Monday, June 22, 2009

CFP: PhD Workshop on Transatlantic Relations, Climate and Energy

The Environmental Policy Research Center (FFU) at Freie Universität Berlin is delighted to announce a call for papers for the first transatlantic PhD Workshop on “Forging Closer Ties: Transatlantic Relations, Climate and Energy”, in Berlin, November 29 - December 5, 2009. The Workshop will bring together PhD students and faculty from Freie Universität Berlin and North American universities to examine developments in transatlantic climate and energy relations. Supervised by renowned faculty from the US, Canada and Germany, doctoral students in the social sciences will present their research in the following focus areas: renewable energy policy, environmental policy, energy security, and climate change. The workshop will provide participating PhD students with the opportunity to discuss their papers with peers and senior researchers in working groups and plenary sessions. In addition, field trips will offer the participants the possibility to meet with representatives from various associations and think tanks, as well as with representatives from governmental and non-governmental organizations and other institutions. The workshop is timed to proceed directly the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, December 7-18, 2009. Those wishing to attend the Copenhagen meeting can easily travel there after the end of the workshop.

The workshop aims at providing a forum for exchange of research ideas and at promoting network building among leading young researchers across the Atlantic. The sessions and meetings will introduce the participants to European and North American perspectives on environmental and energy issues and contribute to strengthening transatlantic dialogue on challenges and opportunities in the context of renewable energy development, climate change and energy security.

Submission Procedure: Interested PhD students enrolled at Canadian and US universities should submit a CV, one letter of recommendation and an abstract of their paper (approx. 1200 words) by email to Matthias Kuder <matthias.kuder@fu-berlin.de>no later than July 20, 2009. An international program committee will evaluate the submissions and select participants on a competitive basis. Selection of participants will be announced by August 15, 2009. There is no participation fee. Confirmed participants may be eligible for a Freie Universität fellowship covering travel costs and hotel accommodation. Freie Universität will provide up to 10 such fellowships which will be granted based on quality and relevance of the abstract. For further information please contact Matthias Kuder.