About the Program: The Ross Center for Sustainable Cities (https://www.wri.org/cities) builds on WRI’s global and local experience in urban planning and mobility and uses proven solutions and action-oriented tools to make the fast-growing urban environment more resilient to new challenges. Our Data for Cool Cities (https://www.wri.org/initiatives/data-cool-cities) initiative aims to combat extreme heat in urban areas. Not only is heat magnified in cities due to the urban heat island effect, cities also are home to most of the world’s population, and vulnerability to heat arises from complex interactions between social, physical, and climatic systems. The Global Cities Data & Tools team is mapping complex features—like building height and pavement material—to model the variation of urban heat within neighborhoods. By providing innovative data, enabling insights, and promoting sustainable infrastructure choices, this project seeks to improve urban livability, encourage effective governance, and enhance equity. This position is hybrid and will require a few days per week in our Washington DC office. What you will do: In this role you will work to support two data initiatives: mapping global urban land use and land cover (LULC) and modeling urban air temperature. You will collaborate with geospatial data scientists to validate WRI’s new LULC dataset and to build a network of geographic data in support of urban air temperature models. You will be supported by the Global Cities Data & Tools team and will report to Drs. Ruth Engel and Elizabeth Wesley. Internship Learning Outcomes:
Working with both raster and vector geospatial data.Validating geospatial data and products.Implementing and documenting methodology.Reporting results in written, tabular, and visual form. What you will need: Pursuing or completed a bachelor’s or master’s degree in in geography, urban planning, atmospheric science, statistics or related field.Some experience with geographic information software (QGIS or ArcGIS) preferred.Compensation The pay for this internship opportunity is $20 for undergrads; $22 for graduates and $24 for PhD. Length of Contract: This is a full-time, 3-month internship with a flexible start and end date. Location: This is a hybrid internship that will be based out of our Washington D.C. office.You will be required to work in the Washington DC office at least 8 days per month.WRI will provide a laptop for the duration of your internship.