2025 Environment and Policy Internships (EPIC): Resources for the Future (RFF)
Job Title: Climate Risks and Resilience Intern
Department/Team: Climate Risks and Resilience Program at Resources for the Future (RFF)
Location: Hybrid, with at least three days per week at our office in Washington, DC
Duration: 35 hours per week for ten weeks over the summer
Reports to: Penny Liao (RFF Fellow) and Margaret Walls (RFF Senior Fellow)
Areas of Interest: Climate adaptation and resilience, disaster management, wildfire, risk mitigation policy
About Resources for the Future:
Resources for the Future (RFF) is an independent, nonprofit research institution in Washington, DC. Our mission is to improve environmental, energy, and natural resource decisions through impartial, evidence-based economic research and policy engagement. We are committed to being the most widely trusted source of research insights and policy solutions leading to a healthy environment and a thriving economy. We envision a future where climate change no longer threatens our well-being and where smart environmental decisions help to uplift communities around the world. Our experts bring the brightest thinking to bear on our future, while having shaped many of the world’s most successful environmental decisions and policies over the past 70 years. Our work broadly centers on the economics and design of smart strategies to reduce sectoral and economy-wide emissions of greenhouse gases, and policies that confront climate change risks and build resilience. We also increasingly emphasize issues related to equity, economic transition, and disaggregated climate and policy impacts, not solely aggregate outcomes.
About the Climate Risks and Resilience Program:
This internship will support RFF’s Climate Risks and Resilience (CRR) program, which is led by Senior Fellow Margaret Walls. Communities and decision makers across the globe are grappling with how to measure climate risks as they seek to respond to the impacts of climate change, from coastal flooding due to sea level rise to heat waves and wildfires. Experts at RFF are quantifying the economic and social impacts of climate change and evaluating strategies to enhance resilience, ensuring that communities and decision makers are equipped with the tools they need to respond. Margaret Walls and Yanjun (Penny) Liao focus primarily on measuring and understanding policy related to extreme weather, natural disaster risk management, and climate adaptation.
Position Description/Scope of Work:
The intern will work with RFF Fellows to collect Community Hazard Mitigation Plans (HMPs) from communities in select states, to provide a holistic picture of local efforts in hazard mitigation planning, likely with a focus on wildfires in Western states and with an emphasis on land use or zoning decisions. The intern's main responsibilities may include conducting online searches and collecting qualitative and quantitative information from the document texts. The intern may also interview local emergency managers and other officials who work regularly with HMPs.
List of Potential Projects:
The intern’s work will be related to these recent publications led by Dr. Liao or Dr. Walls:
- Weather Volatility
- Facing Wildfire Insurance Challenges: Five Lessons from the National Flood Insurance Program
- Building Climate Resilience in Vulnerable Communities: Analyzing Designation and Use of Community Disaster Resilience Zones
Desired Skills/Qualifications:
Priority is given to candidates enrolled in a program that is relevant to RFF’s research and mission. Highly motivated candidates in the social and natural sciences with training in economics and quantitative methods, or with a keen interest in public policy, are encouraged to apply. The ideal candidate would be an undergraduate student with an interest in disaster management and risk mitigation policy. Quantitative skills (e.g., experience with R) and geospatial skills (e.g., experience with GIS) are preferred but not required.
Logistics:
- EPIC fellows are required to work full-time (35-40 hours per week) for 10 weeks over the summer, and will receive a stipend of $8,000 - $9,500, depending on financial need. This stipend is intended to help cover living and transportation expenses during the fellowship, which the student is expected to arrange and coordinate.
- Start and end dates are flexible (start date no later than July 7, 2025).
Eligibility:
Stanford undergraduates from all academic disciplines are encouraged to apply, and applicants may vary in academic interests, public service involvement, and experience. Learn more about our previous EPIC cohorts! Students must be enrolled for winter and spring quarters of this year and be in good academic standing to be eligible for a fellowship. Applications will only be accepted from students who will be enrolled as undergraduates for the following academic year, so unfortunately, graduating seniors cannot apply. The one exception to this rule is seniors who will be working toward a co-term degree during the following academic year. Co-term students must be in the undergraduate billing group in spring quarter. Please refer to the Haas Center for Public Service's website for additional Cardinal Quarter Undergraduate Fellowship Program Policies and Requirements.
Note: students are only eligible for one Stanford-funded full-time experiential learning opportunity during the summer, and are not permitted to engage in another full-time internship, job, coursework, or volunteer opportunity. Students are responsible for arranging and paying for their own housing and transportation during the fellowship.
Requirements:
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Spring Quarter:
- Commit to working full-time (35-40 hours week) for 10 consecutive weeks
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Complete an online program orientation through the Haas Center for Public Service
- This will include designing a personal learning plan that you will share with your site supervisor and academic mentor
- Complete the Engaging in Ethical and Effective Service in-person workshop or worksheet
- Meet with your assigned Stanford academic mentor at least once prior to the start of the fellowship (more check-ins during and after your experience are encouraged)
- Attend EPIC cohort building events and activities in spring quarter, as your schedule allows
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Complete and submit all required forms and paperwork
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Summer Quarter:
- Engage in your full-time fellowship (starting no later than July 7, 2025; exact start date to be determined with your site supervisor)
- Attend EPIC cohort building events and activities in the summer, as your schedule allows
- Submit a mid-summer evaluation
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Submit a final project report, complete a program evaluation, and correspond with donor(s) as requested by program staff
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Fall Quarter:
- Debrief with your academic mentor at least once
- Attend a de-briefing meeting for the purpose of reflecting upon and evaluating summer experiences
- Participate in outreach activities to share your experiences and help publicize the program
