Research Intern - Sustainable Food Systems

Council on Energy, Environment and Water; India; On-site; INR 391,000 - 614,000; Full time

Job summary

Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW) invites applications for an Intern – Sustainable Food Systems based in New Delhi. The role focuses on APCNF and agroecology research, with duties spanning data validation, literature reviews and policy synthesis.

You will support both quantitative and qualitative analysis of food system issues, coordinate with field teams, and prepare notes, briefs and presentations while learning under senior researchers in a public policy setting.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Public Policy, Development Studies, Economics, Social Sciences, Agriculture, Food Systems, Data Science, Statistics or any other relevant field.
• Professional working proficiency in Telugu is essential, including the ability to listen to, interpret and validate Telugu survey audio recordings with accuracy.
• Prior experience with survey datasets, primary data collection, monitoring systems, audio audits or data quality checks is advantageous.
• Strong quantitative orientation with familiarity in data cleaning, data analysis and basic statistical methods.
• Familiarity with Excel for datasets, trackers and basic summaries.

Responsibilities

• Support allocated workstreams for quantitative and qualitative research on varied food system issues.
• Assist in research design, literature reviews, policy scans and data cleaning.
• Support primary data monitoring, coordinate with field researchers and prepare internal notes and presentations.
• Contribute to drafting internal notes, policy briefs, presentations, memos or blogs.
• Help with other workstreams in Sustainable Food Systems as needed.

Skills

Quantitative analysis

Data cleaning

Data interpretation

Written communication

Team collaboration

AI tools awareness

Telugu language proficiency

Education

Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Public Policy, Development Studies, Economics, Social Sciences, Agriculture, Food Systems, Data Science, Statistics

Tools

Python

R

STATA

Excel

Job description

Council on Energy, Environment and Water | Intern

Research Intern - Sustainable Food Systems

Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW), New Delhi

Intern - Sustainable Food Systems

Terms of Reference

At CEEW, we are deliberate about what we stand for (and what we don't stand for!) as an employer. We are proud to build careers in public policy and social impact.

• We offer strong visionary leadership – with emphasis on research and impact at scale
• We actively promote leadership by initiative
• We celebrate talent and ambition
• You will be surrounded by smart ambitious people who will challenge you and help you grow
• You will learn faster than your peers in other organisations
• Curiosity and irreverence, as well as responsibility, come together at CEEW
• You will get above-market remuneration
• At CEEW, your life is your example for others

Designation offered : Intern – Sustainable Food Systems

Reporting to : Research Analyst

Job Summary

India faces the complex challenge of ensuring nutrition security, farmer livelihoods and climate resilience amidst a rapidly changing climate. Addressing this requires action beyond merely producing more food. It requires rethinking how food is produced, consumed, measured, and governed.

The Sustainable Food Systems team at CEEW works on evidence, policy and strategy for sustainable agriculture and food system transitions in India. The team’s work spans agroecology, input use, climate resilience, nutrition, public and private procurement systems, food system governance, and the institutional systems needed to support transitions at scale.

One of the team’s key workstreams focuses on the Andhra Pradesh Community-managed Natural Farming (APCNF) programme, one of the largest agroecology programmes globally. CEEW’s work on APCNF seeks to generate robust evidence on natural farming and its implications for farmer livelihoods, input use, resilience, ecological outcomes, and the wider scale-up of sustainable agriculture in India. The work involves large-scale primary data collection, data analysis, monitoring and validation systems, and policy-facing synthesis.

CEEW seeks to hire a suitable candidate for an Intern position within the Sustainable Food Systems team to expand our capacity for conducting research and driving change. The intern will contribute to the APCNF and agroecology workstream, particularly by supporting monitoring, validation and quality checks for primary data from Andhra Pradesh. Given the nature of this work, professional working proficiency in Telugu is a core competency for the role .

At the same time, the intern will also have opportunities to contribute to other research areas within the team, including data analysis, policy research, research management, evidence synthesis and writing in the agri-food systems space, depending on team needs and the candidate’s interests.

CEEW is committed to building and shaping careers in public policy. We are looking for a detail-oriented, analytically strong and curious candidate who is interested in making sense of India’s food systems from the ground up, and who brings rigour, initiative and a drive for impactful research.

The successful applicant will assist team members in undertaking robust quantitative and qualitative analysis. In addition to the duties and responsibilities outlined below, the candidate should be prepared, as and when necessary, to take on additional responsibilities and respond adaptively to events and developments that cannot be easily anticipated.

Responsibilities and Duties

The intern will support allocated workstreams for quantitative and qualitative research on varied food system issues. These workstreams may include, but are not limited to: supporting research design, conducting literature reviews and policy scans, cleaning and analysing datasets, supporting primary data monitoring, coordinating with the field research team, preparing internal notes and presentations, and presenting findings in clear and coherent formats.

Specifically, this could look like:

• Supporting internal audio audits for tracking data authenticity and quality for primary data collected as part of CEEW’s natural farming research in Andhra Pradesh.
• Reviewing and cleaning survey datasets, identifying inconsistencies, preparing issue logs, and supporting quantitative analysis using tools such as Python, R, or STATA, including descriptive statistics, data visualisation, and basic statistical/econometric analysis, where relevant.
• Conducting literature reviews, policy scans and evidence synthesis on agroecology, natural farming, sustainable agriculture and broader agri-food system issues.
• Supporting the drafting of internal notes, policy briefs, presentations, memos, blogs or other research outputs.
• Contributing to other workstreams in the Sustainable Food Systems team based on project needs and the candidate’s interests.

Selection Criteria and Key Skills

Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Public Policy, Development Studies, Economics, Social Sciences, Agriculture, Food Systems, Data Science, Statistics or any other relevant field.

Professional working proficiency in Telugu is essential, including the ability to listen to, interpret and validate Telugu survey audio recordings with accuracy.

Prior experience working with survey datasets, primary data collection, monitoring systems, audio audits or data quality checks will be an advantage.

Strong quantitative orientation is helpful, including familiarity with data cleaning, data analysis and basic statistical methods. Familiarity with R, Python, STATA or any other statistical/data analysis software will be strongly preferred.

Working knowledge of Excel is essential, including the ability to work with datasets, trackers and basic summary tables.

Familiarity with food and agriculture issues, sustainable agriculture, agroecology, natural farming, rural livelihoods, climate resilience or public policy will be an advantage.

Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to synthesise evidence and communicate findings clearly.

Ability to prepare clear notes, presentations, trackers and research outputs using Google Workspace, MS Office or similar tools is essential.

Ability to responsibly and ethically use AI tools to improve productivity, while maintaining rigour, confidentiality and quality in research outputs, will be an advantage.

Personality

Willingness to learn new skills

Ability to adapt to a new environment and deliver under tight deadlines in a professional environment

Striving for rigour in research and quality in work output

Ability to effectively work in a team while driving research with minimum assistance, when time demands it independently.

Ability to dig deeper into details, while also keeping a sense of the broader objectives and big picture

Willingness to learn, grow and develop a personal and professional front at a rapid pace with a steep learning curve

Ability to work in an interdisciplinary and multicultural environment

CEEW operates in a dynamic environment, and the candidate will be required to show flexibility in undertaking a variety of tasks.

Compensation

Competitive compensation – commensurate to the experience and matching the best of standards adopted by industry or other similar organisations for similar roles.

Application Process

CEEW is an equal opportunity employer, and the selection process does not discriminate on the basis of age, gender, ethnicity, religion, or caste. Female candidates are encouraged to apply.