Intern - Defense and Security Department, Futures Lab (Summer 2025)

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 decisionmakers 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 200 employees, including more than 120 analysts working to address the changing dynamics of international security across the globe.

The Futures Lab is housed within the Defense and Security Department (DSD) at CSIS. Simply put, the mission of the lab is to generate products that are evidence based, use both qualitative and quantitative analysis to inform US policymakers decision-making process and impact US policy. The lab achieves this through independent research, convening experts from diverse backgrounds, and publishing robust reports with tailored policy recommendations that inform decision-making in a rapidly evolving landscape.

Each scholar in the lab is a first-generation graduate with a dedication to civil service. This grounds the research of the lab to provide an expansive view of strategic studies and national security. From cyber threats facing the federal enterprise to gender analysis under authoritarianism, the work of the lab tries to encompass all facets of national/international security under public policy. The lab will at times engage in cross-team collaboration within the DSD, but most of the research and analysis is standalone and at the direction of Senior Fellow, Co-Founder and leader of the Futures Lab, Dr. Benjamin Jensen.

The CSIS Futures Lab seeks a motivated candidate for a full-time (35 hours per week), 10-week internship beginning in early June 2025 (Summer). This will be an in-person position, located at our DC office. The research intern will conduct research and administrative tasks to support projects on the future of warfare, strategic competition, and great power competition.

Candidates should have a demonstrated interest in data science, emerging technologies, strategic studies or state fragility. Research interns should expect to be an active participant in conducting research, taking notes at meetings, writing commentaries and reports, facilitating crisis simulations and wargames, and conducting quantitative and qualitative data analysis with minimal supervision. This position requires an ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously and have a strong, independent work ethic. Most importantly, we are interested in any candidate who is passionate about our research, willing to learn new skills, and strives to contribute and implement new ideas.

Internships are seasonal and typically last three months (10 weeks) with the possibility of extension up to six months at the discretion of the program. Applicants should indicate available start and end dates in their cover letter.

The hired candidate will be paid hourly, commensurate with experience ($17.50/hour for current undergraduate hires, $18.50/hour for hires with a bachelor's degree, and $19.50/hour for hires with a master's degree).

* Assisting with research and analysis, including data collection and management

* Copy-editing upcoming publications

* Note-taking and writing summaries of events and meetings

* Assisting with event planning and staffing, including drafting invitation letters, background research, drafting questions, and staffing events

* Various administrative duties such as printing and event logistics

* Applicants must be in pursuit of a bachelor's degree (at the junior or senior level). The lab is not accepting recent graduates or master students for this position

* Must have at least a 3.0 GPA (on a 4.0 scale) from an accredited U.S. institution or equivalent from a non-U.S. institution

* Experience with foreign and security policy research; ability to distill and synthesize information

* Strong written and verbal communication skills

* Ability to carry out tasks without ongoing oversight

* Demonstrated ability to conduct research and present information clearly and efficiently

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

* Intermediate to advanced R or Python user, dashboard creations in a shiny app or streamlit (R or Python), experience with virtual machines, greater than 80 gb datasets and tools (arrow, parallelization), AIS experience, GitHub repository management, API queries

* Experience with GIS/spatial analysis/geocomputation in R/Python or another open-source tool

* Experience in machine learning/statistical learning in R or Python with practical applications

* Applied experience with regression analysis in a work setting (OLS, Multi-OLS, DiD, RDD, Fuzzy RDD, Panel Regression)

* Experience in using program evaluation techniques with casual inference in a professional setting

This position will be based out of our Washington DC headquarters and is expected to be in-office 3+ days per week. The physical demands are representative of those that must be met by an employee working in an office environment. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential job functions. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.

The use of any AI tools, including but not limited to ChatGPT, Bard, and Claude, is strictly prohibited for generating any application materials submitted or requested. This ensures proper representation of all candidates writing style, coding and analysis.

1. CV/Resume

* Applicants with 5 or less years of relevant experience must submit a 1-page resume

* Applicants with more than five years of relevant experience may submit their CV or a resume, limit of 10 pages

2. Cover letter

* All applicants must submit a cover letter that demonstrates their interest in and alignment with the role, the organization, and specifically the work of the CSIS Futures Lab. The cover letter should also use the Situation, Task, Action, Result (STAR) format to highlight prior experiences in a way that illustrates how those experiences are transferable and applicable to the position

Interested applicants should submit a resume and cover letter as a single PDF at https://csis.org/careers. Please indicate your availability in your submission. This application will remain open until positions are filled.