The Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment (CCSI), a joint center of Columbia Law School and the Earth Institute, is accepting applications until January 15, 2019 for internship positions for the Spring 2019 semester. Interns are staffed to one or more specific research projects depending on the background and interests of the particular applicant. Unpaid and paid opportunities are available, as described below. Select work-study administrative positions are also available, and course credit can be granted in some cases.
CCSI is a leading applied research center and forum dedicated to the study, practice and discussion of sustainable international investment. Its mission is to develop and disseminate practical approaches and solutions to maximize the impact of international investment for sustainable development. The center’s work is organized around three major areas of research: Sustainable Investments in Extractive Industries, Sustainable Investments in Land and Agriculture, and Sustainable International Investment Law and Policy, with cross-cutting research related to climate change and human rights.
Candidates must commit to at least 10-15 hours per week, but more hours are possible. Continuation into subsequent terms is possible, and in some cases, preferred.
To apply for a spring 2019 internship, please send a cover letter, CV and writing sample to CCSI’s executive coordinator, Nancy Siporin (NSipor@law.columbia.edu), unless otherwise specified, by January 15, 2019. Applications will be considered on a rolling basis. If you are applying for a paid internship, please indicate whether you are work-study eligible (preferred but not required). The cover letter should include a distinct list of which internships you are applying for. (You may include as many as you’d like.)
Spring 2019 internship opportunities are currently available for the following:
Improving Smallholder Coffee Producers’ Income (Paid Internship)
CCSI and advisory board chair professor Jeffrey Sachs are working with the World Coffee Producers Forum to assess the impacts of the evolving coffee value chain on farmers, and to provide proposals for augmenting farmers’ incomes and well-being. CCSI is seeking a graduate student to support the project with research that focuses on ways to leverage opportunities to improve coffee producers’ income in the future. This will likely include a focus on avenues for creating greater accountability within the coffee industry and interventions aimed at improving coffee grower wellbeing and achieving a living wage.
Legal Research on Mining Contracts (Paid Internship)
CCSI is seeking a highly motivated JD or LLM student to support an advisory project on a model mining development agreement. Tasks may include review of relevant laws and regulations, and supporting research on specific contract clauses and best practices in mining development agreements. Preference will be give to candidates with strong legal research and writing skills, and candidates who have prior experience working with mining contracts.
Global MOOC on “Natural Resources for Sustainable Development: The Fundamentals of Oil, Gas, and Mining Governance” (Paid Internship)
CCSI teamed up with the Natural Resource Governance Institute, the SDG Academy, and the World Bank to create a 12-week massive open online course (MOOC) on “Natural Resources for Sustainable Development: The Fundamentals of Oil, Gas, and Mining Governance.” The course, in which we expect thousands to enroll, introduces students from around the world to key elements of the governance framework that will help ensure that natural resources translate into sustainable development benefits for communities and governments.
CCSI is seeking a student intern to provide day-to-day administrative and operational support to the course during its next running from April through July. The ideal candidate will be highly organized and responsive, have strong time management, writing and communication skills, and an interest in natural resource management and sustainable development. Preference will be given to applicants with experience in online education platforms and fluency in Spanish and/or French (though not required). This internship is due to begin in April 2019 and run through July. This position is only open to students who will be enrolled in courses at Columbia over the summer.
Spanish Language MOOC on “Natural Resources for Sustainable Development: The Fundamentals of Oil, Gas, and Mining Governance” for the Latin America and Caribbean Region (Paid Internship)
CCSI teamed up with the Natural Resource Governance Institute, the SDG Academy, and the World Bank to create a 12-week massive open online course (MOOC) on “Natural Resources for Sustainable Development: The Fundamentals of Oil, Gas, and Mining Governance.” CCSI and partners will work to adapt, edit, and contextualize the existing MOOC to better align with the areas of interest of stakeholders in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). The product of this collaboration will be a standalone six-week MOOC adapted for a massive online audience in the LAC region.
CCSI is seeking a graduate student intern to assist with both the adaptation of the existing MOOC, and, in collaboration with the Inter-American Development Bank, the day-to-day administration of the course once launched. Tasks may include: drafting and editing video transcripts in English and Spanish, sourcing Spanish language readings, assisting in filming logistics including liaising with experts and scheduling, reviewing videos, responding to student questions, and coordinating and running weekly expert Q&A sessions. The ideal candidate will be highly organized and responsive, have strong time management, writing and communication skills, and an interest in natural resource management and sustainable development. Fluency in Spanish is required. The internship period will run from January 7th-late May/early June. Please apply for this position as soon as possible, but no later than December 28, 2018.
Operations Assistant (Work-Study)
CCSI is seeking an undergraduate or graduate work-study student to assist with a variety of substantive operational tasks. The work-study position primarily will entail helping with business and administrative tasks related to the operational functioning of the center, with an opportunity to specialize in one of several areas including business operations, editing, communications, events or workstream support, assisting one of the three CCSI workstreams in Extractive Industries, Land and Agriculture or Investment Law Policy. Preference will be given to responsible, 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 CCSI’s director of operations, Paulo Cunha (pcunha@law.columbia.edu).
For more information on internship opportunities and how to apply, please see the CCSI website.
