Research Programming Intern (Office of Technology and Data Science)

At the nonprofit Urban Institute, we believe in the power of evidence to improve lives and strengthen communities. Public policies work best when they are rooted in facts, and our research sparks solutions in programs and practice. Our analyses and recommendations help expand opportunities for all people, reduce hardship among the most vulnerable, and strengthen the fiscal health and effectiveness of government.

As an intern at the Urban Institute, you’ll work alongside experts across the organization and beyond in the nation’s epicenter of public policy – Washington, DC. Your work will have an impact on real-life, real-time policy issues and discussions.

How you’ll contribute:
The Office of Technology and Data Science research programming intern will work closely with several software engineers, data scientists, and research programmers, assisting in both day-to-day and long-term projects.

The intern in this position should expect to develop their skills in gathering and translating requirements into specifications, coding and application setup, and using project management software while gaining experience in a professional environment. They will be tasked with helping to develop a proof-of-concept to remove barriers for modeling tasks which might include novel ways to combine and communicate model results.

Responsibilities:

• Create a proof-of-concept project
• Contribute to blog post, paper, or other analytical documents
• Explore emerging technologies and apply them to research and development activities
• Work on an Agile programming team in a LEAN environment

What you’ll bring:

The successful candidate will:

• Have or be in the pursuit of a degree, in Computer Science, Mathematics, Statistics, Economics, or Public Policy.
• Have 1-2 years of programming experience in a professional or academic environment
• Have experience with an interpreted language such as Python and an object-oriented language such as C++ or Java in a professional or academic environment.
• Be able to clearly communicate and write for a non-technical policy audience
• Demonstrate an interest in domestic economic and social public policy issues

Program Highlights:

• Paid 10-week program designed to provide students interested in research, public policy issues, and organizational operations with rewarding and substantive work assignments that contribute to Urban’s mission
• Intern Program Dates: June 6 – August 12, 2022
• Participate in our New Intern “Welcome” Orientation
• Network with operations staff, senior professionals, and others who will support your professional growth and career interests
• Participate in intern specific workshops and networking events designed to advance your professional development and build your soft skills
• Receive feedback and mentoring from your intern manager
• Present the value of your contribution and what you learned during our End of Summer Lightning Talks