The Princeton Winter School in Behavioral Science for Climate Action takes place in person on 19-23 January 2027 at Princeton University in New Jersey, with a registration fee of $0 and applications closing on 15 November 2026 at 11:59 PM EST. At Youth Works Hub, we went through the official application, programme and practical information pages and set out every detail below. This is a university-run winter school and is not part of Erasmus+ or the European Solidarity Corps (ESC).
Five Days of Learning and Collaborative Intervention Design
The winter school brings together participants for five days of learning and collaborative intervention design, bridging the theory-to-impact gap. It welcomes graduate students and professionals from the public and private sectors who want to connect behavioral science with practical efforts to advance climate action. Participants learn from leading researchers, work across disciplines and sectors, and develop an intervention addressing a real climate challenge.
Not an Erasmus+ or ESC Programme: Costs and What Is Covered
🚫 The winter school is not part of the Erasmus+ programme or the European Solidarity Corps (ESC), and no Erasmus+ or ESC grant or reimbursement is attached to it
🎓 Registration fee: $0 (full subsidy): the Princeton Winter School covers all tuition and programme materials for accepted participants
🥐 Breakfast and lunch are provided daily at the Prospect House dining hall, with vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options at every service
✈️ Travel is the participant's own cost, and attendees are responsible for their own travel and some meal costs unless otherwise specified in an offer letter
🛏️ Participants book their own lodging
🍽️ Dinners are independent, except for the Tuesday Welcome Banquet and the Friday Closing Forum
Travel Grants and Campus Lodging
Limited travel stipends and campus lodging are available for students demonstrating financial need. Support is needs-based, and grant applications are submitted concurrently with the main school application through the portal.
Who Should Apply
The organisers welcome early-career researchers and policy and practice professionals who want to use behavioral science to advance climate action. The cohort brings together graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, advanced master's students, policymakers, organisational leaders and advocacy professionals, each contributing a different form of expertise and learning through sustained collaboration.
🔬 Early-Career Researchers: develop research skills in behavioral science and climate action through expert-led training and hands-on challenges
🏛️ Policymakers, Advocates and Change-makers: translate behavioral insights into actionable policies, advocacy strategies and media communications, and into practical policy frameworks for climate interventions and public sector impact
🏢 Industry Professionals and Organisational Leaders: apply behavioural insights to design and implement sustainability initiatives, drive organisational change, engage employees in climate action, and lead behavioral change within organisations
Two Connected Tracks
📘 Learn the science: expert-led lectures and guided discussions explore cognition, emotion, values, identity, social influence and institutional signals, and how each can inform efforts to motivate climate action
🧪 Put it into practice: in small Behavioral Challenge Lab groups, participants work on a real climate-action challenge throughout the week, and with the support of facilitators, teams diagnose barriers, design interventions and develop plans for implementation and evaluation
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Day-by-Day Agenda
🧠 Day 1, Individual processes: explore how cognition, emotion, values and motivation shape climate action
👥 Day 2, Social processes: examine identity, social influence and the relationships that enable or constrain change
🏦 Day 3, Institutional processes: consider how organisations, governments and political contexts shape behavior
📐 Day 4, Intervention design: combine the week's insights into an intervention with an implementation and evaluation plan
🎤 Day 5, Climate Action Forum: present proposals, receive feedback and reflect on what it takes to translate behavioral science into practice
What You Will Take Away
🌱 A deeper understanding of the behavioral science of climate action
🔎 Experience diagnosing a challenge across individual, social and institutional levels
🤝 A collaboratively developed intervention proposal
🧰 Practical tools for planning implementation and evaluation
🌐 Connections with researchers and practitioners working on related challenges
Participation Expectations
The programme is designed as a cumulative, five-day experience. Participants should plan to attend the full week and contribute actively to lectures, discussions, group work and the final presentations. Sessions typically run from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM EST, followed by optional evening networking events. A detailed schedule is provided to all registered attendees two weeks before the start.
Venue and Getting There
📍 Venue: Princeton University, Louis A. Simpson International Building, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
🛩️ By air: Newark Liberty International (EWR) is the closest major airport, and Philadelphia International (PHL) and JFK/LaGuardia (NYC) are also accessible via rail or shuttle services
🚆 By train: NJ Transit's Northeast Corridor line serves Princeton Junction, and from there the Dinky shuttle train provides a direct 5-minute connection to the heart of the campus
🚌 On campus: TigerTransit is the free campus shuttle service, and the Princeton Mobile app tracks buses in real time
Accommodation Options
Participants book their own lodging. The organisers have secured preferred rates at hotels within walking distance of the venue.
🏨 Nassau Inn: historical luxury in the heart of Palmer Square
🎓 Graduate Princeton: modern, academia-inspired hotel adjacent to campus
🛎️ Hyatt Place: accessible comfort with shuttle services available
🌳 Chauncey Hotel: quiet, retreat-style setting near the Institute for Advanced Study
Accessibility and Dietary Needs
♿ The venue is fully ADA-compliant, with ramp access, elevators and wide doorways across all seminar rooms and communal spaces
📩 For accommodations such as assistive listening devices, materials in alternative formats or mobility assistance, contact the logistics team by 15 December
🥗 Update your dietary preferences in the registration portal, and for specific allergy concerns contact the logistics team at least two weeks before the start of the school
Organisers
👩🏫 Anandita Sabherwal, Teaching and Design Co-Lead
👩🔬 Danielle Goldwert, Teaching and Design Co-Lead
🧑🏫 Elke Weber, Faculty Advisor
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a registration fee for the winter school?
No. The winter school is free of charge for all accepted participants, with a registration fee of $0. However, attendees are responsible for their own travel and some meal costs unless otherwise specified in the offer letter.
When and where does it take place?
It takes place in person from 19 to 23 January 2027 at Princeton University's Louis A. Simpson International Building in Princeton, New Jersey.
What is the daily schedule?
Sessions typically run from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM EST, followed by optional evening networking events. A detailed schedule is provided to all registered attendees two weeks before the start.
Will the sessions be recorded or streamed?
Most sessions are held in person and are not recorded, to foster open discussion and collaborative challenge-solving. Key lectures may be summarised in a public report after the event.
Is financial support available?
Limited travel stipends and campus lodging are available for students demonstrating financial need. Grant applications are submitted together with the main application through the portal.
Who handles my personal data?
All personal and professional information provided during the application is handled by the Princeton University behavioral science team in accordance with institutional privacy standards.
Deadline
⏳ 15 November 2026
Links
🔗 Apply: https://www.princetonclimateschool.com/apply
🔗 Application form: https://princetonsurvey.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_9WurJczRZUX3pEW
📧 Contact: asabherwal@princeton.edu
📧 Contact: danielle.goldwert@nyu.edu
