This website stores cookies on your computer. These cookies are used to collect information about how you interact with our website and allow us to remember your browser. We use this information to improve and customize your browsing experience, for analytics and metrics about our visitors both on this website and other media, and for marketing purposes. By using this website, you accept and agree to be bound by UVic’s Terms of Use and Protection of Privacy Policy.  If you do not agree to the above, you can configure your browser’s setting to “do not track.”

Skip to main content
People Departments Maps Buildings Rooms A-Z
University
of Victoria
Apply Library
Sign in Online tools Sign out
Faculty of Graduate Studies

UVic Sustainability Scholars Program

Close up of a hand on a mossy tree trunk.

The UVic Sustainability Scholars Program: leading the way in applied sustainability.

Our paid internships offer graduate students from any discipline the opportunity to advance sustainability research projects for community, Indigenous, government, not-for-profit, and industry partners. 

The UVic Sustainability Scholars Program

Applied research. Real-world impact. Paid graduate internships.

The Sustainability Scholars Program connects graduate students with community, government, Indigenous, industry, and non-profit partners to advance applied sustainability research across the region. Scholars bring strong academic skills, curiosity, and fresh perspectives to meaningful real-world challenges. Partners gain actionable research, added capacity, and support from UVic every step of the way.

Explore student opportunities Submit a project proposal Application guide

Two Pathways

For Graduate Students

  • Paid summer internships | 250 hrs (May 1–Aug 15)

  • Eligibility: UVic grad students (any discipline)

  • Deadline: February 1, 2026

How to apply

  1. Review internships

  2. Prepare cover letter + resume

  3. Submit by Feb 1

View student opportunities Application Guide
For Partner Organizations

For Partner Organizations

  • advance sustainability priorities with rigorous graduate research

  • receive actionable deliverables tailored to your organizational goals

  • UVic supports recruitment, payroll, and program management

Projects should:

  • be research-oriented (not clerical)

  • have clear goals and deliverables

  • fit within 250 hours

Next steps

  • review proposal guidelines

  • draft and submit a proposal by November, 2026

Partner With Us Submit a Project Proposal Proposal Guidelines

Need help?

Send us an email with your ideas, questions or to request more information.

In the news

Bracing for rain: sustainability scholar project
Photo of SSP scholar Lily in front of waterfall

Story by Anne MacLaurin

Lily Charette, a Sustainability Scholar and a master’s candidate in UVic geography,  assisted Peninsula Streams Society with their project, Bracing for Rain: A cross-municipal analysis of stormwater policy in the capital region. 

See full article
Earthy Day Feature: Matt Britton, 2024 Sustainability Scholar
Hand holding red berries found in Littlewood forest
UVic School of Public Administration, graduate student, Matt Britton mapped a rare ecological zone for his sustainability scholars internship with Sandown Centre for Regenerative Agriculture
See full article
Feature: Sabrina Guzman Skotnitsky, 2024 Sustainability Scholar
Sustainability Scholar Sabrina Guzman Skotnitsky tabling about the Climate Equity by Design project at the Oaklands Sunset Market on July 3rd
UVic School of Environmental Studies, graduate student, Sabrina Guzman Skotnitsky created inclusive climate adaptation plans with equity-denied community members as part of her sustainability scholars internship with the Community Social Planning Council of Greater Victoria.
See full article
Driving sustainability forward
UVic Sustainability Scholar, Akash Mohanty, smiling and leaning against a UVic electric car.
Akash Mohanty is one of a dozen students driving sustainability forward on Vancouver Island through the University of Victoria’s Sustainability Scholars program. Credit: UVic Photo Services
See full article
Fostering food independence on Haida Gwaii
Julia Weder, UVic Sustainability Scholar, smiling at a table in a market
UVic Sustainability Scholar, Julia Weder, sits at an engagement booth at Hospital Day, an annual celebratory event in June in Daajing Giids to support community wellness and health. Credit: supplied image
See full article