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Burke Fellowship
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Introducing the Burke Climate and Health Fellowship

In partnership with the Salata Institute for Climate and Sustainability, the Harvard Global Health Institute is excited to announce that we are now offering a 2-year fellowship program for eligible research fellows, post-doctoral scholars, and early career faculty pursuing scholarly research at the intersection of climate change and global health. The Burke Climate and Health Fellowship will support fellows as they work closely with Harvard faculty mentors in any school or department on their proposed research project. 

The Burke Climate and Health Fellowship is made possible through the generous support of Harvard alumna Katherine States Burke, AB’79, and her husband, T. Robert Burke, who established the Burke Fund to help launch and advance the careers of promising early career researchers in global health.

The Award:

The fellowship award includes a salary of $75,000 per year for up to two years to support scholarship at the intersection of climate change and health. During the fellowship period, Burke Climate and Health Fellows will be integral members of the Harvard Global Health Institute and Salata Institute and will participate in cross-University engagements on climate change and health. All fellows will have physical space both at The Harvard Global Health Institute and at the Salata Institute as they build a community of colleagues focused on climate change and its effects on health. The Harvard Global Health Institute and the Salata Institute expect to support two Climate and Health Fellows to join the 2023 Burke Fellow cohort. 

Basic Qualifications: 

  • We welcome applicants from both domestic and foreign institutions. Non-US citizens who are permitted to work within the US are eligible to apply.
  • Proposed research projects should have a clear climate and health focus and may include mitigation or adaptation actions that consider or directly evaluate interventions designed to improve health outcomes. Understudied populations, including but not limited to residents of low- or middle-income countries or regions, children, people who are pregnant, migrant laborers, and racial or ethnic minoritized groups, will be prioritized. 
  • Candidates must have a doctoral or equivalent degree in a relevant field of study (e.g., medicine, public health, climate science, epidemiology, environmental health, economics etc.).
  • Ideal candidates include research fellows, post-doctoral fellows, or those within roughly the first 5 years of a faculty position at their home institution.
  • Applicants must secure a commitment from one Harvard faculty member to serve as a research mentor prior to submitting an application (see criteria on this requirement below). 
  • Candidates must commit at least 75% FTE effort to their research for the 2-year program.
  • Candidates should demonstrate experience performing scholarly research (e.g., publications of peer reviewed manuscripts or policy briefs) as part of their application.

Fellow Expectations:

  • Submit an annual progress report and a scholarly paper (e.g., peer-reviewed publication) to tThe Harvard Global Health Institute and Salata Institute. 
  • Participate in relevant Harvard Global Health Institute and Salata Institute scheduled events. 
  • Participate in Harvard University Center for the Environment (HUCE) bi-weekly fellow dinners and other HUCE scheduled activities throughout the year. 
  • Present research findings and accomplishments achieved as a result of Burke funding to the global health community at the end of their fellowship.
  • Serve as a Pathways to Global Health Speaker seminar series. This is a 1-hour, virtual seminar series for undergraduate students interested in careers in global health. 
  • Acknowledge HGHI Burke funding in all award letters and event communications, including invitation letters, websites, announcements, flyers, press releases, presentations, publications and publications, presentations, and reports. 
  • Serve as a reviewer for future applicants to the fellowship.

Criteria for Harvard Faculty Sponsoring Mentor:

  • Sponsoring mentor must have a PhD or MD and be a Harvard faculty member (Assistant, Associate or Full Professor)
  • Sponsoring mentor must demonstrate expertise to support the applicant’s area of research. 
  • Sponsoring mentor must submit a letter of support (maximum of two pages) to the selection committee describing in detail their commitment to the candidate’s research. Applications without this letter of support will not be considered. 
  • The sponsoring mentors Harvard department must administratively credential and house their mentee.
  • Applicants and the Faculty Sponsoring Mentor must submit a letter from their academic department head acknowledging that any indirect costs of Harvard affiliated institutions are not covered.  Applications without this letter of support will not be considered. 
  • Mentors must guarantee at least 75% of protected time for the research of their mentee.

APPLY NOW 

All application materials are due by 5PM EST, Friday, March 10, 2023

Applicants will be notified in May 2023 if selected for this position. The fellowship will run July 1, 2023, to June 30th, 2025. 

We look forward to reviewing your application. If you have questions about these programs, please contact Olivia Mulvey, Fellowships Manager at olivia_mulvey@harvard.edu. For more information on eligibility requirements and FAQ’s please visit our website.