Program Application

o   Applicant must already be in, or be accepted to, a Masters or PhD program, or a Postdoctoral research position at the University of Victoria;

o   Applicant’s research, or proposed research, aligns with the program, being focused on a component of climate change (science, impacts, adaptation or mitigation) that is relevant to coastal communities, urban centres, or ecosystems. Interdisciplinary research is encouraged;

o   Applicant demonstrates awareness of, and motivation to learn more, about climate change solutions, to work in an interdisciplinary environment, and to commit to the required program elements (in-person).

*Note that in Year 1, this includes:

o   a mandatory Program Orientation (scheduled for Tuesday, September 2, 2025);

o   one course in the fall semester (Climate Solutions Foundations);

o   one course in the spring semester (BC Coastal Climate Challenge);

o   attending a climate change seminar once a month, and;

o   attending two professional skills training workshops;

o   attending the year-end Climate Networking Event

Preference will be given to students who are supervised (or co-supervised) by faculty members on the Core CCSL Faculty Team.

Admission Requirements

Applicants who meet the following criteria will be considered for admission:

Trainees

We encourage applicants from any Department or School at the University of Victoria to apply.

International students are encouraged to apply.

    • Funding: Master’s trainees receive a maximum of $8,500 over two years

    • Internship: minimum 8 weeks

    • Funding: PhD trainees receive a maximum of $12,000 over three years

    • Internship: minimum 12 weeks

  • Postdocs do not generally receive funding but have unique training requirements and opportunities in the CCSL program:

    • Attend the fall course (Climate Solutions Foundations)

    • Lead a climate research cluster (monthly meetings)

    Postdocs are eligible to apply to the UVic Aspiration Postdoctoral Fellowship Funding

Expand to learn more:

Click “Apply Now” to download a PDF of the application.

  • “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

    Executive Director, Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions

  • "Throughout this semester, I was continually reminded of the importance of collective leadership. By fostering open communication, embracing diverse perspectives, and working towards a shared vision, we were able to co-create solutions that reflected the complexity of the problem at hand"

    – Tessa Rehill

    MSc Biology, 2023 cohort

  • "I would like to thank the entire CCSL team for all your work on the program and the Climate Solutions Foundations course. I can see it has been a vast effort to imagine, create, coordinate, and bring it to life. I am so grateful for the opportunity to be involved and appreciative of your efforts. I wish to say a special thank you to Julia, Isabella and Jenn, as well as the core faculty, for being at the heart of creating this first-of-its-kind training program, and for providing me with an abundance of remarkable opportunities"

    – Rowan Hargreaves

    Masters of Public Administration (MPA), 2023 cohort

  • "The BC Coastal Climate Challenge course has been a transformative journey that has prepared me to be an effective part of the next generation of climate leaders. The skills, knowledge and experiences gained here will ubdoubtedly influence my future work and collaborations in the field of climate mitigation-adaptation solutions"

    – Niloofar Gilani Larimi

    PhD candidate, Business, 2023 cohort

  • "In the BC Coastal Climate Challenge, we cultivated systems thinking by recognizing and respecting different–and sometimes conflicting–views from peers, faculty, and other stakeholders, encouraging open discussion, and negotiating appropriate solutions. Our collective leadership approach of co-developing solutions that reflected a shared vision not only strengthened the project outcomes but also cultivated essential skills for effective collaboration and leadership in future endeavors."

    – Luke Seybold

    MASc Engineering, 2023 cohort