Job Opportunity at SEI

SEI Asia: Internship in Energy/Climate and Policy Engagement

Background

Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) is an independent, international research institute founded in 1989. Its mission is to support decision-making and induce change towards sustainable development around the world by providing integrative knowledge that bridges science and policy in the field of environment and development. SEI was ranked as the top environment think tank in the world in the Global Go To Think Tank Report 2019 compiled by the University of Pennsylvania’s Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program.

SEI has about 300 employees working at research centres in seven countries around the world. SEI’s headquarters are in Stockholm, Sweden, with other centres in Colombia (SEI Latin America), Estonia (SEI Tallinn), Kenya (SEI Africa), Thailand (SEI Asia), the UK (SEI York and SEI Oxford) and US (SEI US).

Based in Bangkok, SEI Asia has a diverse team of multinational experts that integrates scientific research with participatory approaches to co-develop and share knowledge, build partnerships and influence policy for resilient development. It focuses on gender and social equity, climate adaptation, disaster risk reduction, water insecurity and integrated water resources management, transitional agriculture, renewable energy and urbanization.

SEI Asia is an affiliate of Chulalongkorn University (CU), Thailand. SEI and CU have inked a long-term agreement until 2023 to foster innovative scientific research combined with effective policy engagement on development and environmental challenges in Asia. The key areas of collaboration are intellectual engagement for joint research applications and fund mobilization, lecturing and seminars for CU students, post-graduate supervision and examination and CU-SEI employee links.

The role

The Policy/Climate group at SEI Asia works with policy analysis, policy-relevant research and policy engagement in support of energy transitions, climate stabilization and sustainable development. We have a number of ongoing projects that span different sectors and thematic areas. The internship will involve two different components. The first involves working on one or two specific projects supporting the project leader and/or the team in analysing energy and climate data, developing visual communications outputs, conducting field work if needed and contributing to written project reports. The second is related to policy engagement and will involve institutional mapping and analysis of key stakeholders and policy actors working in energy and climate with a focus on Southeast Asia.

Key duties and responsibilities

Support for energy and climate project studies

• Assist supervising research fellow in specific research tasks
• Support policy cluster in coordination or management tasks
• Perform literature reviews and synthesize important information from a variety of sources on climate change mitigation, policy engagement and fossil fuel phase out, particularly coal
• Draft synthesis briefings on issues related to climate change mitigation, sustainable development and fossil fuel developments
• Conduct background research related to land use, biomass and bioeconomy and support documentation and outreach efforts for related issues.

Support for energy and climate policy engagement

• Help map relevant engagement and outreach tools (briefs, papers, videos and tweets) and assess effectiveness to “get the message” to decision makers under supervision and guidance of research fellow and communication director of SEI Asia
• Help map relevant policies (government strategies, development plans and regulations) in Southeast Asia
• Help mapping relevant climate change mitigation issues high on policy agenda in Southeast Asia.

Formal qualifications and knowledge

• Possess or be completing a master’s degree in any relevant subject area (environmental science, energy/climate studies, engineering, public policy, political science and/or economics)
• Familiarity with one or more of the following topics: climate change mitigation, fossil fuel phase out, transitions away from coal, sustainable land use, agricultural systems and/or forestry
• Familiarity with policy environment in Southeast Asia on these topics, such as what policies/strategies/plans concerning these topics are currently implemented in the region.

Desirable qualifications

• International experience an asset
• Good research and synthesizing skills.

Personal skills

• Capable of working independently after initial introduction and guidance
• Collegial and friendly approach in workplace and good sense of humour.

Additional information

With a team comprising over 17 nationalities, SEI welcomes global applicants for all posts with all employee contracts under Thai labour law.

SEI Asia is an equal opportunity employer and we consider all applicants on the basis of qualifications and competencies regardless and not limited to race, national origin, religious beliefs, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, disability or marital status. We are committed to ensuring diversity and equality within our organization and applicants from diverse backgrounds are encouraged to apply.