Research Associate

Research Associate

The International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) intends to appoint at its Washington DC office a Research Associate to work on a Transatlantic Environmental Dialogue. This project will be funded by a grant from the European Commission.

The main goal of this project will be to establish a regular forum in which the Transatlantic community of expertise on climate change can achieve consensus on mitigating actions both within the Transatlantic community and with other key nations such as China and India.
In order to fulfil this objective, the IISS will host, a year apart from each other, two major conferences in London and Washington DC respectively, with a series of three workshops in between. The IISS will then publish a short report which will draw upon the key recommendations arising from these events and that will provide a concise Agenda of items upon which Transatlantic leaders should focus their efforts to mitigate the effects of climate change, including its effects on international security. This report will be launched formally at events in both London and Washington.

The Research Associate’s principal task will be the organisation of two conferences, in late 2008 and early 2010, and three workshops. The candidate will be expected to conduct research leading to a mid-project paper and a final report. He or she will also be expected to run a website, blog and listeserv, as well as take an active role in promoting the project on the World Wide Web and also leveraging other web.2 tools effectively. The Research Associate will be a member of the staff of the IISS Washington DC office but will be working to the Director for Transnational Threats and Political Risk, based in London.
While this is a fixed-term position, the Institute will undertake efforts to sustain the project beyond January/February 2010. The Research Associate will be involved in seeking further funding for the project.
The ideal candidate will:
- Be educated to at least Master level in a relevant discipline
- Have a demonstrable interest in environmental issues
- Have excellent organisational, administrative and research skills
- Be IT proficient
- Have experience in building website pages
The candidate will also ideally:
- Have some experience in fundraising
- Have established transatlantic contacts
- Have interest in/knowledge of China and India

Salary will depend on experience

Only candidates who currently possess the right to work in the United States will be considered for this position.
Applications should be e-mailed to comolli@iiss.org by 15 September 2008, or may be sent in writing to:
Virginia Comolli
Arundel House
13–15 Arundel Street,
Temple Place
London WC2R 3DX
United Kingdom