Summer 2027 Climate & Health Intern

Natural Resources Defense; Chicago (IL); Hybrid; USD 28,000 - 112,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Stipend

Hybrid schedule

Job summary

NRDC's Science Office seeks a graduate intern to support Climate & Health priorities. The intern reports to the Director of Applied Research Initiatives and can be based in Chicago or Washington, DC, with onsite work 3 days per week.

The Climate & Health Intern will conduct literature reviews, analyze federal outdoor air data, draft scientific manuscripts and technical comments, and assist with organizing resources to strengthen NRDC's federal Clean Air Act efforts.

Qualifications

• Must be currently enrolled in a graduate program.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Excellent project management and problem-solving abilities.
• Great attention to detail and thorough research/data analysis.
• Ability to work independently and align with NRDC’s mission and DEI principles.

Responsibilities

• Support Climate & Health intern efforts, including research and policy analysis.
• Conduct air pollution epidemiology literature reviews and analyses of federal outdoor air data.
• Draft scientific manuscripts and technical comments for NRDC’s federal Clean Air Act efforts.
• Organize and manage federal and academic scientific resources to strengthen data integration.

Skills

Graduate student

Communication

Project management

Attention to detail

Research/data analysis

Independent worker

DEI commitment

Job description

Overview

NRDC (the Natural Resources Defense Council) works to safeguard the Earth, its people, its plants and animals, and the natural systems on which all life depends. NRDC combines the power of more than 3 million members and online activists with the expertise of some 800 policy advocates, lawyers, scientists, and communication experts to confront the climate crisis, protect nature, ensure the rights of all people to clean air, clean water, and healthy communities. As an international nonprofit environmental organization, NRDC is working to address the world’s most urgent environmental challenges, and advance innovative, science-based, and enforceable solutions.

Since our founding in 1970, NRDC has helped craft and deliver many of America’s foundational environmental laws, including the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act and Safe Drinking Water Act. Today, we continue to lead in advancing and defending strong environmental protections at the local, state, federal and international levels, as well as through the marketplace. Our team works across the United States and around the world, from offices in Chicago, Los Angeles, New York City, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C., as well as in Beijing, and New Delhi (a subsidiary of NRDC India Pvt. Ltd.).

Supported by our members and online activists, NRDC is driving impactful solutions that confront the climate crisis, defend nature and safeguard public health across Asia, Africa, and the Americas. At NRDC, we believe lasting change happens when people bring their talent, passion, and expertise together for a common purpose: to build a cleaner, healthier, and more resilient world. Learn more at nrdc.org.

Our interns play an active role on the front lines of the environmental movement. Over the course of an internship, NRDC interns work with lawyers, scientists, or policy analysts in different program areas and amass experience that they could not have obtained anywhere else. Interns also have access to various events to enhance their NRDC experience.

NRDC interns may support or work on:

• Research, data collection, and analysis
• Writing and developing materials for state and federal campaigns
• Supporting with designing equitable policy solutions
• Copywriting and editing social media posts and supporting on marketing campaigns
• Brainstorming opportunities for process improvements, new vendors, partnerships, and engagement
• Project management of department and team-wide initiatives

You can find examples of work by our interns on our Careers Page.

Responsibilities

POSITION SUMMARY

NRDC's Science Office is seeking a graduate intern to support ongoing projects and priorities supporting our Clean Air initiatives. This intern will report into the Director, Applied Research Initiatives. This intern can be based out of our Chicago or Washington, DC offices. Interns are expected to be onsite 3 days per week.

The Climate & Health Intern will work on Science Office-directed projects spanning research and policy analysis. The intern's work will focus on advancing discrete projects: conducting air pollution epidemiology literature reviews (identifying relevant public health studies, synthesizing evidence), executing analyses of federal outdoor air monitoring data and air quality-related health and economic costs, and drafting of written deliverables (scientific manuscripts and technical comment drafting) in support of NRDC's federal Clean Air Act federal advocacy, public outreach, and scientific analysis efforts. The Climate & Health Intern will also support the organization, documentation and management of federal and academic scientific resources to strengthen integration of health, economic, and environmental data across our federal Clean Air Act projects.

Qualifications

REQUIREMENTS

• Must be currently enrolled in a graduate program
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Project management and/or problem solving skills
• Strong attention to detail
• Research and/or data analysis skills
• Able to work independently
• Commitment to NRDC’s mission, values, and DEI principles

DETAILS

• Duration: 10-weeks | Commitment: 35 hours/week
  • This intern must be able to commit to working one of the following sessions:
    • Summer Session 2: Monday June 7, 2027 – Friday August 13, 2027
    • Summer Session 3: Monday June 21, 2027 – Friday August 27, 2027
• Hybrid Work Model: Summer Interns are expected to be in office 3 days/week. We will not be able to offer relocation assistance for the summer.
• Stipend: This is a paid internship with a stipend equivalent of $10,000.00 paid bi-weekly over the course of the assignment.

NRDC is committed to advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion, both in our work and in our workplace. We believe that celebrating and actively welcoming diverse voices and perspectives is essential to solving the planet's most pressing environmental problems, and we encourage applications from candidates whose identities have been historically under-represented in the environmental movement.

We are an equal opportunity employer and do not discriminate in hiring or employment on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, marital status, sexual orientation, national origin, citizenship, age, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law. Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

The incumbent will not qualify as an employee, fellow, volunteer, or independent contractor of NRDC, nor will the incumbent be guaranteed employment at the end of the internship term.

NRDC operates under a hybrid work model. Interns are required to come into the office 3 days a week.

As a science-based organization, NRDC aims to do our part to help contain the COVID-19 public health crisis. For the sake of health, safety, and equity, we ask that people be vaccinated unless they have an approved medical or religious accommodation or other exemption in accordance with state and local law. We consider a person to be vaccinated two weeks after receiving one full course of a CDC-approved vaccine. In accordance with state or local law, new hires will be asked to attest to vaccination. Those wishing to do so may request medical or religious accommodations or other exemptions. NRDC treats all vaccination-related data confidentially, in keeping with local, state, and federal laws.

For more about NRDC, visit www.nrdc.org.