Student Fellowships
Bonnie Reiss Leading on Climate Fellowship 2025-26
Overview
The Bonnie Reiss Leading on Climate Student Fellowship program engages and energizes students in support of UC’s climate action and sustainable food goals. The fellowship program is funded by the UC President’s Global Climate Leadership Council (GCLC) in support of the President’s Leading on Climate priority.
- Shaping the university’s climate action programs and supporting the university’s aggressive goals for reducing greenhouse gas emissions while creating a more equitable, sustainable, resilient and healthy world
- Conducting projects and engagement that support the university’s sustainable food procurement goals and sustainable agricultural practices
Fellowship Responsibilities
All fellows must work for the duration of the academic year. Fellows are also expected to attend certain systemwide events. Systemwide activities for the coming program year include:
- A virtual orientation session in the fall
- A leadership training in the fall
- Fellows’ meetings and topical trainings for fellows working on similar projects throughout the year
- A closing symposium and poster presentation in late spring
- Periodic conference calls to discuss individual projects and share best practices with peers
Award Amount
$5,000 for the academic year
Financial AidScholarships Notice
Funding for this position comes as a scholarship, spread out as regular disbursements, and therefore go directly to the Financial Aid office for processing. Before taking the position, we highly recommend that you meet with your financial aid advisor to ensure your eligibility to receive this scholarship and that it will not adversely impact your financial aid package currently or in the future.
Fellowship Positions
Climate Action Fellows
Application deadline: July 31, 2025
Open to: All undergraduate and graduate students
UC San Diego and UC San Diego Health are hiring a total of four Climate Action Fellows for the 2025-26 academic year: Two fellows on the main campus (under UC San Diego Utilities & Sustainability) and two fellows on the health campus (under UC San Diego Health Sustainability). Applicants will have the opportunity to express their fellowship preferences:
- Climate Action Fellow – Climate Action Planning (2 total fellows – 1 fellow for main campus, 1 fellow for health campus): The Climate Action Planning Fellow will support efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and enhance climate resilience across the campus and health communities. Projects may include contributing to the Climate Action Plan, researching emerging technologies, analyzing building or operational data, and conducting stakeholder outreach. The fellow will also serve as student representatives during campus events and meetings, helping communicate climate action initiatives and foster collaboration among campus partners.
- Climate Action Fellow – Student Engagement (2 total fellows – 1 fellow for main campus, 1 fellow for health campus): The Climate Action Student Engagement Fellow will support climate and sustainability outreach efforts across the campus and health communities. Projects will focus on student and stakeholder engagement. This may include coordinating and promoting recurring events, representing and presenting sustainability information to various departments and teams, supporting communication and awareness campaigns, and collaborating with student groups, clinical staff, and other campus or health system partners.
Sustainable Agriculture and Food Fellows
Application deadline: July 31, 2025
Open to: All undergraduate and graduate students
UC San Diego and UC San Diego Health are hiring a total of four Sustainable Agriculture and Food Fellows for the 2025-26 academic year. The fellows will work under the guidance of Dr. Amy Lerner, faculty member in the Department of Urban Studies and Planning, and a site supervisor. Applicants will have the opportunity to express their fellowship preferences:
- Sustainable Agriculture and Food Fellow – Food Sustainability and Health Equity Engagement Fellow (1 fellow): The Engagement Fellow will work with The Hub, Basic Needs Center to coordinate community organizing and outreach efforts for the Food Recovery Network. Projects could include creating unique educational campaigns, expanding social media engagement, and participating in food recoveries and distributions on campus.
- Sustainable Agriculture and Food Fellow – Projects in sustainable and equitable food systems at UC San Diego and across San Diego (1 fellow): As a Sustainable Agriculture and Food Fellow, you have the opportunity to link up with ongoing projects in sustainable and equitable food systems. Such projects could include:
- The Center for Community Health at UC San Diego and their on-going efforts to promote and support urban food equity in San Diego. Fellow will work with the Center for Community Health in a hybrid capacity to support Growing Equity, a program serving urban farmers in the region to promote community food sovereignty and health equity. Fellow will perform project management tasks, provide technical assistance to urban farmers, and support community outreach efforts.
- UC San Diego Food and Garden resources: Fellow would be working to support campus gardens and their capacity to provide food for students, green space, educational opportunities and wildlife habitat.
- Sustainable Agriculture and Food Fellow | Sustainable Procurement at UC San Diego (2 total fellows – 1 fellow for main campus, 1 fellow for health campus): As a Sustainable Agriculture and Food Fellow there is the possibility for you to work with Dining at UC San Diego on main campus or health campus to propose ways to meet sustainable procurement goals for UC San Diego, according to the UCOP Sustainable Practices Policy. Examples of areas that could be explored in sustainable procurement: price differentials for sustainable products, diverse sources of sustainable products, comparing and contrasting the labels for sustainable products, marketing, and communication of sustainable products in dining.