Global Energy, Climate, and Sustainability Fellows
Global Energy, Climate, and Sustainability Fellows Program
The GECS Lab Global Energy, Climate, and Sustainability Fellows program is designed to give NYU graduate degree students hands-on experience in the world of energy and food access and climate-related and community-based resilience and well-being.
Applications are closed for this year. Sign up to be notified for the Summer 2027 program.
The GECS Lab Global Energy, Climate, and Sustainability Fellows program is designed to give NYU Graduate Students hands-on experience in the world of energy, sustainability, and climate action. Each year, students will be selected to participate in a rigorous summer fellowship experiential learning opportunity working alongside leaders from diverse areas such as the private sector, environmental non-profits, multilateral agencies, and government.
Through their Global Energy, Climate, and Sustainability Fellows’ experiences, students will be able to broaden their knowledge of sustainability practice, build leadership skills, and gain valuable work experience in the fields of energy, sustainability, and climate solutions. During and following the program, Global Energy, Climate, and Sustainability Fellows will be able to exchange learnings and experiences with the broader SPS Center for Global Affairs community and extend SPS’s sustainability practice across a wider spectrum of students and professional networks.
2026 PROGRAM
Applications are closed for this year. Sign up to be notified for the Summer 2027 program.
Program Overview
Global Energy, Climate, and Sustainability Fellowships take place during the summer semester. During the 8-week program, students will be expected to commit a standard 35 hours per week and will receive an $8,000 stipend for the fellowship. Prior to the program, students will engage in an orientation, review assigned readings, and engage in related skills modules as preparation. As a part of the project deliverables, Global Energy, Climate, and Sustainability Fellows will create a written report and two presentations - one for the host organization and the other to be presented at an NYU event with the general public.
The 8-week Fellowship will take place between June and August, with exact dates determined by Fellows and Project Hosts during the Project Scoping phase. During the duration of the project, Fellows will have alternating weekly check-ins with GECS Lab.
Program Highlights
- A stipend to support a climate-sustainability-oriented summer research project or experiential learning activity.
- Program orientation for participating fellows to network and prepare for their experiential learning activity, internship, or research project.
- Post-activity read-out public event at the CGA to share learnings and experiences.
Selection Process
The Global Energy, Climate, and Sustainability Fellows program is open to all enrolled NYU graduate students who qualify for summer engagements.
Applications must be received by 11:59 PM, March 15, 2026.
Finalists will be required to interview via Zoom with the Selection Committee in March 2026.
Eligibility Requirements
- Both part-time and full-time, domestic and international, graduate students are eligible (must be in good academic standing)
- Enrollment or matriculation during the Summer 2026 semester. Students who graduate in Spring 2026 are not eligible for this opportunity.
- Completion of at least one Spring/Fall semester at NYU is required by the START of Spring 2026
- Students attending NYU with F-1 or J-1 status are eligible to apply as long as they fulfill all other requirements for the stipend and maintain their immigration status. Please contact OGS to learn more about authorization for unpaid internships and volunteer work, and for more information regarding taxes that may be assessed for the stipend.
For F-1 students who have an SSN/ITIN:
- Please be aware that the stipend is subject to taxation depending on your citizenship, which will be assessed prior to the award.
- Because the stipend is considered taxable income, the University will issue students the appropriate tax documentation to include with their annual IRS filing.
For F-1 students who do NOT have an SSN/ITIN:
- Please be aware that the stipend is subject to taxation depending on your citizenship, which will be assessed prior to the award.
- Because the stipend is considered taxable income, the University will issue students the appropriate tax documentation to include with their annual IRS filing.
- To obtain your ITIN (this can be done in advance or as a part of your annual tax filing with the IRS):
- Make an appointment at a designated IRS Taxpayer Assistance Center in order to request an ITIN. This will also prevent you from having to mail your proof of identity and foreign status document.
- After processing, the IRS will issue your ITIN through the mail.
Finalists will be required to interview via Zoom with the Selection Committee in March.
PROGRAM TIMELINE
February 2026
- Applications Open
March 2026
- Applications Due by 11:59 PM on Sunday, March 15, 2026
- Virtual Interviews with Finalist Candidates (end of March)
- Global Energy, Climate Justice, and Sustainability Fellows will be notified by the end of the month
April 2026
- TBD - Program Orientation and Overview; Review of Required Readings and Skills Modules
May 2026
- TBD, 5:00 - 6:30 pm - Reception with Hosts
June 2026
- Projects Begin
- Alternating weekly check-ins with GECS Lab
July 2026
- Alternating weekly check-ins with GECS Lab
August 2026
- Projects conclude
- By the end of the month - project delivery/presentation to hosts
September/October 2026
- NYU Public Event with Project Presentations
APPLICATION
Applications are closed for this year. Sign up to be notified for the Summer 2027 program.
A selection committee comprising NYU Faculty and Administration will consider applications. No applications will be considered after the application deadline.
The short answer portion is one of the most important portions of the review process, so make sure to be detailed and informed in your responses. Each answer should be no more than 500 words.
Application Components:
- Complete Application Form
- One Statement of Interest (500 words max)
- Unofficial Academic Transcript
- Current Resume
- Two professional references
- Video Introduction (3-5 minutes)
If you have any questions about this form or need another accessible format, please email ECJSLab@nyu.edu and we would be happy to assist you
Sample Projects
Global Climate Justice Fellows 2025 Projects and Hosts
Google: Importance of grid and carbon free energy to develop new data centers and electricity networks in Africa
This project examines how renewable energy can support Africa’s expanding digital infrastructure. It synthesizes a market feasibility assessment, power portfolio modeling, and case studies of existing data centers to evaluate opportunities across Kenya, Ghana, Morocco, Senegal, and South Africa. The work provides a strategic framework for siting future data centers that balance cost, reliability, and sustainability and considers how investment in microgrids and other renewable energy assets can broaden economic opportunities and promote energy access.
Hydro-Quebec: U.S. Canadian Energy Market Outlook
This project included the organization of a scenarios planning exercise conducted by Hydro-Québec in collaboration with the Energy, Climate Justice, and Sustainability Lab. The exercise explored four possible futures for U.S.-Canadian energy markets, testing Hydro-Québec’s 2035 Action Plan against key uncertainties including trade tensions, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and climate change. By comparing these scenarios, the project highlighted potential challenges and opportunities and offered recommendations for building resilience, diversifying markets, and expanding Hydro-Québec premiere role in North America’s clean energy transition.
MN8 Energy: Regulatory Frameworks and Long-term Transmission Planning for Clean Energy Development
This project examined how regional transmission organization PJM Interconnection can strengthen its transmission planning to comply with FERC Order 1920 and prepare for future system needs. The analysis studied four priority areas: integrating state and federal policy goals, refining approaches to modeling generator retirements, treating extreme weather as a core planning driver, and expanding the role of advanced transmission technologies. By comparing PJM’s framework with practices in MISO and SPP, the research outlines practical steps to bring PJM’s planning more closely in line with the intent of Order 1920 and to ensure the grid is ready for high renewable energy scenarios at affordable prices for rate payers across the 13 states that constitute the service area for the RTO.
National Grid: Utility Environmental Justice Framework
This project supported the development of an Equity and Environmental Justice (EJ) Framework for electricity and natural gas delivery utility National Grid, which aims to ensure that the clean energy transition delivers fair, transparent, and measurable benefits to EJ communities. The project’s objective was to build accountability structures and clear equity targets—focusing on procedural, distributional, and structural equity—to address historic disparities while creating pathways for affordable energy access, improved public health, and clean energy jobs. Proposed solutions emphasized building credibility through specific goal setting, inclusive stakeholder engagement, and accessible public information to strengthen trust and enable early community participation in infrastructure planning.
Caban Systems Inc: Decarbonization Solutions for Remote Energy and Telecommunications Infrastructure in Latin America and Caribbean
This project helped renewable energy developer Caban Systems, which brings storage and solar solutions to remote regions in Latin America, improve its internal business process systems to allow the company to speed production of client facing proposals and internal training materials. The improvement in internal communications systems supported tracking of opportunities to help developing countries decarbonize telecommunications systems while enhancing affordability and reliability.
East New York Farms: Measuring Environmental, Educational and Health Impacts of Urban Farming
East New York Farms! is a community-powered urban agriculture initiative that enhances food sovereignty and environmental resilience in Brooklyn, NY. The project evaluated the farm’s potential for carbon sequestration through crop production and composting practices and quantified its contribution to greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction.
The project measured how ENYF’s integration of regenerative growing methods and community composting generates significant environmental value, sequestering carbon in soils and diverting organic waste from landfills, thus avoiding methane emissions. The project also measured drainage impact of the farm’s operations and found that by transforming the vacant lot into managed, vegetated farmland, peak runoff flow rates and total flood volumes are reduced by approximately 60%. The farm’s rainwater collection system stores an additional 825 gallons of water that would otherwise contribute to localized stormwater runoff and flooding, potentially harming local residential buildings and businesses in a low-income community in East New York, Brooklyn.
Solar One: Financing for Building Electrification and Solar
This project examined how New York’s Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA) and related mechanisms like the Cap-and-Invest Program, NYSERDA incentives, shape the feasibility of pairing solar and electrification for low and moderate-income households. The project included an evaluation of programs such as the Pratt Center pilot, which offers a real-time case study on modifying low-income homes with energy efficiency, partial electrification, and solar.
EcoRise: Building Climate Education and Teaching Resources
The accelerating impacts of climate change, coupled with deepening social and environmental disparities, underscore the critical need for transformative educational approaches that cultivate environmental literacy, civic engagement, and climate resilience from an early age. EcoRise is a nationally recognized nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing environmental literacy and sustainability education in K–12 schools. This project was to assist EcoRise to identify potential additional community partners for future programming and to assist a local teacher to develop a survey instrument that can be used to expand visibility on how climate and energy related education programs like those created by EcoRise reach and are received by the broader community in New York City.