The School of Global Environmental Sustainability at Colorado State University has announced the selection of 20 early career scientists as Sustainability Leadership Fellows for the 2021 to 2022 academic year. This cohort represents 15 departments and units and six colleges at CSU.

The School’s Sustainability Leadership Fellows program, which prepares future innovators and thought leaders with science communication and career development training, was one of the first of its kind and is one of the longest running programs of this type in North America.

Over the course of one year, fellows receive training to become leaders for the future. The program focuses on building skills to adeptly understand, translate, adapt and communicate their sustainability expertise so that they can have a meaningful impact on the social-environmental-economic challenges the world faces.

Fellows receive training in science communication, engagement, identifying shared values, interacting with policymakers, building effective teams and other professional development skills to incorporate meaningful strategies into their future sustainability careers.

Last year, the Sustainability Leadership Fellows program had to adapt to guidelines under COVID-19 and delivered the same quality training in a virtual format. With university operations set to resume in-person in fall 2021, the program will shift again.

“We aim to grow and improve the Sustainability Leadership Fellows program each year,” said Aleta Weller, SoGES senior research and engagement officer. “We are excited to implement what we’ve learned from operating during the pandemic, and the new ideas that came out of that.”

Shaista Karim, who is pursuing a doctoral degree in the Department of Agricultural Biology, is interested in improving her communication, management, and strategic planning skills to have a greater positive impact in the world.

“This fellowship will provide a platform where I can be mentored and in turn mentor peers and interact with a diverse and multidisciplinary community,” said Karim. “It will help me to participate in the integration of science into the wider world in a way that places science in a more influential position to improve the lives of all people.”

SoGES leaders recognize that CSU’s doctoral and postdoctoral researchers are a primary informational resource for the complex decisions that can move the world towards a sustainable future. The Sustainability Leadership Fellows program exists to provide additional skills and expertise to these sustainability experts so they can better tackle these grand challenges in their future careers.