Research and Editorial Intern

Chacruna Institute for Psychedelic Plant Medicines; San Francisco (CA); Hybrid; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

One-on-one mentoring

Scholarship opportunities for courses

Access to inspirational talks

Job summary

The Chacruna Institute for Psychedelic Plant Medicines is looking for a Research and Editorial Intern to support their educational programs and research efforts. This unpaid internship offers a unique opportunity to gain hands-on experience in book publishing and editorial research.

Based remotely with opportunities for travel, the ideal candidate should have a passion for psychedelic justice and excellent communication skills. Candidates can expect professional growth through workshops, mentorship, and community visibility.

Qualifications

• Excitement for Chacruna's mission and vision.
• Understanding of the psychedelic landscape.
• Experience in fostering professional relationships.

Responsibilities

• Support the publication of Chacruna's academic work.
• Research institutional support for publications.
• Help negotiate publishing contracts.

Skills

Excitement for the mission

General understanding of psychedelic landscape

Excellent organizational skills

Strong communication skills

Competency in Slack and Google tools

Positive attitude and attention to detail

Education

Preferred high school diploma or GED

Fluent Portuguese

Fluent Spanish

3 years of experience in a related field

Tools

Google Drive

Excel

Job description

Location: Remote with opportunities for travel to conferences/events

Reports to: Research Director

Job Type: Unpaid Internship

Duration: 1 year

Hours: 2 hrs per day (Mon-Fri, between 6am and 4pm PDT)

Contract Renewal: If onboarded for this internship position, there is possibility for contract renewal after the dates of the internship have ended

WHO WE ARE

TheChacruna Institute for Psychedelic Plant Medicines, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization co-founded by Brazilian anthropologist Dr. Bia Labate and American psychologist Dr. Clancy Cavnar, based in Northern California and with strong ties to Brazil and Mexico. We promote reciprocity in the psychedelic community, and support the protection of sacred plants and cultural traditions. We advance psychedelic justice through curating critical conversations and uplifting the voices of women, queer people, Indigenous peoples, people of color, and the Global South in the field of psychedelic science.

POSITION OVERVIEW

We are currently seeking a creative and motivated individual to support our Chacruna Research Director. Our Research Director is responsible for producing, coordinating and overseeing Chacruna’s educational programs, research efforts, publications, and public/community relations. The Research and Editorial Intern will work closely with the Research Director to support and strengthen our development, production, and publication of high‑quality Chacruna books, special journal editions, peer‑reviewed articles, online chronicles, as well as our research efforts, and support their effective distribution and visibility. This position provides hands‑on experience in the full book publishing lifecycle, editorial research and development, curation, author relations, and strategic promotion.

COMPETENCIES

• Excitement for the mission, vision and values of the organization
• General understanding of the contemporary psychedelic landscape
• Proven experience in fostering and maintaining professional relationships with existing and prospective partners
• Relevant work experience is a plus
• Excellent organizational and self‑management skills
• Strong and consistent communication skills
• Competency in Slack, Google Drive, Google Forms, Excel, YouTube, etc.
• Positive attitude, attention to detail with good multitasking and organizational ability

DUTIES

• Support the publication of Chacruna chronicles, peer‑reviewed articles, books, and special journal editions
• Research grants and institutional support for Chacruna’s academic research and publications
• Research potential universities, community colleges, research centers and researchers for promotion of academic partnerships
• Support with the creation and distribution of Chacruna’s Speakers Bureau
• Bibliographical survey of a specific field for competing titles
• Support production of book proposals
• Help collect and organize chapter summaries and biographies
• Be liaison with authors
• Support search for publishers and book peer review process
• Support signing contract and negotiating publishing conditions
• Contribute to the development of author’s guidelines
• Review chapters for references and homogenization of specific terms
• Organize an index, photos, maps and illustrations, and obtain permissions
• Support visual research for book cover and illustrations
• Map libraries, donors, academic journals, universities, research centers, allies, authors and researchers to distribute complimentary copies
• Support promotion of the publications, including: creation of press release, author blurbs, endorsements, marketing materials, infographics, promotional launches and translations of materials to other languages

EDUCATION/YEARS EXPERIENCE

Minimum:

• Preferred high school diploma or GED.
• Fluent Portuguese is a plus.
• Fluent in Spanish is a plus.
• Preferred 3 years of demonstrated experience working in a related field.
• Experience working in cause‑related issue areas, nonprofit organizations and/or charitable causes, either on staff or in a volunteer role.
• Applicants must be currently enrolled in school or participate in a similar educational program.
• This internship is educational in nature and there is no guarantee or expectation that the internship will result in employment.
• The education received by the Intern from the internship is for the express benefit of the Intern.
• A certificate of completion will be awarded at the end given that all parameters are met.

Opportunities for professional and personal growth

• Inspirational Talks from Psychedelic Experts – this is a program offered internally for the Chacruna staff which would be accessible to Chacruna interns
• Scholarship opportunities for Chacruna’s offerings such as courses, workshops and events
• One on one mentoring with a Chacruna board member or another expert in Chacruna’s network – this mentor would be someone whose work is relevant to the career path/goals of the intern and would provide guidance and advice for professional growth
• Hosting of a Chacruna Community Forum – this would be an opportunity for the intern to open and introduce forums, which would provide visibility and an opportunity for a speaking engagement which can be added to the intern’s CV