Sustainability Catalyst Internships
The Sustainability Catalyst Internships offer U of T graduate students paid opportunities to work with partners on real-world sustainability solutions across the Greater Toronto Area, while receiving additional support from university staff.
The internships are part-time and run during the summer period each year from May to September. The internships are managed by the secretariat of the President’s Advisory Committee on the Environment, Climate Change, and Sustainability (CECCS).
What’s On this page
Students gain meaningful experience and opportunities to contribute to real-world sustainability issues
Partners gain current insights and advanced research skills that will help address sustainability priorities within the organization
Students & partners gain support from CECCS throughout: from project scoping and recruitment to hiring, payroll administration and intern management
How It Works
This paid summer internship is open to partners from public, private and non-governmental organization sectors from across the Greater Toronto Area and full-time U of T graduate students (Master’s and PhD) from any program or discipline.
Sustainability Catalyst Interns work with mentors at the partner organization and put their applied research skills to work on an agreed sustainability challenge.
CECCS facilitates project definition and delivery, connects partners to promising students and provides support throughout the internship process.
What our students & partners have said about the internship
“This internship gave me the opportunity to bridge academic knowledge with practical, real-world challenges in the sustainability and building policy sector.”
Yazan Zamel (Student)
Sustainable Buildings Canada
“This internship has been invaluable. The intern’s thorough research and literature review, and interviews with potential program partners, has been instrumental in developing the direction and scope of work for our new home energy loan program.”
Nicola Lashley (Partner)
City of Toronto Environment, Climate & Forestry Division
What kinds of projects can U f T graduate students do?
Students work on projects determined by successful partner applicants in any area of sustainability from social justice issues to climate action and planetary health. Sample activities:
- conduct a literature, jurisdictional, or best practice review
- conduct and report on interviews or focus groups
- develop project engagement and action plans or toolkits
- develop case studies and assessment frameworks
- prepare a feasibility study
- build and assess lifecycle costing tools
- write a business case
- conduct and develop an environmental scan
- prepare a GHG emissions inventory
- design, implement and analyze a survey
- analyse and draft policy documents or briefing materials
- GIS mapping or community needs mapping
City of Toronto Environment, Climate & Forestry Division | Akshaya Kaliappan
City of Toronto Environment, Climate & Forestry Division | Akshaya Kaliappan
Akshaya worked on supporting the expansion of Toronto’s Home Energy Loan Program (HELP) with the city’s Environment, Climate & Forestry (ECF) Division. The initiative focuses on helping homeowners implement flood resilience measures to reduce urban flooding risks, prevent property damage and health hazards, minimize financial burdens, and strengthen long-term community resilience through targeted retrofits.
Ontario Nature | Marcellinus Essah
Ontario Nature | Marcellinus Essah
Marcellinus worked with Ontario Nature to examine the status of endangered species in Ontario, the threats they face, and gaps in current policies to identify opportunities for stronger protections and inform strategies to halt species extinction, while supporting a healthy, biodiverse environment.
North York General Hospital | Helena Teng
North York General Hospital | Helena Teng
Helena worked with North York General Hospital to develop a comprehensive sustainability framework and 10-year roadmap to guide targeted efforts that reduce emissions and integrate sustainability into hospital operations and decision-making.
Information for Students
Are you interested in a paid summer internship that connects you with applied sustainability research opportunities? The graduate student application period for the Sustainability Catalyst Internship program is now open until March 1, 2026!
Why apply to be an intern?
Use and develop your skills to provide a useful sustainability research project for an organization in the public, private, or non-profit sector that will make a tangible difference in their work.
- Gain paid part-time work experience over 250 hours this summer with one of our partners at a Research Assistant level at U of T ($31.10/hour plus benefits)
- Be part of a Catalyst cohort that will receive career development opportunities and project support from your host organization and CECCS throughout your internship
- Have your project showcased online and at relevant U of T or partner events
Program requirements: You are enrolled in a full-time graduate program (Master’s & PhD) at U of T in the 2025-26 academic year. As this is a part-time internship, international students are also eligible.
- You are in good academic standing and not on academic probation
- You are legally entitled to work in Canada and will be residing within the Greater Toronto Area during the internship
- You have confirmed your eligibility to work the required hours by checking the guidelines of any graduate student funding you hold. It is the award recipient’s responsibility to comply with the rules and regulations of their award(s).
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2026 Internship Opportunities
Application Process:
- You may apply to as many internship projects as you meet the qualifications for but must submit a separate application for each project unless otherwise specified in the application procedure
- Each application must include a cover letter with the job ID outlining why this internship is of interest, and a resume highlighting relevant skills and experience
- Applications must be submitted through the U of T Career & Co-Curricular Learning Network (CLNx) by 11:59 PM on March 1, 2026. If applying for more than one Sustainability Catalyst Internship position, this internship project ranking form must also be completed by March 1
- Early applications submitted between February 20-28 (after our Job Applications Workshop) will be reviewed on a rolling basis and are encouraged. Only applicants selected for an interview will be contacted
Student Resources:
CECCS and U of T Career Exploration & Education invite you to participate in the following workshops. While strongly encouraged, it is not a requirement to apply:
- Thursday, February 19, 3:00-4:30 PM – Job Applications Workshop & Internship Q&A (online). This workshop will provide tips on how to highlight relevant skills and experience and tailor applications to the position(s) that you are applying for, as well as an opportunity to ask questions about the Sustainability Catalyst Internship program with the project manager. Please register for the Job Applications workshop here.
- Tuesday, March 10, 3:00-4:30 PM – Job Interviews Workshop (online). This workshop will provide the opportunity to practice your interview skills and prepare for the internship roles you have applied to. Please register for the Job Interviews Workshop here.
Partner With Us
Our 2026 partner project application period has closed. Please email the project manager if you’d like more information about applying to be a host organization in 2027.
Why host an intern?
Specialized Knowledge
Bring the skills of a U of T grad student into your organization – ideal for research-driven or time-bound sustainability projects
Graduate Employability
Work with the top university in Canada for graduate employability (Times Higher Education)
#1 Ranking
Partner with the most sustainable university in North America and the top two globally (QS World University Rankings)
Streamlined Recruitment
We support project scoping, candidate screening, shortlisting and onboarding
End-to-end Program Support
We manage the payroll, provide professional development and guide interns through a structured, peer-supported experience
Build Your Talent Pool
Mentor & identify future leaders who are about to enter the workforce
Contact Us
Questions about the Sustainability Catalyst Internship program? Contact our project manager.