Doctoral Economics Intern, Climate Finance

Overview

Put your passion and skills to work for the planet. Climate change is the most urgent issue of our time, and we need people like you to help us build a vital Earth — for everyone.

We’re Environmental Defense Fund, a fast-paced nonprofit with a growing staff of more than 1,000 people in nearly 30 countries. We deliver game-changing solutions that cut climate pollution and strengthen people’s ability to thrive despite the effects climate change is already having. We work wherever we can have the most impact, from local communities to top companies to governments worldwide, and even in space.

Our culture, values and commitment to diversity make EDF an exciting and meaningful place to work. Every job here makes a difference. Won’t you join us?

Responsibilities

Program/Department Overview

Ensuring that economics is the backbone for all EDF policy positions, the Economics Team is the nexus of economics at EDF. To be effective in this role, the Economics Team provides thought leadership and programmatic support for other EDF Mission Areas and fosters relationships with economists in academia, think tanks and international organizations.

As part of an initiative intended to further strengthen EDF’s thought leadership on environmental policy, the Economics Team hosts a Pre-Doctoral Internship Program. The Economics Team will host a PhD student in Economics during Summer 2023 to explore topical environmental policy issues, interact with experts inside and outside EDF to learn about the dimensions most relevant to policy makers, and to identify critical research gaps and opportunities. The objective is to give the PhD student an opportunity to learn what research questions are most important to policy making and to help identify a research agenda that can make a critical contribution to the policy debate.

We are looking for strong and highly motivated early program PhD students with an open mindset who are able to think comprehensively and creatively about the issues at hand. We encourage applicants with an interest in subfields such as behavioral, labor, energy and network economics and industrial organization in addition to environmental and resource economics. We would also encourage active involvement from the student’s academic supervisor (if the student already has one), who could help guide the student to maximize returns from the program, together with the senior staff in the EDF Economics Team who will be hosting the student for the summer.

Overall Function

Various analyses have estimated annual climate finance needs to be well over $1 trillion by 2030. While this scale of financing is challenging to mobilize everywhere, it is particularly difficult in emerging economies, given under-development of credit markets, limits to state absorptive capacity, and other overlapping market failures. The intern will help us better understand how different financing mechanisms address these overlapping frictions, the role for global carbon markets in increasing access to upfront finance for climate infrastructure, and implications of relying on various financial instruments for global equity. The intern will report to the Senior Vice President Chief Economist.

Key Responsibilities

The specific deliverables expected of the intern will be determined in conversation with the EDF host based on the intern’s previous expertise and the specifics of the topic. Responsibilities may include:

• Connect with key Economics and other EDF staff as well as outside experts and stakeholders to identify the most important policy issues and related research questions in the relevant space.
• Potentially contribute to an expert workshop to hone in on the most valuable research questions.
• Outline, together with EDF and outside experts, a research agenda for themselves and the broader research community and identify critical research questions and the methods and data needed to answer them.
• Deliver a final presentation describing the lessons learned and the proposed research agenda.
• Develop in more detail an approach to answer one of the questions identified in the research agenda, including what data, methods, or tools the student could use to develop a research project that continues throughout the academic year.
• Participate in advancing EDF Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) goals in which people from all backgrounds and experiences feel connected, included, and empowered to address the environmental and organizational challenges in alignment with EDF values.

Qualifications

• Currently enrolled in a PhD program in Economics or closely related field, preferably in their first or second year.
• Demonstrated desire to do policy-relevant research.
• Excellent research and analytical skills
• Excellent written and oral communication skills
• Must be well organized, motivated, and detail-oriented.
• Ability to multi-task, prioritize and meet deadlines.
• Ability to work in a team setting and have the ability to work independently when projects are due.
• Demonstrated self-awareness, cultural competency and inclusivity, and ability to work with colleagues and stakeholders across diverse cultures and backgrounds.
• Demonstrated initiative and problem solving skills.

Location

U.S. Remote

Term

June 2023 – August 2023

Hours

Full-Time (35 hours per week)

Compensation

This internship would involve compensation for work paid at a rate competitive with leading non-profits at $22/hr.

Application Materials

Interested applicants should attach their CV to the EDF application, together with a cover letter describing their interest in this program and how economic theory may be leveraged to meet desired outcomes

Pay Ranges

We offer a strong total rewards package encompassing competitive salary, robust benefits, and professional development opportunities consistent with a modern global organization. We take into account factors such as candidate experience, skills, training, internal team equity and local norms.

The pay range for this role is shown below.

Please note that pay ranges are country specific. As a result, the stated currency is not meant be converted into any other currency.

Minimum Salary

USD $22.00/Hr.

Maximum Salary

USD $22.00/Hr.

EEO Information

Environmental Defense Fund is an equal opportunity employer where an applicant's qualifications are considered without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other basis prohibited by law.