Call for Applications: Climate Security Association of Canada Research Fellowship

The Climate Security Association of Canada/l’Association canadienne sur la sécurité climatique (CSAC-ACSC) is pleased to announce the inaugural call for applications for its Research Fellowship program. CSAC-ACSC (https://www.csac–acsc.org) is a professional association for scholars and practitioners of climate change and security that offers a forum to support the development of research, government policy, knowledge mobilization, and public outreach in this field.

Understanding the links between climate change and security is an urgent global priority for policymakers, scholars, civil society, and security and defence practitioners. Complex relationships exist between the unfolding crisis of human-caused environmental changes and phenomena such as armed conflict, violent extremism, migration, displacement, poverty, resource scarcity, political instability, economic prosperity, energy security, and community resilience. Effectively addressing these issues requires interdisciplinary and multi-method theorization, analysis, and policy development.

The security and defence policy challenges associated with climate change encompass changes in the international and domestic threat environments, political and operational pressures to decarbonize defence and national security activities, and dynamic tensions between and among competing national security priorities, domestic electoral considerations, and engagement with a diverse range of social movements. As climate-related hazards increase over the coming years, it will be increasingly important to identify and support emerging leaders in the field of climate change and security whose work helps address these concerns. CSAC-ACSC’s goal is to foster a professional network of scholars, analysts, and professional practitioners committed to understanding and responding to the inter-related social, political, economic, and ecological security challenges of our time associated with human-caused climate change.

The goal of the CSAC-ACSC Research Fellowship is to provide financial support and promote professional development for graduate students and early career researchers working in the field of climate change and security, broadly defined, in or related to Canada.

Each Fellowship consists of three components:

1. 1. A $3000 stipend.
   2. A research paper that the Fellow’s must write by the end of the Fellowship and which will be published with one of our supporting MINDS research networks.
   3. Training and professional development opportunities. These include mentorship from an experienced or senior scholar active in the field of climate and security, networking opportunities with expert practitioners, and full travel expenses to participate in CSACACSC’s Pacific Climate Security Conference and Career Development Workshop on February 1-2, 2024 in Victoria, British Columbia.

Fellows are expected to:

• • Participate in the professional and scholarly activities organized by CSAC-ACSC during 2024.
  • Attend the Pacific Climate Security Conference and Career Development Workshop on February 1-2, 2024.
  • Complete a first full draft of their research paper by the end of September 2024.
  • Encouraged to support the work of fostering a professional community related to climate change and security in Canada.

The CSAC-ACSC Research Fellowship is organized and administered by the Climate Security Association of Canada/L’Association canadienne de la sécurité climatique. It is supported and funded by the Social Science and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) and three Department of National Defence Mobilizing Insights into Defence and Security (MINDS) research networks: the North American and Arctic Defence and Security Network/Réseau sur la defense et la sécurité nord-américaines et arctiques (NAADSN/RDSNAA), Réseau d’analyse stratégique/Network for Strategic Analysis (RAS/NSA), and the Canadian Defence and Security Network/Réseau canadien de défence et de sécurité (CDSN/RCDS).

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS

Eligibility Requirements:

The CSAC-ACSC Research Fellowship is open to:

1. All graduate (Master’s or PhD) students enrolled at a university in Canada whose research is related to the area of climate change and security.
2. Early career professionals working in the field of climate change and security in or related to Canada who completed their post-secondary education not more than seven years before the application date.

Applicants must demonstrate a research interest and/or professional, service, or volunteer experience related to climate change and security. Fellows must be able to communicate verbally in English, but may produce written work in either English or French. Please note that full-time employees of the Government of Canada and Class-B and C Reservists in the Canadian Armed Forces are ineligible for this funding. Class-A reservists are eligible for this funding.

Application Requirements:

Applicants must provide the following materials:

• Completed application information below.
• Applicant CV.
• A cover letter outlining the applicant’s suitability for the Fellowship.
• A 2-page proposal for the research project/paper related to climate change and security to be supported by the Fellowship (should outline the area of inquiry, research question(s), methodology, general timeline, and progress to date).

All materials must be received by email at fellowship-bourse@csac-acsc.org by 5 pm PT on December 1, 2023. Please direct questions about the CSAC-ACSC Research Fellowship to  fellowship-bourse@csac-acsc.org

The CSAC-ACSC Research Fellowship is supported by: