About the Degrees Initiative
The Degrees Initiative is a UK-based NGO that builds the capacity of developing countries to evaluate solar radiation modification (SRM), a controversial proposal for reducing some impacts of climate change by reflecting sunlight away from the Earth. Degrees is neutral on whether SRM should ever be used, but we believe that developing countries should be empowered to conduct their own research and to play a central role in SRM discussions. The initiative has been working in different forms for over a decade and our work receives worldwide coverage and widespread acclaim.
Degrees’ programmatic work builds capacity through research grants, workshops, and community-building—all across the Global South. The initiative has been steadily growing since becoming a charity, and we plan on continuing to expand. Over the next few years, Degrees will offer grants to research teams in new countries and disciplines, support the scientists as they develop into regional leaders, and keep building a global community of experts.
The Staff Scientist position offers a fantastic opportunity for the right candidate to move into or advance in the nonprofit sector while helping scale-up the organisation’s work. They will get to work with some the world’s leading SRM experts both inside and outside of Degrees and play a central role in building an initiative that is changing the field of SRM.
Job purpose
The Degrees Modelling Fund was launched in 2018 and has grown into the largest SRM research programme in the world. It supports almost 150 scientists across the Global South as they model how SRM could affect the climate in their regions, and they are becoming influential leaders in the SRM conversation.
This is a good start, but our plans are much more ambitious. We now want to support the Southern teams to move to the next level in their development. National projects will evolve into regional research programmes—in Africa, Southeast Asia, and Latin America, for instance. These regional programmes will inform policy processes by writing reports and policy briefs. Centralised downscaling and bias correction will reduce the barriers to SRM research across the Global South, allowing more countries to do their own SRM research and increasing existing teams’ output.
Degrees’ new Staff Scientist will be central to this. As an expert in climate impacts modelling, they will help the teams develop regional research projects. They will support Southern scientists to get access to the data that they need, will advise Degrees on how we can best support Southern SRM research, and develop new work streams as needed. In all of this, the Staff Scientist will work closely with the 26 modelling teams that Degrees supports across the Global South, plus our range of partners and volunteer research collaborators. In this, their work will be central to the next stage of Degrees’ development, helping to ensure that developing countries have the evidence and expertise to evaluate SRM and to play a central role in research and discussions.
About the position
The position will appeal to someone with a strong academic track record who is looking to use their skills and training outside of academia—for an organisation that is looking to use research to change the world, rather than just for research’s sake. Because the right candidate may not wish to leave academia entirely, the position may be less than full time, which would be negotiated (but not less than 60% time at Degrees).
Specific responsibilities include:
Plan and implement the new lines of work, above, and to develop new ones in cooperation with other staff members, Degrees-funded researchers, and volunteers;
Organise and facilitate regionalisation workshops approximately each quarter;
Manage and deepen relationships with regional SRM experts;
Work with a future science writer to deliver the annual scientific reports;
Learn the goals and needs of scientists in each region and, to the extent possible, facilitate their provision;
Directly support our funded scientists, as appropriate;
Help deliver the Degrees Global Forum on SRM, taking place 12-16 May in Cape Town;
In consultation with the CEO and Programmes Director, set annual plans (including budgets), objectives and key results;
Support our policy engagement, communications, and reporting activities.