Research Intern

Center For Strategic And International Studies; Washington (District of Columbia); Hybrid; USD 25,000 - 28,000; Full time

Job summary

Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) invites applications for a Missile Defense Project intern in Washington, DC. The role emphasizes research support, data handling, and web updates, with the possibility of remote work on a flexible basis.

The position is full-time for an initial period of at least three months, with compensation paid hourly based on experience. Ideal candidates are college juniors, graduate students, or recent graduates carrying a 3.5 GPA or higher, and with

Qualifications

• Must be a college junior, graduate student, or a recent graduate.
• Must have at least a 3.5 GPA (on a 4.0 scale) from a U.S. institution or equivalent.
• Interest or experience in missile defense, nuclear policy, or emerging technologies.

Responsibilities

• Research assistance for MDP’s publications and products.
• Update the project’s website missilethreat.csis.org.
• Assist with data collection, management, and visualizations.
• Assist in event planning, preparations, and staffing.
• Copyediting support for written publications.
• Assist with other administrative tasks as needed.
• Commit to working full-time (35 hours/week) for at least three months consecutively.

Skills

Strong writing

Organizational skills

Communication skills

Time management

Independent work

Graphic design Canva

Education

College junior / graduate student / recent graduate

Tools

Canva

Job description

The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) is a non-profit, bipartisan public policy organization established in 1962 to provide strategic insights and practical policy solutions to decision makers concerned with global security and prosperity. Over the years, it has grown to be one of the largest organizations of its kind, with a staff of some 275 employees, including more than 120 analysts working to address the changing dynamics of international security across the globe.

The CSIS Missile Defense Project (MDP) is seeking an intern to support its research activities. MDP assesses critical issues on air and missile defense, long‑range strike, sensors, and emerging military technologies.

The program is looking to hire an intern for a preferred start date of January 4, 2027. The intern is expected to work five days a week, Monday through Friday, for a total of 35 hours/week. The position will be predominantly in‑person with some flexibility for remote work possible. The hired candidate will be paid hourly, commensurate with experience.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Research assistance for MDP’s various publications and products
• Updating the project’s website,missilethreat.csis.org
• Assist with data collection, management, and visualizations
• Assist in event planning, preparations, and staffing
• Copyediting support for written publications
• Assist with other administrative tasks as needed
• Ability to commit to working full-time (35 hours/week) for at least three months consecutively

KNOWLEDGE, EDUCATION, AND EXPERIENCE

• Must be at least a college junior, graduate student, or a recent graduate
• Must have at least a 3.5 GPA (on a 4.0 scale) from an accredited U.S. institution or equivalent from a non‑U.S. institution
• Interest or experience in missile defense, nuclear policy, or emerging technologies
• Excellent record in an academic or research environment
• Strong writing, organizational, communication, and time management skills
• Ability to work independently
• Experience in graphic design or illustrating software such as Canva is a plus
• Eligible to work in the United States

Salary Range

$18.40 - $20.40 USD

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS AND WORK CONDITIONS

The physical demands are representative of those that must be met by an employee working in an office environment. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential job functions. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.

Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability or protected veteran status.

Equal Opportunity Employer.

Voluntary Self-Identification

For government reporting purposes, we ask candidates to respond to the below self-identification survey. Completion of the form is entirely voluntary. Whatever your decision, it will not be considered in the hiringprocess or thereafter. Any information that you do provide will be recorded and maintained in a confidential file.

As set forth in Center for Strategic and International Studies, Inc.’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy,we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.

If you believe you belong to any of the categories of protected veterans listed below, please indicate by making the appropriate selection.As a government contractor subject to the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA), we request this information in order to measurethe effectiveness of the outreach and positive recruitment efforts we undertake pursuant to VEVRAA. Classification of protected categories is as follows:

A "disabled veteran" is one of the following: a veteran of the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service who is entitled to compensation (or who but for the receipt of military retired pay would be entitled to compensation) under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; or a person who was discharged or released from active duty because of a service-connected disability.

A "recently separated veteran" means any veteran during the three-year period beginning on the date of such veteran's discharge or release from active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval, or air service.

An "active duty wartime or campaign badge veteran" means a veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service during a war, or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized under the laws administered by the Department of Defense.

An "Armed forces service medal veteran" means a veteran who, while serving on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service, participated in a United States military operation for which an Armed Forces service medal was awarded pursuant to Executive Order 12985.