Future Leaders Programme

To apply, read through the project descriptions below, check the application guidance, and complete the relevant application form. 

The deadline for applications is 11:59pm on Wednesday 8 April. 

See this year’s projects: 

Climate Adaptation Policy

The Project Assistant will be based in Cambridge Zero and will deliver a policy briefing on climate adaptation based on two major national climate risk and adaptation reports as well as a Cambridge Zero Policy Forum. They will conduct reading and conversations with researchers and other stakeholders. There may be additional opportunities for the Project Assistant to contribute to compiling responses to Government calls for evidence. 

For more information and to apply click on: Apply for the Cambridge Zero policy opportunity.

Climate & Nature Research Map

The Project Assistant will work with the Head of Research Engagement and the Head of Communications in Cambridge Zero to renovate the Cambridge Climate and Nature Research Map to add greater functionality and accessibility. The map is the most comprehensive guide to climate and nature research at the University of Cambridge. The renovation is meant to make it more user-friendly for fundraising activity, attracting collaborations and potential researchers.

For more information and to apply click on: Apply for the Cambridge Zero research and communications opportunity. 

Future Homes Project

The Project Assistant will work alongside experts at the  Future Homes Hub and across the housing sector, to build on a proof-of-concept trial carried out in 2025. That trial brought together government published postcode-level metered energy data, building data from the Energy Performance Certificate register, and development timeline data from homebuilders. The 2026 phase of the project will focus on developing more robust data integration, management and visualisation processes to enable large-scale analysis. Work will also include exploring the use of additional datasets — including potential inputs from multiple energy suppliers and network operators.

For more information and to apply click on: Apply for the Future Homes Hub opportunity. 

Sustainable Research

The primary output for the Project Assistant will be a report describing the data collected on attitudes to environmentally sustainable research in the The School of Clinical Medicine, plus insights into the opportunities and barriers to staff and students who want to increase the sustainability of their research. The information will be used in the future to identify areas of behaviour change to focus on, plus interventions that the School could make to support structural, cultural, and behaviour change. It will also represent a key resource to refer to when working at School level towards satisfying funders’ upcoming sustainability requirements (e.g. UKRI, Wellcome, Cancer Research UK, NIHR). 

For more information and to apply click on: Apply for the School of Clinical Medicine opportunity. 

Planetary Health Education

The Project Assistant will work alongside The Public Health Education Group (PHEG) to undertake a mapping of existing Masters and professional education courses within the University of Cambridge which either contain teaching on environmental change/impact or human health, or have the potential to include these, to identify where these two perspectives might be brought together. The Public Health Education Group (PHEG) is responsible for teaching public health to medical students and teaching planetary health to students on the MPhil in Population Health Sciences and the aim of this project is to identify opportunities for further taught education at the graduate level on the subject of planetary health and sustainable healthcare within the University of Cambridge.

For more information and to apply click on: Apply for the Public Health Education Group opportunity. 

Climate Education

Cambridge Zero and Dr Ewa Marek (Department of Chemical Engineering & Biotechnology) are looking for a Project Assistant to design and propose components for a proposed new postgraduate programme (MPhil, PhD) at the University of Cambridge. By considering transdisciplinary approaches to climate challenges and solutions, this proposed new programme could enable future generations of graduates to bring creative and research-informed approaches to tackling the interconnected and intersectional challenges associated with climate change around the world.

For more information and to apply please click on: Apply for the Cambridge Zero education opportunity. 

Climate Innovation Map

In this role, the Project Assistant will be based in Cambridge Zero, and will update information and draft case studies on climate innovation activities and initiatives across the University of Cambridge and the Cambridge ecosystem for the Cambridge climate innovation map. The ambition behind the climate innovation map is to reinforce the University’s position as a global leader in addressing the climate crisis, while also strengthening Cambridge’s role as a key innovation hub in the UK. 

For more information and to apply click on: Apply for the Cambridge Zero innovation opportunity.