George Mason University’s Schar School of Policy and Government and the University of Maryland’s Center for Global Sustainability are pleased to invite applicants to participate in their 2024 Energy and Climate-Tech Innovation Policy “Boot Camp” for Early Career Researchers. The Mason-Maryland boot camp’s main purpose is to help researchers make a greater impact on real-world clean energy and climate innovation outcomes.
“The world really needs researchers who are creating solutions to energy and climate challenges, but also communicating what they have learned effectively to policy-makers,” said David M. Hart, professor of public policy at the Schar School. “The boot camp will give the participants direct exposure to decision-makers to better understand how their research can be used, so they can amplify their impact.”
This immersive boot camp will be held in Washington, D.C., from June 2 to June 7, 2024. A central feature of the boot camp will be face-to-face discussions with key players shaping the energy and climate-tech policy landscape in the United States. These discussions will span Congress, the executive branch, international organizations, NGOs, businesses, and other players. The 2024 event will build on the success of prior boot camps in 2019 and 2022. Professor David M. Hart of the Schar School is the boot camp’s director and a distinguished panel of scholars serves as the boot camp’s advisory committee.
“This boot camp provides a critical opportunity for early-career researchers to strengthen their understanding of how energy and climate-tech policy is made, so their research will have a more significant influence on clean energy and climate innovation results in the real world,” said Kathleen Kennedy, Assistant Research Professor at the Center for Global Sustainability and the boot camp co-director. “My participation in the 2022 Climate-Tech Policy “Boot Camp” for Early Career Researchers gave me real-world insight into how academic research can influence policy and introduced me to a wonderful cohort of other early-career researchers in the climate space, and I am excited to help lead the next cohort of researchers.”
The program is accepting applications until February 20, 2024. Researchers with a background in any discipline who meet these three qualifications are invited to apply:
- Earned a Ph.D. in 2014 or later;
- Published research in the open literature on energy and climate innovation; and
- Actively pursuing a research program in an academic setting.
To apply, please send the following two items to climatec@gmu.edu:
- A statement of 750-1,000 words that describes your interests and qualifications; and
- A curriculum vitae.
In addition, each applicant must be recommended by a researcher who is familiar with the applicant’s work. The recommendation should briefly describe the applicant’s accomplishments and potential future contributions to the field of energy and climate innovation policy and assess how the applicant would benefit from the boot camp. The letter should be submitted directly by the recommender to climatec@gmu.edu, indicating the name of the applicant in the subject line.
The selection criteria will be:
- Quality of research;
- Potential to gain from participation; and
- Diversity across disciplines, issues, methods, and demographic groups.
Applicants will be notified of the decision on March 4, 2024.
