Get involved

Do you care about public understanding of climate change?

Do you want to help build something with real-world impact?

If you answered 'yes', please consider contributing your expertise and skills to climatebreak.com.

Read on to find out how.

We’re forming a core team to develop climatebreak.com into a 'gateway' website for non-experts to find credible information and interact with experts on climate change. The team will comprise a project team and academic experts.

climatebreak.com has been created by several alumni of the Master of Public Policy programme at Oxford University, UK, to address a problem we've personally experienced. It follows extensive research and discussions with experts in climate change and climate change communication regarding feasibility and need. We explain why climatebreak.com is needed here.

Please note that this is a volunteer-led project and, as such, all roles are on a voluntary basis.

There are several ways to be involved:

Join the Experts Pool

climatebreak.com will bring together academic experts from different disciplines to improve public understanding of climate change. It offers a new way for academics to conduct public outreach, as part of a broad expert community.

We’re seeking specialists in climate science and climate change impacts across disciplines (e.g. economics, public health, sociology) to volunteer to work with the project team to develop the website content. In particular, we’re looking for:

Postdoctoral/early career researchers – to be Content Leads. Time commitment would be negotiated based on researchers' availability and website needs. Ideally, researchers would hold the Content Lead role for a 3-6 month period.
Senior academics – to be Expert Reviewers and/or Advisors. The level of commitment can be one-off, temporary or ongoing, depending on preference.

Please refer to the 'Experts Pool' tab for more information. We are currently seeking expressions of interest for a trial in late 2023/early 2024.

Join the Project Team - development phase

The project team is responsible for the strategy and operations of climatebreak.com, provides central coordination, and will work with academics to develop the website.

We are looking for team members who are self-motivated, believe in the aims of climatebreak.com, and excited to contribute to improved public understanding of climate change.

We are taking expressions of interest for the following volunteer roles:

Project manager – to help develop repeatable processes and coordinate work streams
Communications Lead(s) – to drive content accessibility and visibility
Legal adviser – to ensure compliance with legal obligations
Website developer – to help build a fully-functional, user-friendly, website

Benefits

Make a meaningful contribution to the world’s understanding of climate change
Connect with like-minded individuals and build your professional network
Enhance skills, and learn about the latest in climate change developments in different areas

Please refer to the 'Project Team' tab for more information. We are currently seeking expressions of interest for a trial in late 2023/early 2024.

If you have any questions or think you can help us in other ways, please reach out to us at contact[at]climatebreak.com.

We look forward to hearing from you,

Adaudo Anyiam-Osigwe (Nigeria), Bronwyn Lo (Australia), Lekha Sridhar (India)

"I support this project, and consider it a valuable opportunity for researchers to share their expertise with the general public. I am contributing because I believe it is important for the future of our children and grandchildren."

Professor Andrew Oswald

Professor of Economics and Behavioural Science

University of Warwick, UK

Board of Reviewing Editors, Science

Role Description: Project Manager

The project manager for climatebreak.com will coordinate processes and streams of work to help the team achieve its objectives within agreed timeframes.

The project manager would likely need to commit to up to 5 hours per week on the project, depending on level of experience and the project stage, and participate in team meetings and discussions as required. The role may evolve over time as the project progresses.

Requirements:

At least five years’ experience in project management, preferably including in an agile environment
Comfortable with working in a start-up environment, and self-motivated
Enthusiasm and willingness to work collaboratively in a team and independently
Strong interpersonal skills, with experience interacting with subject-matter experts

Nice-to-haves:

Familiarity with or experience working in academia
Experience working in multidisciplinary teams

Role Description: Communications Lead(s)

As a Communications Lead for climatebreak.com, you will work with academics to translate academic research into accessible and accurate content.

During the development phase, the Communications Lead would likely need to commit up to 10-15 hours per website section, over an agreed time period, and participate in team meetings and discussions as required.

We may appoint multiple (subject-specific) Communications Leads depending on need, and the role may evolve over time as the project progresses.

Requirements:

At least five years’ experience in written communications, including public-facing communications
Excellent writing and editing skills, with ability to turn technical, academic information into accessible content for the general public
Comfortable using digital tools and platforms (e.g. social media)
Strong interpersonal skills, with experience interacting with subject-matter experts
Strong organisational skills and attention to detail
Comfortable with working in a start-up environment, and self-motivated
Enthusiasm and willingness to work collaboratively in a team and independently

Nice-to-haves:

Familiarity with academic writing and context
Experience working in multidisciplinary teams
Experience with graphic design and video editing

Role Description: Legal Advisor

The Legal Advisor for climatebreak.com will provide ad hoc advice on legal issues that may arise in the development of the website.

Time commitment is expected to be up to 5-10 hours per month, with participation in team meetings and discussions as required.

Requirements:

Formal legal qualifications, with eligibility to practice in resident country
Five years' practical legal experience
Knowledge of privacy law, in particular the EU GDPR, and IP/copyright law
Knowledge of not-for-profit legal structures
Comfortable with working in a start-up environment, and self-motivated

Role Description: Website Developer

The Website Developer for climatebreak.com will provide advice on website development and help to improve website functionality and experience.

Time commitment will depend on the advised approach, but initially is expected to consist of 1-4 hours per month for participation in team meetings and discussions as required.

Requirements:

Demonstrated experience in building websites
Strong organisational skills and attention to detail
Comfortable with working in a start-up environment, and self-motivated
Enthusiasm and willingness to work collaboratively in a team and independently

How to submit your interest

If you're interested, please send us an email at contact[at]climatebreak.com with your CV and your approximate availability in late 2023/early 2024. No need for a formal cover letter, but please let us know your motivations for applying. If you are interested in a Communications Lead or Website Developer role, please also provide three samples of work.

We use Proton Mail as our email service to protect the security of your information. Please refer to our Privacy Policy here.

Role description: Content Lead(s)

The project team will include Content Leads from across disciplines who take ownership or co-ownership of different sections of the website, which will be assigned based on interest and area of expertise. Content Leads conduct and/or advise on relevant research, and work with Communication Leads to draft content.

Each section* of the website is expected to take 20-25 hours over an agreed period of time. We suggest a total 3-6 month commitment to climatebreak.com to get the most benefit out of the experience.

* An example of a section is one of the impact categories on this page.

** As part of the trial, we will seek feedback from Content Leads on the time commitment, templates, and process.

Requirements:

Current academic appointment at a university
At least two years’ postdoctoral experience in a field relating to climate change, in particular climate change impacts. Please note that we intend to focus on a selection of the impact categories on this page initially.
At least two lead author or co-author publications in peer-reviewed academic journals, without least one published in the last two years.
Experience and/or interest in public communication
Comfortable with working in a start-up environment, and self-motivated
Enthusiasm and willingness to work collaboratively in a team and independently

We use Proton Mail as our email service to protect the security of your information. Please refer to our Privacy Policy here.

Role Description: Expert Reviewer

Expert Reviewers provide advice to Academic Content Leads, and review content and the overall architecture for accuracy, gaps, and clarity.

Requirements:

Current academic appointment at a university
At least ten years’ postdoctoral experience in a field relating to climate change, in particular climate change impacts. Please note that we intend to focus on a selection of the impact categories on this page initially.
At least 15 lead author or co-author publications in peer-reviewed academic journals, with at least one published in the past three years
Experience and/or interest in public communication

If you're interested, please email us at contact[at]climatebreak.com to let us know. We'll reply with more information on the review process and to discuss preferred level of involvement. The level of commitment can be one-off, temporary or ongoing, depending on preference.

As part of the trial, we will seek feedback from Expert Reviewers on the time commitment, templates, and process.

We use Proton Mail as our email service to protect the security of your information. Please refer to our Privacy Policy here.