As cities worldwide face escalating urban heat crises, the path to equitable cooling solutions runs through universities—institutions uniquely positioned to convene diverse stakeholders, generate evidence, and build climate leaders. The Urban Heat Country Focal Person role activates this potential by establishing university partnerships that launch Urban Heat Fellowship Programs across 48 countries.
This fellowship track exemplifies the GZO vision: empowering changemakers to co-convene stakeholders on wicked problems and lead systemic change. Urban heat is a governance, equity, health, and infrastructure challenge requiring precisely the bridging leadership the GZO program cultivates.
As an Urban Heat Country Focal Person, you'll catalyze climate action by activating three university partnerships to launch Asian City Cooling Fellowship in your assigned country. This work will be purely online. The Asian City Cooling Fellowships bring together students, city officials, community leaders, and researchers to prototype cooling solutions using social lab and PDIA methodologies.
Your role sits at the nexus where higher education, local government, and community action converge—exactly where GZO Fellows excel. You'll engage university administrators, faculty, city climate officers, and civil society to build coalitions for sustained climate innovation.
Partnership Development (Months 1-4) – Identify and cultivate relationships with three universities ready for climate action. Conduct strategic conversations with deans, faculty, and student leaders to build commitment. We will learn and deploy organizing techniques taught by Harvard Prof.Marshall Ganz and the Leading Change Network.
Hub Activation (Months 5-8) – Support each university in establishing a Climate Action Labs hub and recruiting core organizers. Provide implementation guidance and connect organizers to the global network.
Fellowship Launch Support (Months 9-11) – Guide each hub through fellow recruitment, team formation, and orientation. Connect organizers to PDIA training and experienced mentors.
Sustained Connectivity – Maintain regular touchpoints with all three hubs, fostering cross-university collaboration and connecting to city partners and funding opportunities.
2-8 hours per month over 11 months
Flexible structure balanced with professional commitments:
Monthly coordination calls
Strategic outreach conversations
Hub support as partnerships mature
Quarterly country convenings
Documentation and knowledge sharing
Essential: Connection to higher education in your country, understanding of university processes, relationship-building skills, commitment to climate justice, ability to navigate multi-stakeholder environments.
Valued: Experience with universities or local government, knowledge of national climate action landscape, graduate degree in development management, facilitation experience.
Bridging Leadership Competencies – Master convening across institutional boundaries, driving systemic change in complex environments.
Ecosystem-Wide Impact – Your work ripples across three universities, multiple city partnerships, and potentially hundreds of fellows over time.
AI-Enabled Skills – Sharpen your capacity in open systems using adaptive methodologies like PDIA.
Global Network – Join 48 Country Focal Persons worldwide, plus the broader Climate Action Labs community.
Governance Innovation Experience – Facilitate actual climate solutions using cutting-edge methodologies.
This role honors Gaston Z. Ortigas's vision of sustainable development through collaborative action. By activating university partnerships, you're building institutional infrastructure for climate resilience—ensuring vulnerable communities have champions who can mobilize resources, generate evidence, and train climate leaders.
You're not just connecting organizations. You're cultivating ecosystems where climate solutions emerge, are tested, and scale. This is bridging leadership in service of planetary regeneration.
Positions available for 48 countries in Asia. Rolling applications.
Current GZO Fellows: Indicate interest through your fellowship portal
Prospective Fellows: Apply to GZO Fellows Program and select Urban Heat track
Contact: gzofellows@asianschoolofgovernance.com
The Urban Heat Country Focal Person track is part of the Gaston Z. Ortigas Fellows Program, an initiative of the Asian School of Governance.