The Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment (CCSI), a joint center of Columbia Law School and the Earth Institute, is accepting applications until March 31 for internship positions for summer 2022. (Internships can be done remotely.) Interns are staffed to one or more specific research projects depending on the background and interests of the particular applicant. 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. Our mission is to develop and disseminate practical approaches and solutions to maximize the impact of international investment for sustainable development. The center’s areas of focus include extractive industries; land, agriculture and food systems; investment law and policy; climate change; human rights and investment; the energy transition; and SDG-aligned business and finance.
Summer internships are full-time (35-40 hours per week) unless otherwise noted. Continuation into subsequent terms is possible, and in some cases, preferred. CCSI’s summer internships qualify under the Columbia Summer Funding Program — formerly known as Guaranteed Summer Funding — for eligible students.
Paid internship: Responsible and Rights-Respecting Land Investments
CCSI seeks a JD, LLM, or other graduate student (or a motivated and high-performing undergraduate student) to support the center’s research and advisory work on responsible and rights-respecting land-based investments. The internship will involve working closely with senior staff on priority projects requiring research, analysis, and writing. These projects may include supporting the development of innovative responses to, and resources for, communities or governments in specific country contexts, the private sector (including development finance institutions, ESG investors and renewable energy companies), and other stakeholders. Preference will be given to candidates with strong research and writing skills. Knowledge or experience of issues relating to responsible land-based investment, land rights, government policymaking related to investments, and/or community rights in the context of resource investments is desirable. French language is also desirable.
To apply for this internship, please send a cover letter, CV, and writing sample (all together in a single file, in that order) to CCSI’s executive coordinator, Nancy Siporin (nancy.siporin@columbia.edu), by March 31.
Paid internship: 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 Extractives; Land, Agriculture & Food Systems; 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).
