open positions
OpenClimate
Blockchain for Carbon and Climate Tracking
BACKGROUND
Planet Earth’s atmosphere can hold a limited amount of CO2e emissions before average global temperatures rise above a safe level for humanity. The Paris Agreement and most recent IPCC reports confirmed this safe threshold to be 1.5C warming relative to pre-industrial levels, and consolidated the global efforts to prevent us from crossing it. The limited quantity of emissions relative to this threshold has been termed our global ‘carbon budget’. Tracking the planet’s carbon budget, including carbon emissions and climate actions is far from a simple task in a trustless and competitive world. Blockchain, IoT, remote sensing and advances in Data Science create the opportunity to achieve consensus on emission records and climate actions from countries, cities, organizations and individuals. However the key to implementing a globally adopted, comprehensive, transparent and standardized system lies in the collaboration of Blockchain, Climate and Data experts.
The open climate project is an open source initiative exploring the application of blockchain and other emerging technologies, such as IoT (Internet of Things), big data and machine learning, to the challenge of helping the world keep a transparent accounting system as we strive to achieve the climate targets set in the 2015 Paris Agreement. The project is incubated at the Yale Open Innovation Lab (openlab) and combines multiple other project components incubated and developed by a growing network of collaborators.
General Student Job Positions:
OPENLAB ASSOCIATES
OpenLab Associates fulfill multiple technical and operation requirements at the Yale Open Innovation Lab— both in regards to incubated projects like Open Solar or Open Climate, as well as in programmed events like the Climate Collabathon and Bootcamps. Technical interns are involved hands-on directly with research or software development of the incubated digital platforms. Coordination interns are involved in the logistical requirements and event planning needed.
GENERAL REQUIREMENTS:
Significant interest and basic experience in the intersection of climate change and energy transition with emerging digital technologies like IoT, blockchain and AI.
Experience with project management tools, product/project development timelines and coordination of thematic events
Technical experience with software development and computer science (front or back-end) [technical interns]
Expected workloads of 8hrs/week in average.
SPECIFIC STUDENT ROLE 1
Collabathon Coordinator
About this job
The Collabathon event coordinator will be the logistics manager behind the spring 2020 version of the global collaborative hackathon or ‘Collabathon’ which was launched at the Openlab in 2019. This year, the Collabathon with happen in April, in the context of Earth Day. The job position requires someone with experience and skills in event planning with tasks such as managing Trello boards, coordinating catering, venue requirements, communications with attendees and global parnter nodes around the world. Knowledge and interest about climate change policy, innovative technological solutions and software development is highly encouraged. Experience using squarespace or Wixwebsites is highly encouraged. Experience with basic design tools for communication like Canva is desired. The event coordinator will liaise with Martin Wainstein and Ben Soltoff.
Student researcher & developer
New Haven, CT
Start: February 3, 2020
Apply by: February 1st
SPECIFIC STUDENT ROLE 2
Graphic & UX/UI designer (x2)
About this job:
The OpenLab is searching for two talented and creative graphic designers with experience in web platform user experience and interface design. Designers will be working in both the OpenSolar and the OpenClimate projects and platforms on a diverse set of creative visual requirements. The projects are open for student’s creative expressions and independent developments alongside some of the more required operational tasks. Desired design software skills include the suite of Adobe products: Illustrator, In Design and Photoshop; Adobe Xd and Sketch for UI designs, as well as animation and video tools like After Effects and Final Cut. Passion for being part of innovative environmental solutions to climate change is highly encouraged. Designers will be working alongside Dr. Martin Wainstein and our PhD design fellow.
Student researcher & developer
New Haven, CT
Start: February 3, 2020
Apply by: February 1st
SPECIFIC STUDENT ROLE 3
OpenClimate Full stack developer & Blockchain intern
About this job:
To advance the development of the Open Climate platform —a development leveraging blockchain and platform services for global climate accounting, the Openlab is searching for a full stack developer with enthusiasm for learning and implementing blockchain and cryptographic tools. Experience with Go language is highly encouraged, as well as python, sql, and development of rpc api for front end integration. Experience with metadata schemas is encouraged. Interest in learning blockchain skills like smart contract architectures (eg. in Ethereum’s solidity), zero knowledge proof and inter blockchain communication protocols is highly encouraged. The student developer will be working with the whole Open Climate team, and coordinate particular research tasks with the lab’s PhD CS fellow.
Student researcher & developer
New Haven, CT
Start: February 3, 2020
Apply by: February 1st
SPECIFIC STUDENT ROLE 4
OpenClimate Front-End developer
About this job:
To advance the development of the Open Climate platform —a development leveraging blockchain and platform services for global climate accounting, the Openlab is searching for a front-end developer with experience in React Native, bootstrap, css and management of APIs. Enthusiasm for UX/UI design and autonomy in managing UI softwares like Xd and sketch is highly encouraged. The student developer will be working with the whole Open Climate team and have opportunities to pursue independent front end projects within the project.
Student researcher & developer
New Haven, CT
Start: February 3, 2020
Apply by: February 1st
SPECIFIC STUDENT ROLE 5
Global climate policy researcher
About this job:
The Open Climate project and platform seeks to propose and develop a unified global information and accounting system using blockchain for tracking climate pledges, actions, credit trading, financing and Earth system monitoring. We seek to work with a masters or PhD student with significant experience and passion for climate policy, climate markets and carbon accounting. Paris agreement knowledge is highly encouraged. Your task is to research and propose how implement methodologies that can be translated into software (code) and be part of methodological automation in the platform. You will be working with software developers and will be providing the ‘thoughtware’ component of the project. Data science skills are encouraged. Strong interest in emerging technologies is highly encouraged. Throughout the year, you will also be able to participate in key events to showcase the project, such as in the NY UN Climate week, and other major climate meetings.
Student researcher & developer
New Haven, CT
Start: February 3, 2020
Apply by: February 1st
OpenSolar
IoT + Blockchain for Smart Cross-Border Financing
BACKGROUND
We are building an open source platform to research decentralization technology for disintermediation and contractual automation of financial processes to drive community-owned solar projects.
OpenSolar’s core technology seeks to streamline the flow of crowd-based funds (eg. bonds and equity) to finance the deployment of solar assets, allowing end-users to own these resources in a short time frame through regular utility-like payments driven by energy generation and consumption IoT data.
more info here
STUDENT ROLE
Blockchain Fintech UX Developer
About this job:
The open innovation lab, in partnership with the MIT Media Lab’s Digital Currency Initiative is researching the role of blockchain, internet of things, and financial technologies, to perform cross-border crowd investment in decentralized infrastructure for school in developing countries. We will be primarily working on sites in Puerto Rico, but also Rwanda.
Responsibilities:
Review the Open Solar platforms UX/UI and incorporate in Xd or Sketch file necessary functionalities for pilot deployments
Research financial regulations relating to cross-border investments involving securities
Adapt and develop the OpenSolar platform to include internet infrastructure and cross-border considerations
Define considerations for incorporating banks in Puerto Rico and Rwanda under IBM’s World Wire
Qualifications:
Undergraduate or graduate student in computer science, graphics or related field to UX/UI with passion for international and sustainable development
Prior experience reviewing software under open source licenses
Experience of doing project management of independent work
Experience working with blockchain preferred, but not necessary
Student researcher & developer
New Haven, CT
Start: February 3, 2020
Apply by: February 1st
Connect.
There are many ways to get involved with the openlab. While we can suggest ideas if we know your skills, passions and superpowers, the best way is for you to go over all the different events and projects in the web and suggest something that resounds best to you. Let us know!
