the Dutch institution;

·  not already have received an NFP fellowship for a master’s degree programme or a PhD fellowship.

·  not already have received two NFP fellowships for a short course and you must not have already received a fellowship in the year preceding your application.

·  not be employed by:
- a multinational corporation (e.g. Shell, Unilever, Microsoft);
- a large national and/or commercial organisation;
- a bilateral donor organisation (e.g. USAID, DFID, Danida, Sida, Dutch ministry of Foreign affairs, FinAid, AusAid, ADC, SwissAid);
- a multilateral donor organisation, (e.g. a UN organisation, the World Bank, the IMF, Asian Development Bank, African Development Bank, IADB);
- an international NGO (e.g. Oxfam, Plan, Care).

·  have completed and submitted an NFP PhD study, master’s degree programme or short course application, including all the required documentation, before the applicable fellowship application deadline;

·  be employed in an area to which the study will make a relevant contribution;

·  have a clear-cut, functional relationship with a relevant organisation and be in a position to introduce the newly acquired skills and knowledge into that organisation;

·  be full-time available for the entire period of the programme or course and be physically and mentally able to take part in the entire programme;

·  endorse the objective and the aim of the NFP and use your new knowledge and skills to support your employing organisation and your country. Nuffic urges you to return to your home country upon finishing the course or programme to meet the NFP aim in the most effective way.

Priorities

Your chances of obtaining an NFP scholarship go up if you:

·  live and work  in Sub-Saharan Africa;

·  are a woman;

·  belong to a priority groups and/or are from a marginalised region as defined by the Dutch embassy in your country. You can find these priorities on the embassy’s website.

Fellowship

The fellowship is a supplement to the candidate’s salary and a contribution towards the expenses related to the course or study programme.

Application

To be eligible for an NFP fellowship, candidates need to be admitted to the master’s degree programme or short course for which they would like an NFP fellowship or be admitted as a PhD student.

Obtain academic admission

You first apply for academic admission directly to the Dutch institution. Your admission must be unconditional in terms of your education and language proficiency. Admission may be granted only, subject to you finding suitable funding for the programme.

You are strongly advised to seek academic admission as early as possible to allow the institution to process your application in time. Check the deadlines for academic admission with  the Dutch institution directly for up-to-date information.

The academic admission process for a PhD study is an individual track. If you want to be admitted as a PhD student check the requirements and the deadlines with the Dutch institution.

If you have been admitted to more than one course or study programme in one fellowship per application deadline you will have to choose one programme before you apply for a fellowship.

Prepare your application for an NFP fellowship

Your NFP application consists of:

·  a copy of a valid passport or other official identity document;

·  an employer’s statement;

·  a statement from the Government Authority (if applicable);

·  Statements of motivation, responding to the following questions:
- Why do you wish to pursue this course or programme?
- How will your employer benefit from the course or programme?
- How will your country benefit from the course or programme?
- How will you put your new skills and knowledge to work when you return to your job?

In addition, if you apply for a PhD fellowship:

·  A letter of a co-supervisor in your own country (if applicable);

Submit your application

If you have obtained academic admission and prepared all the necessary documentation you can submit your NFP fellowship application in Scholarships Online (SOL), Nuffic’s online application tool.

If you have very limited or no access to the internet it is possible to submit a paper application, which you must send directly to Nuffic by regular mail or by courier.

When you apply for an NFP fellowship you must accept the NFP Rules and Regulations. Please read the booklet carefully before you apply.

Application deadlines

Master’s degree programmes, Short courses, PhD studies – From 1 November 2011 until 7 February 2012

Master’s degree programmes, Short courses – From 1 February 2012 until 1 May 2012

Short courses, PhD studies – From 1 July 2012 until 2 October 2012

Short and Masters Courses, Research, Internship and Funding

Update on International Centre for Climate Change and Development (ICCCAD):

1. Short Courses:

We have held four short courses over 2011 as follows:

-          Cities and Climate Change for city planners, NGOs and academics from Asia and Africa in April

-          Research on Climate Change for researchers from Consultative Group on International Agricultural research (CGIAR) institutes in Asia and Africa in July

-          Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) and Climate Change Adaptation (CCA) for people working on DRR in Asia and Africa

-          Planning and Mainstreaming Climate Change into National Development Planning for officials from Planning Ministries from Asia and Africa in November

This brings to a total of seven Short Courses on different topics over the last two years which means we now have a total of over 150 Alumni from over thirty countries in Asia and Africa.

We are planning the next (eighth) Short Course for Climate Change Negotiators from Least Developed Countries (LDCs) in February 2012.

2. Masters degree course:

The Masters degree course on Climate Change and Development curriculum has been approved by the Academic Council of the Independent University, Bangladesh (IUB) and has been submitted it to the National University Grants Commission (UGC) who have to approve all courses offered in the country.

We are hoping to get the final approval soon and to start the first batch of Masters students in 2012.

3. Research:

Our flagship research programme on Community Based Adaptation (CBA) is called Action Research on Community Adaptation in Bangladesh ( www.arcab.org ) and is led by BCAS is gradually taking shape with the institutional design having been completed and the work on Baseline, Monitoring and Evaluation (BM+E) for CBA during the first year.

4. Visiting research students and interns:

We had several visiting international research students and interns from the United Kingdom and Sweden working at ICCCAD during 2011.We currently have a visiting Fulbright scholar Kevan Christensen from the United States spending nine months at ICCCAD doing research on community based adaptation. Several more research students and interns are expected during 2012.

5. Funding:

-          DFID: We are still half-way through the initial start-up funding we received (through IIED) from DFID-Bangladesh.

-          Rockefeller Foundation: IIED has also just been awarded a new five-year grant from the Rockefeller Foundation to support two new full-time faculty in ICCCAD/IUB and also for running an annual Short Course on Cities and Climate Change from 2012 onwards.

-          Munich Re Foundation: IIED has just been awarded a five-year grant from the Munch Re Foundation (MRF) to support a collaborative research programme on disaster reduction and climate change in collaboration with United Nations University (UNU) Bonn, Germany.

-          Government of Netherlands: Three year grant through the University of Wageningen in the Netherlands to provide capacity building support to the Dhaka University of Engineering and Technology (DUET) in Gazipur, outside Dhaka.

Scholarships for Undergraduates, Graduates and PhD Students to Study in Germany in 2012

The Heinrich Boll Foundation grants scholarships to approximately 1,000 undergraduates, graduates, and PhD students of all subjects and nationalities per year. Undergraduates, graduates, and PhD students interested in obtaining a scholarship can apply directly to the Heinrich Böll Foundation. They should be able to demonstrate an excellent academic record and show that they are socially and politically active. In the case of PhD students, the quality of their research project will also be considered.

Next application deadline is March 1, 2012.

For more information or to apply, please follow this link: 

http://www.boell.de/scholarships/scholarships.html

Master of Science (M.Sc.) in Sustainability, Development and Peace (in Japan)

Master of Science (M.Sc.) in Sustainability, Development and Peace

The Master of Science (M.Sc.), offered by UNU Institute for Sustainability and Peace, equips students with the knowledge and skills necessary to contribute to solving global challenges of sustainability, climate change, development, peacebuilding and human rights.

Drawing on an innovative, interdisciplinary approach, the degree integrates both natural and social sciences, and humanities.  Students have the opportunity to gain practical, first-hand experience through internships or field research with a UN agency or other international organization.

The programme builds on UNU’s strong record in training and capacity development and utilizes the extensive network of scholars and academic institutions participating in UNU research. It is intended for recent graduates, professionals and practitioners interested in the unique opportunity of studying at a global university and gaining valuable skills to make decisions and  a professional contribution to the work of the UN, other international organizations, governments, civil society, or the private sector.

Students who earn at least 30 credits, successfully complete a master’s thesis, and pass the final examination will receive a M.Sc. degree.

The standard period of study is two years. The programme starts in September, with students expected to complete all the requirements by July in the second academic year after enrolment.

For more info see http://isp.unu.edu/grad/degrees/masters/index.html

·         The Japan Foundation for UNU (JFUNU) Scholarship is available for outstanding applicants from developing countries who can demonstrate a need for financial assistance, and they will be considered as candidates for the award of the scholarship.

·         The JFUNU scholarship covers the full tuition fees, and provides a monthly allowance of 150,000 yen* for living expenses for a maximum of 24 months. Travel costs to and from Japan, visa handling fees, and health/accident insurance costs must be covered by the student.

·         Please note that the JFUNU scholarship is highly competitive and offered to a very small number of students who are granted admission to UNU-ISP. Thus, applicants are strongly encouraged to apply for other funding opportunities from the government of their own country, private foundations, or international funding agencies.

ALL documents must be received by Admissions Office via post by Wednesday, 29 February 2012

One More Step Erasmus Mundus Scholarship 2012 for Asian Students

One More Step Erasmus Mundus Scholarship 2012 for Asian Students

The OMS mobility under EMA2 is planned to take place between Asia and Europe.
European partners will act as hosting institutions and Asian partners will be the sending institutions only.

No bidirectional fluxes are foreseen in this round and no intra-european or intra-asian mobility can be funded under the EM Action 2 scheme.

The call for application for the first Intake round (1st Cohort) will be open between October 2011 and January 30th, 2012.

Scholarship Amount

For the duration of your mobility period you will receive a standard monthly subsistence allowance (scholarship grant).

Payments will be transferred to your bank account in Europe. The amounts are fixed by the EU Commission:
Undergraduate 1,000 euro
Master 1,000 euro
PhD 1,500 euro
Post-doc 1,800 euro
Academic Staff 2,500 euro

Who can apply 

Perspective EM applicants are nationals of one of the Asian partners countries holding a valid passport or any other kind of verified proof of identification of the home country, and with the requirements to access.

The University of Trento and the One More Step Partners are glad to announce a call for applications for 86/138 scholarships for mobility between the L13 Asian Countries involved and the European Union (EU) partners.

The call for the first selection round will be open from October 30, 2011 to January 30, 2012.

The mobility is supposed to take place before 31 December 2012.

See more detail here: http://one-more-step.eu

WATER SECURITY Masters Degree & Professional Short Course at UEA, UK

The Water Security Research Centre at the UEA is delighted to announce the opening of applications for two Water Security courses with entry in 2012. We would appreciate it if you would circulate this email through your networks to anyone who you think may be interested, including final year undergraduates.

MSc Water Security (September 2012 – September 2013):

The MSc in Water Security and International Development is designed to prepare graduates to enter a wide range of career paths in water and development. It is taught by leading interdisciplinary experts at the School of International Development and the School of Environmental Sciences.

The MSc examines ‘water security’ in its broad sense, integrating critical global policy concerns such as climate change, food and energy security. Considering water as a physical and political resource, the course serves to develop an understanding of complex water challenges, the role and mechanisms of cooperation from the human to international level, and approaches to allocation in support of achieving water security.

For more information and funding opportunities please see the attached flyer or visit www.uea.ac.uk/dev/courses/msc-water-security-and-international-development. Please contact pgdev.admiss@uea.ac.uk if you would like more information about admissions, or Professor Declan Conway (d.conway@uea.ac.uk) for specific enquiries about the course.

Water Security Short Course (28 May - 4 June 2012):

This course is designed for entry and mid-level water and development policy-makers and professionals in government, donor, NGO or implementing agencies. A number of places will also be made available to environmental journalists, consultants and activists wishing to take their knowledge on water resources further.

It will provide participants with an exceptional opportunity to acquire an understanding of a key water issues globally. While the focus is on policy, the extensive field and analytical competence of the lecturers ensures that participants benefit from grounded theory and experience.

This course provides an ideal opportunity for those already working in the water sector to maintain and develop their expertise in Water Security issues, and to keep abreast of current thinking.

More information is available in the attached flyer and from www.uea.ac.uk/dev/co/prodev/wspmp. Please contact devco.train@uea.ac.uk if you would like more information about admissions, or Dr Mark Zeitoun (m.zeitoun@uea.ac.uk) for specific enquiries about the course.

Masters in Conservation Leadership - University of Cambridge

Masters in Conservation Leadership – applications and scholarship support for October 2012

The MPhil degree in Conservation Leadership at the University of Cambridge is a full-time, 1-year, course aimed at graduates of leadership potential with at least three to five years of relevant experience in biodiversity conservation. Based in the University’s Department of Geography, a unique feature of this course is its delivery by members of the Cambridge Conservation Initiative (CCI), a partnership between six university departments and nine conservation organisations or networks based in and around Cambridge. The teaching focuses on issues of management and leadership, with the dual goals of developing conservationists with enhanced research skills and a greater awareness of the complex drivers of biodiversity loss, while also developing their ability to act and lead effectively.  Consequently, the course aims to deliver a world-class and interdisciplinary education in Conservation Leadership that is not available elsewhere.

We now welcome applications for entry to the course in October 2012.  For further details on how to apply, please visit the course website: 

www.geog.cam.ac.uk/graduate/mphil/conservation

The closing date for applications is 30 March 2012.

This year we are pleased to announce that the Miriam Rothschild Scholarship Programme in Conservation Leadership has been established to support students from less developed and developing countries that are rich in biodiversity, to attend the MPhil in Conservation Leadership.  The number and size of these will vary from full scholarships, to partial scholarships that cover specific aspects of the funding package required by students. Nevertheless, applicants are also encouraged to seek out their own funding opportunities that might be available locally or nationally.

If you have any queries about making an application, please contact the 
Programme Administrator, Emily Chenery: emily.chenery@geog.cam.ac.uk

Sustainability Science Fellowships at Harvard University, USA

Doctoral, Post-doctoral, and Mid-career Fellowships: Sustainability Science Fellowships at Harvard University, USA

Due date for applications: January 15, 2012

http://www.cid.harvard.edu/sustsci/fellowship

The Sustainability Science Program at Harvard University invites applications for resident fellowships in sustainability science for the academic year beginning in September 2012. The fellowship competition is open to advanced doctoral and post-doctoral students, and to mid-career professionals engaged in research or practice to facilitate the design, implementation, and evaluation of effective interventions that promote sustainable development. Some of the most serious constraints to sustainable development lie in the interconnections among sectors: energy’s growing need for water; the impacts of water use on human health; the competition for land among food, energy and conservation initiatives; and the cumulative impact of all sectoral initiatives on climate and other key environmental services.  A central challenge moving forward is to develop an integrated understanding of how sectoral initiatives for sustainability can compete with and complement one another in particular regional contexts. The 2012-13 fellowship competition will therefore focus on regional initiatives pursing an integrated perspective on sustainable development in India, China and Brazil. It will also include a cross-cutting research initiative to integrate work focused on the theme of Innovation for Sustainable Development. Preference in this year’s competition will be given to applicants whose proposals complement one or more of these four initiatives.  The Initiatives (see below), are led by Professors William Clark, Michael Kremer, Henry Lee, Paul Moorcroft, and Rohini Pande. The Program is also open, however, to strong proposals in any area of sustainability science.  In addition to general funds available to support this fellowship offering, special funding for the Giorgio Ruffolo Fellowships in Sustainability Science is available to support citizens of Italy, Brazil, China, India or developing countries who are therefore especially encouraged to apply. For more information on the fellowships application process seehttp://www.cid.harvard.edu/sustsci/fellowship. Applications are due January 15, 2012 and decisions will be announced by March 2012.

India: Building public-private partnerships to promote sustainable development in India

Faculty leader:  Rohini Pande, Mohammed Kamal Professor of Public Policy

Sustainable development, by its nature, requires government and private actors to work together.  Externalities from rapid growth, such as the depletion of subsidized resources, widespread air and water pollution or unsustainable energy use, arise from a joint failure of government and industry to create an economy where the most profitable action is also best socially.  The India Initiative will address sustainability problems in India of both national and global import.  The motivation for this research program is to work with governments to channel the enterprising potential of the private sector to correct such externalities.  The research will address questions in sustainable environmental regulation and provide evidence on how public-private partnerships can contribute to solving existing challenges.  We focus on three research areas.  First, existing environmental regulations are weakly enforced by possibly under-resourced regulators, leading to poor environmental quality.  Second, traditional regulations, even if strengthened, are not the right tools to address many of India’s pollution problems.  Third, from the perspective of sustainability of resource use, India’s inefficient and rapidly growing energy consumption threatens to undermine its own development by contributing to global climate change. The research team will partner with government and private institutions in order to conduct field trials of innovative environmental policies to provide rigorous evidence on the impact of these policies for sustainable development. Doctoral, post-doctoral, and mid-career candidates are encouraged to apply.

China:  Energy in China: Environmental implications and management for sustainable development

Faculty leader: Henry Lee, Jassim M. Jaidah Director, Environment and Natural Resources Program

The China Initiative will address the environmental implications of electrification and other energy policies in China and explore how China can manage these implications.  Fellows will work to identify and promote policies that will contribute to thoughtful use of China's natural resources (e.g., water, land) and/or the adoption of cleaner and less carbon-intensive industrial and energy technologies. Research areas include, but are not limited to: analyzing the impact of energy and industrial policies on water scarcity; assessing barriers to the development or deployment of cleaner energy technologies; and studying the impact of industrialization on health and fragile ecosystems.  Post-doctoral and mid-career candidates, especially those who speak Chinese, are particularly encouraged to apply.

Brazil: Sustainable Development of the Amazon and its surrounding regions: The interplay of climate, hydrology, and land use

Faculty leader:  Paul Moorcroft, Professor of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology

Ongoing agricultural expansion and other land use changes in Amazonia and the surrounding regions are expected to continue over the next several decades as global demand for food and biofuel increases and regional economies expand. The conversion of natural forest and cerrado ecosystems to pastureland and agricultural crops creates warmer and drier atmospheric conditions than the native vegetation. In addition, human induced climate change arising from increasing levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere is also expected to push the Amazon region towards a warmer and drier state. In a number of recent climate modeling studies, the Amazon has been shown to exhibit two contrasting states for the water cycle and ecosystems of the region: a moist forested state, and an alternate drier and warmer state with sparser vegetation.  This has raised the question of whether deforestation and conversion to agricultural land cause the atmosphere-vegetation-hydrologic system of the Amazon to switch from its current moist state to the warmer and drier one?  And if so, will this new state have sufficient precipitation to sustain the native forest and productivity of adjacent agricultural areas?  In this study we propose to answer these questions by developing a coupled vegetation-atmosphere model to investigate the stability of the Amazonian hydrologic system (“rivers in the sky” as well as flows on the ground) to scenarios of land use and climate change .  We expect to come closer to capturing the true response and thresholds of the Amazonian system than previous studies because our model has a more realistic representation of the dynamic response of the native vegetation, and the study will incorporate a range of land change scenarios.   By doing so we will be able to answer the question: How much deforestation is too much? Post-doc candidates who have experience with integrated land-water-climate models and/or experience analyzing patterns and trends of land use and land use change are particularly encouraged to apply.

Innovation for Sustainability: Enhancing the Production of Essential Global Public Goods

Faculty leaders:

William Clark, Brooks Professor of International Science, Public Policy and Human Development

Michael Kremer, Gates Professor of Developing Countries and Professor of Economics

This Initiative seeks to transform our understanding of the processes governing innovation in the production of global public goods (GPGs) needed for a transition toward sustainability.  In particular, we aim to discover how innovation systems can be designed that will simultaneously stimulate needed inventions and promote widespread and equitable access to the fruits of those inventions. The last two decades have served up a surprising number of ad-hoc operational experiments in improving the production of sustainability GPGs on topics as different as anti-retroviral medicines for HIV/AIDS, the development of gene banks, and the deployment of famine early warning systems.  Those experiments, however, are generally poorly described, little known beyond their respective sectors and therefore not contributing as much as they might to understanding or promoting the production of GPGs essential for sustainability.  This project is an effort to move to the next level of integrated and synthetic understanding. We propose a 3 track approach: 1) Reconceptualizing innovation of global public goods for sustainability: We will construct, apply, evaluate and revise an integrated framework for understanding the innovation process involved in the production of sustainability GPGs.  2) Comparing sectoral experiences: We will analyze a global cross-section of ad hoc experiments in new ways of providing sustainability GPGs using a template.  3) Conducting in-depth empirical studies: We will carry out a set of detailed empirical studies to test specific hypotheses about successful production of sustainability GPGs that arise from our sectoral comparisons. This research will employ our conceptual framework to pose similar questions across sectors and countries about how the system of GPG provision has responded to the full range of “push” and “pull” mechanisms that we will have identified through our sectoral comparisons.  Doctoral, post-doctoral, and mid-career candidates are encouraged to apply.