Internship Options

Below are examples of past intern research projects and the seven main topic areas they connect to. (read intern blogs here)

History of Life and Biodiversity Group Internship - Collaborative research 4 days a week with a team of 10+ interns exploring marine fossil animal evolution and mass extinction through 540 million years of Earth history. Interns work on newly discovered fossils and conduct analyses on morphological evolution and extinction focusing on groups such as arthropods, molluscs and brachiopods.
Oceans - Work one-on-one with a scientist to investigate human causes and natural and environmental changes, understand, and advance knowledge of our blue planet while tackling the most pressing challenges in climate and sustainability.
Geology - Work one-on-one with a scientist to investigate how Earth and other planets formed, how their surfaces and interiors change over time, and how processes like earthquakes shape our planet today.
Energy - Work one-on-one with a scientist or engineer in one of our energy research groups. Projects may range from battery efficiency and crude oil interfaces to AI-based early fire detection, depending on available positions.
Environmental Science & Engineering - Work with scientists to study soil and ecosystem health, field research, and lab work, including microbes, water chemistry, fire management, and climate data.
Agriculture Group Internship - Engage in hands-on sustainability research at the O'Donohue Family Stanford Educational Farm, a 6-acre living lab exploring symbiosis, nutrient cycling, and the connections between food production, ecology, economics, and health.
Social Sciences - Work one-on-one to better understand how the behaviors and choices made by individuals and organizations affect the world’s ability to achieve sustainability goals.

Interns work 15-30 hours per week with a regular schedule that is determined with the supervisor. It is expected that some interns will be involved in other opportunities during the summer as well as have family vacations. Interns work during the week, Monday through Friday, between 8 am and 6 pm, and rarely on the weekends. An example schedule is Monday 10-4, Tuesday 10-4, Wednesday 10-4 and Thursday 1-4. Interns will gather for a working group lunch on Tuesdays and Thursdays to participate in weekly sustainability and campus activities with fellow interns.

applications are now closed and will open 2/1/27 - 3/15/27

Collaborative research 4 days a week with a team of 10+ interns exploring marine fossil animal evolution and mass extinction through 540 million years of Earth history. Interns work on newly discovered fossils and conduct analyses on morphological evolution and extinction focusing on groups such as arthropods, molluscs and brachiopods. (Jon Payne's Group)

Examples of history of life & biodiversity-focused research interns have done in past years (note: these are examples and will not necessarily be the same from year to year)

Paleobiology, Fossil Evidence, & Extant Marine Organisms

(read blog here and here)

oceans

Work one-on-one with a scientist to investigate human and natural environmental changes, build research skills, and help advance knowledge of our blue planet while tackling some of the most pressing challenges in climate and sustainability.

Examples of ocean-focused research interns have done in past years (note: these are examples and will not necessarily be the same from year to year)

Phytoplankton, Ocean Currents, & Marine Food Webs

Interns researched why a recurring phytoplankton bloom appears near Antarctica in a region that usually lacks iron, a key nutrient for plankton growth. By studying ocean currents, eddies, and nearby hydrothermal vents, her research investigated how iron may reach surface waters and fuel plankton that support Antarctic marine food webs. (read blog here)

Corals, Crust, & Chemistry

Interns researched how physics measurements taken from a small section of a coral reef can reveal the health of the entire reef system. By using data like water movement and energy flow, their project helped scientists better understand how reefs function and how they may respond to climate change. (read blog here)

Whale Calls & Audio Data

Interns research used temporary tags on southern right whales to better understand when and why different whale calls occur. They recorded 161 calls across five tagged whales, with upcalls appearing most often and consistently during feeding dives. This work helps support the use of passive acoustic monitoring and contributes to understanding whale communication in ways that can strengthen conservation efforts. (read blog here)

Geology interns work closely with one research group on a focused project. Projects may include studying earthquake history, analyzing seismic data, preparing rock samples for age dating, digitizing geologic maps, or exploring Earth and planetary science questions. Some positions use math, physics, and computer programming, while others focus on lab or computer-based work. Interns gain hands-on experience and learn how real scientific research happens over time through many steps, collaboration, and supporting ongoing studies.

Examples of geology-focused research interns have done in past years (note: these are examples and will not necessarily be the same from year to year)

Helium Isotope Mapping, Tibet Moho, & Crustal Thickness Database

Interns researched solid Earth science topics such as earthquakes and Earth chemistry, working with large datasets in Excel and optional use of Python. Their work supported the creation of a new map that provides a single, centralized source for researchers to find Tibet Moho locations and depths without needing to search through many individual papers. (read blog here)

Seismology, Earthquake Sequence, & Spatial Patterns

Interns analyzed earthquake data from the Northern California Earthquake Data Center to identify and compare 50 earthquake sequences from 1990 to 2000. They used seismology methods to remove dependent events, create a cleaner dataset that represents underlying seismic activity and help reveal temporal and spatial patterns in earthquake behavior. (read blog here and here)

The projects range from battery efficiency to crude oil interfaces to AI detection for early fire detection depending on the positions available.

Examples of energy-focused research interns have done in past years (note: these are examples and will not necessarily be the same from year to year)

Batteries, Energy Storage, & EIS

Interns researched lithium-ion battery modeling using MATLAB to simulate battery behavior and analyze performance with electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). This work supported understanding how batteries store and deliver energy, contributing to advances in energy storage for renewable energy systems.(read blog here & here)

Oxygen Diffusion, Computational Modeling, & Brain Energy Metabolism

Intern researched how oxygen moves through the brain by building and testing computational models of oxygen diffusion in blood vessels and brain tissue. This project combined neuroscience and coding to better understand how oxygen is delivered and used in the brain, helping scientists understand how the brain meets its high energy demands and how energy use changes in health and disease. (read blog here)

Battery Modeling , Electrochemistry, & Python Programming

Interns studied how batteries work by exploring electrochemical processes and using Python-based modeling tools to simulate battery behavior. This research focused on understanding battery performance through chemical reactions, ion transport, and mathematical models. (read blog here)

Research with scientists to investigate soil health through hands-on greenhouse, field, and lab work. Interns study microbes, water chemistry, ecosystem health, fire management, and climate-related data, while learning how to collect, analyze, and interpret environmental measurements.

Examples of environmental science & engineering-focused research interns have done in past years (note: these are examples and will not necessarily be the same from year to year)

Mycorrhizal Fungi, Biomass, & Root Health

Interns conducted a research project combining field work at Point Reyes with greenhouse experiments on campus to study plant competition and fungal interactions, focusing on how different types of fungi and plants compete for resources and helping scientists better understand nutrient cycling and ecosystem dynamics. (read blog & watch video)

Water Testing, Titration, & Chromatography

Interns conducted basic water quality analyses, including pH and colorimetric tests, at a field site located at Silicon Valley Clean Water on the bay shore in Redwood City. (read blog here)

Carbon Capture & Storage

Interns researched carbon capture and storage by building and testing a physical model to study how carbon dioxide moves and is stored in underground geological formations, helping scientists understand CO₂ storage, leakage, and subsurface behavior. (read blog here & here)

Engage in hands-on sustainability research at the O'Donohue Family Stanford Educational Farm, a 6-acre living lab exploring symbiosis, nutrient cycling, and the connections between food production, ecology, economics, and health.

Examples of agriculture-focused research interns have done in past years (note: these are examples and will not necessarily be the same from year to year)

Sustainable Agriculture, Soil Analysis, & Companion Planting (milpa)

Interns learned hands-on sustainable farming skills, including harvesting, planting, and pest management, while conducting a research project on milpa companion planting. They collected and analyzed soil nutrient data to study how corn, beans, and squash affect plant growth, weeds, and soil health. (read blog here and here)

Harvest, Cover Crop & Biochar

(read blogs here & here)

Tillage, Hyphae, & Nutrient Cycling

Interns researched soil fungi, specifically arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and their hyphae networks, to understand how they support plant growth and nutrient uptake. The project explored how farming practices like tilling affect these underground networks and soil health, and translated this science into an educational children’s book on sustainable agriculture. (read blog here & here)

Work one-on-one to better understand how the behaviors and choices made by individuals and organizations affect the world’s ability to achieve sustainability goals.

Examples of social science-focused research interns have done in past years (note: these are examples and will not necessarily be the same from year to year)

Energy, Cap-and-Trad, & Equity

Intern researched California’s Cap-and-Trade program to analyze how carbon tax revenues could be distributed through different direct dividend models. The project focused on evaluating equitable ways to return climate policy funds to communities across California. (read blog here)

Climate Migration, Justice, & Refugee Policy

Interns researched climate migration, focusing on how climate change drives displacement through natural disasters, drought, and resource scarcity. The project examined climate-related policies, legal definitions, and educational resources to better understand the social and justice dimensions of climate-driven migration. (read blogs here)