Overview
The Dyson Grand Challenges Program team will serve as a liaison between the intern and the internship host. The intern, a student employee of Cornell University, will focus on the outlined duties working with a mentor from the New York State Water Resources Institute (NYS WRI). This opportunity is exclusively available to Dyson undergraduates.
Term:
The internship will take place during Cornell University’s summer break. The anticipated dates are June 1, 2026 – August 7, 2026, though timing is flexible. On average, the intern should expect to work approximately 5-10 hours per week, totaling around 100 hours for the summer.
Type:
Remote or Hybrid (shared office space available at Riley Robb Hall; user feedback sessions hybrid with remote option)
Compensation:
Hourly: $19.00
Applied Analysis & Strategy Intern
Internship Purpose:
This internship advances a web-based decision-support tool for municipal use, focused on ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA) strategies such as floodplain reconnection, stream restoration, and tree planting. The intern will refine cost-benefit frameworks, develop user-friendly materials, and support early stakeholder engagement to improve accessibility and usability for local governments and nonprofits.
Duties and Responsibilities:
- Refine cost and benefit tables for priority ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA) strategies using New York-specific case studies
- Develop 1-page economic fact sheets summarizing key EbA strategies, including costs, co-benefits, and real-world examples
- Support design and preparation of materials for online and in-person stakeholder feedback sessions
Create outreach and promotional content that translates technical outputs into accessible, layperson-friendly materials - Assist in documentation to ensure methods, tables, and materials can be sustained and expanded by future teams
- Collaborate with NYS WRI staff and partners to integrate outputs into the decision-support tool and prepare for municipal roll-out
Qualifications:
- Analysis & Research: Strong analytical and organizational skills, with experience or comfort working with spreadsheets, data, and online research.
- Communications & Outreach: Ability to summarize technical information for diverse audiences and create clear, accessible outreach materials.
- Community & Stakeholder Engagement: Skilled in relationship-building, facilitating feedback, and coordinating with partners or communities.
- Independent & Remote Work: Comfortable working independently in a hybrid/remote environment, managing time effectively, and collaborating virtually with a small team.
- Mission Alignment & Curiosity: Strong interest in climate adaptation, environmental planning, public decision-making, and collaborative work with under-resourced communities.
