Mitigation Pathways Modeling Intern

About SDSN and FABLE

The UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) has been operating since 2012 under the auspices of the UN Secretary-General. SDSN mobilizes global scientific and technological expertise to promote practical solutions for sustainable development, including the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Paris Climate Agreement.

SDSN co-leads the
Food, Agriculture, Biodiversity, Land Use, and Energy (FABLE) Consortium
. FABLE is a global network of researchers modelling long-term integrated pathways for food and land-use systems. FABLE's mission is to create a collaborative space to support local scientists through capacity building, access to modelling tools and data, and knowledge on effective strategies for engaging stakeholders and informing policy processes. As part of this mission, FABLE developed the
FABLE Calculator (FABLE-C)
, which supports scenario analysis to assess the impact of policy and behavioral changes on food systems, land use, climate, biodiversity, and public health.

The
FABLE Intern
will contribute to the FABLE-C's representation of SDG2 and climate mitigation, to help FABLE country teams develop pathways to achieve SDG 2 without breaching the 1.5 - degree threshold for the planet. This includes helping to develop a methodology for incorporating new indicators and scenarios into the Calculator and supporting analytical and technical tasks to address cross-cutting issues in sustainable food and land-use systems.

About the FABLE-C

The FABLE-C is an Excel-based accounting tool used to study the potential evolution of food and land-use systems over the period It focuses on agriculture as the main driver of land-use change and tests the impact of different policies and changes in the drivers of these systems through the combination of many scenarios. It includes 76 raw and processed agricultural products from the crop and livestock sectors and relies extensively on the FAOSTAT database for input data. For every 5-year time step over the period , the Calculator computes the level of agricultural activity, land use change, food consumption, trade, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, water use, and biodiversity conservation according to selected scenarios.

Position Responsibilities

1. Technical Contributions:

Develop a methodology to include news indicators (e.g. Body Mass Index, technological climate mitigation options for the agricultural sector) in the FABLE Calculator to support country teams in better understanding of the connections between dietary shifts, health and climate mitigation:

• Conduct a literature review on the selected indicators and scenarios to guide methodology development.
• Collect and prepare relevant data to a build a comprehensive dataset with global coverage for the selected indicators and scenarios
• Adapt the FABLE-C to include new indicators and scenarios
• Document technical developments by creating "update packages" for the FABLE-C.

• Provide technical support to the FABLE Researcher on additional tasks related to the project.

• Analytical Contributions:

Conduct literature reviews to support policy briefs, reports, or scientific articles on sustainable food and land-use systems. Topics may include reduction of GHG emissions from the AFOLU sector, "fair share" and equity in reduction targets, achieving SDG2 and other relevant issues.

1. Event coordination support:

Assist in planning and executing meetings and workshops (both in-person and virtual) involving scientists, governments, and experts on sustainable food systems.

Qualifications

Eligibility: Candidates must have the right to hold an internship in France (i.e., the ability to obtain a « convention de stage » from a university, which is obligatory for all internships in France). SDSN Association Paris is not able to sponsor visas.

• Education:
  Candidates should be pursuing an advanced degree in economics, environmental studies, agronomy, or related fields.

Technical skills:

• Proficiency in Excel is required; good knowledge in R is an asset
• Experience working with statistics and models is an asset
• Strong working knowledge of Microsoft Office, including Word and PowerPoint

Language:
Professionally fluent in English with good writing and oral communication skills.

Personal attributes:

• Demonstrated initiative and a problem-solving mindset.
• Flexible in responding to changing priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Comfortable working as part of an international team as well as independently.

Duration and location (dates and total time)

The internship is full time, 5 days per week for 6 months, from March 2026 – August 2026 based in SDSN office in Paris 75009.

Compensation

You will receive a gratification of 1060€ gross per month, plus 50% of transportation costs.

To apply

Candidates interested in the position should fill in the information below and upload a resume and cover letter on HR Partner. Applications with no cover letter will not be considered.

Deadline for application: 
31 January 2026