Interdisciplinary Climate Leadership Training at the University of Victoria

Coastal Climate Solutions Leaders

An NSERC CREATE graduate training program

The UVic Coastal Climate Solutions Leaders (CCSL) program offers an immersive learning experience for graduate students seeking to advance climate solutions. Bridging across the sciences, engineering, social sciences, and business, this program delivers enriched interdisciplinary and inter-sectoral training to prepare the next generation of leaders with the knowledge, experience, and skills needed to rise to the challenge of climate change.

Gain advanced technical understanding of climate science, impacts, and policy measures

Advance your professional skills through leadership training and specialized workshops

Build your professional network and gain practical experience during your climate solutions internship

Collaborate in interdisciplinary teams and tackle a design challenge with local partners

About the program

Tomorrow’s climate leaders must be adept at working across disciplinary and sectoral boundaries. CCSL trainees learn in interdisciplinary cohorts, developing high-impact climate leadership skills and experience. Trainees enroll in two specialized climate courses, complete a climate internship with solutions seekers, attend climate networking events, and receive professional training in collective leadership for the climate action workforce.

Read the 2025 Year-End newsletter for program updates.

LEARN MORE

Meet the trainees

Climate solutions trainees come from a range of backgrounds, from Engineering and the Natural Sciences, to Public Administration, Business, and the Humanities.

To date, we have trained 35 graduate students and Postdoctoral fellows, and awarded over $250,000 in traineeship funding and scholarships.

CURRENT COHORT

How to apply?

Applicants must be enrolled in a graduate program at the University of Victoria while conducting climate-focused research.

The program welcomes a new cohort each September. Applications for the Fall 2025 cohort are now closed. The next application cycle will open in Spring 2026.

APPLICATION

Core Training Elements

Technical Training

Students gain advanced technical understanding of climate change science, impacts and mitigation through lectures from leading climate change scholars and practitioners, seminars, and interdisciplinary research clusters.

Experiential Learning

Students learn to navigate the complexities of implementing climate solutions and appreciation of their societal context. Trainees complete a real-world design challenge and a short term internship with one of our climate solutions partners.

Professional Skills

Trainees develop skills that are highly sought out in the climate action workforce through professional development workshops.

Alumni Testimonials from CCSL’s First Cohort of Graduates

  • “The CCSL program addresses a critical need for the next generation of leaders across disciplines to collaborate on solving climate challenges that intertwine their areas of expertise.”

    Luke Flynn Seybold, Masters of Mechanical Engineering, 2023 Cohort

  • “[CCSL] connected me with passionate peers and leading climate experts from across disciplines, giving me the confidence and skills to turn my climate concerns into real-world action. Through the program, I gained hands-on experience and a broader perspective that has empowered me to help drive meaningful change.”

    Brendan Danaher, Masters of Civil Engineering, 2023 Cohort

  • "CCSL was pivotal in my transition to a career in climate solutions. In just 18 months, I went from a climate-concerned graduate student with a basic understanding of solutions to a permanent policy analyst advancing provincial energy decarbonization. The program gave me the knowledge, network, and experience to make that leap possible."

    Rowan Hargreaves, Masters of Public Administration, 2023 Cohort

  • "[CCSL] gave me the foundational skills I needed to apply my skills confidently towards meaningful climate solutions. The connectivity to my peers, university, and real world climate leaders I gained was inspiring in so many ways and will propel me forward beyond grad school."

    Sophie Janke, Masters of Mechanical Engineering, 2023 Cohort

  • "CCSL was a major highlight of my masters degree, as it taught me the importance of working across disciplines to develop meaningful climate solutions. It also strengthened my practical skills, boosted my confidence, and expanded my professional network - preparing me well for future opportunities."

    Bryan Woodward, Masters of Environmental Studies, 2023 Cohort

  • "The [CCSL] program has been an integral part of my graduate experience. Being a CCSL trainee has allowed me to gain real-world skills that have made me a more effective researcher, communicator, and collaborator, which will be helpful as I enter the climate workforce."

    Ellie Batchelder, Masters of Environmental Studies, 2023 Cohort

“The Coastal Climate Solutions Leaders program is a remarkable example of what transdisciplinary climate education looks like in practice. When students from diverse disciplines converge in collective learning - supported by faculties across the university in partnership with communities - we see the academic silos breakdown and the opportunity to holistically reimagine the world emerge.”

— Ian Mauro, Director of the Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions (PICS)