Sustainability Fellowships
The Trienens Institute and sustainNU oversee a project fellowship program, with funding support from Ameresco, a leading cleantech integrator and renewable energy asset developer, owner, and operator.
Facts & Figures
Approximately 10 fellowships (x5 per quarter) are offered annually to Northwestern students to gain real-world experience in energy management and sustainability, furthering the University’s mission to support hands-on experiential learning and contribute to thought leadership, while also enabling students to engage with the physical environment and grow as leaders in these dynamic fields.
Project teams are selected through a competitive application process for ten-week fellowships during the fall and winter academic quarters. Undergraduate seniors, and all graduate students, are eligible to apply during each application cycle (rising seniors and fall-matriculating incoming graduate students are eligible to apply for the summer projects; students must be enrolled in courses during the period of their fellowship to be eligible).
The selection committee aspires to have one energy-focused project, and one sustainability-focused project annually. Preference is usually given to projects that support community needs in the Evanston, Chicago, and broader Midwest areas.
Selected students will spend approximately 15 hours per week on their project, working closely with a faculty advisor. The project client will meet weekly with student project teams to provide data, answer questions, and help manage project scope and deliverables.
Students will receive a $5,000 tuition grant to their student account the quarter following the completion of their fellowship (e.g. posted in the winter for fall projects, and in the spring for winter projects).
Upcoming Project
Fall 2025
Project Topic: Incentivizing consumer plastics recycling in the US
Project Synopsis:
Plastics are a cornerstone of today’s global society—critical for low-cost medical devices, food storage and transport. However, the “inadequate” management of plastic waste has led to widespread pollution impacting human health and ecosystems globally. Alternatives, where available, are often costly and carry significant environmental burdens of their own.
Flexible plastic packaging (FPP) is a very versatile and widely used product type found in many applications but, of the approximate 12 million tons of FPP generated in 2019 in the U.S., only about 4% was recovered for recycling. Therefore, there are unique challenges but also opportunities for achieving a higher recycling rate for FPP, especially in states with more stringent regulations.
Project Client: Plastics Industry Association (PLASTICS)
Key Questions:
- How might PLASTICS utilize targeted methods or approaches to incentivize recycling of consumer FPP in the U.S.?
- What economic, regulatory, technical and social tools are required to achieve consumer recycling rates for flexible film plastics in line with top tier recycling countries?
- What case studies demonstrate economic, policy and regulatory aspects of incentives that would be relevant for the U.S.?
- Where and how should the Plastics Industry Association prioritize its efforts and resources to see significant and measurable growth in this area?
Important Dates:
- Monday, August 18, 2025 – application opens at 9:00 a.m. CT
- Tuesday, September 2, 2025 – application due by 11:59 p.m. CT
- Monday, September 8, 2024 – fellowship team notified
- Project Kickoff: Tuesday, September 16, 2025 – fellowship begins (first day of fall quarter)
- Client Kickoff: Week of September 22, 2025 (60 min, virtual)
- Midpoint: Week of October 20, 2025 (60 min, virtual)
- Final presentation: Week of December 1, 2025 (60 min, in-person at Northwestern)
Contact Information
For more information, please email mses@northwestern.edu.
News Coverage
Past Projects
Looking for past sustainability fellowship projects? Visit the past projects page to explore previous projects.