RAND Graduate Student Summer Associate Program (Public policy research internship)

RAND is a nonprofit, nonpartisan research organization focused on improving policy and decision making through high-quality research and objective analysis. Our research is enriched through diverse, multidisciplinary teams that draw on a range of experiences and perspectives. We are committed to striving for diversity, equity, and inclusion. Research and analysis is enriched by diversity of talents, experiences, and perspectives. We welcome all applicants, including those who identify as part of historically marginalized groups.

Position Description

RAND is currently recruiting for our 2025 Summer Associate research internship for PhD students. Available positions encompass a wide variety of policy-relevant substantive areas (e.g., education, health, justice policy, labor, national security, cyber policy, data science, etc.) and methodological skills (e.g., quantitative analysis, qualitative analysis, machine learning, etc.).

Summer Associates experience the following at RAND: 

• Typically work at RAND for a 12-week period (60 work days) during the summer;
• Receive a bi-weekly paycheck during their assignment with RAND;
• Conduct research that can be completed during their time at RAND and present the results of this research to the RAND community via a 15-30 minute briefing at the end of their three-month assignment;
• Are closely mentored by one to two established RAND researchers;
• Are highly encouraged to network and interact with other researchers outside of their primary mentorship team and area of expertise;
• Are invited to attend a number of seminars from researchers both within and outside of RAND.

Please note: Our summer 2025 program will be a hybrid model including in person work at one of RAND’s four offices with remote flexibility or working fully remote from where you live. In person positions are typically available in RAND's major U.S. offices—Santa Monica, CA; Washington, DC; Pittsburgh, PA; and Boston, MA. Office placement decisions depend on the availability of in-person mentorship. 

Students must reside in the U.S. throughout their RAND summer assignment. International students who are planning to live in the U.S. during the summer of 2025 are eligible to apply. Any applicant who does not plan to live in the United States during the summer is not eligible for hire in the 2025 cycle.

Pay Rate

Eligibility

The program is designed for full-time students who have completed at least two years of graduate work leading to a doctorate (e.g., PhD, EDD, DRPH, SciD, etc.) or professional degree (e.g., law or medical degree, professional engineer certificate). Students must be enrolled full-time in a graduate degree program during the spring and fall of 2025 to be considered for the program. Students graduating prior to September 2025 are encouraged to look at our full-time positions at www.rand.org/jobs.html.

Most of RAND's professional hiring is at the PhD level, so our summer program is oriented toward individuals who are generally within a year or two of completing their doctorates. Exceptions may be made for master's students applying for our engineering and computer or information science positions.

U.S. citizenship is not necessary except when required for certain types of project work (e.g., the project contract requires it or the project work itself requires a security clearance). 

A keen interest in working on applied, policy-oriented research questions is necessary. Applicants are strongly encouraged to explore RAND's website (www.rand.org) for details on RAND's ongoing research portfolio. Unfortunately, we do not know in advance which projects may require summer associates.

Additional qualifications required:

• Excellent analytic skills;
• Proven ability in quantitative and/or qualitative research methods;
• Ability to communicate clearly and effectively in English, both verbally and in writing;
• Ability to work effectively as a member of a multidisciplinary team;
• Strong commitment to RAND's core values of quality and objectivity;
• Proof of legal right to work in the United States is required upon hire;
• U.S. Citizenship is not necessary except when required for certain types of project work (e.g., the project contract requires it or the project work itself requires a security clearance)
• Residency in the U.S. (excluding U.S. territories) is required

To apply

RAND accepts applications only through our website, https://www.rand.org/jobs/summer-associates.html. Applications mailed directly to RAND or emailed to our Summer Director will not be considered. All applications are due by December 2, 2024, 11:59pm Pacific Time. 

If you have additional questions about the Graduate Student Summer Associate Program, please contact Summer_Director@rand.org.

Equal Opportunity Employer: race/color/religion/sex/sexual orientation/gender identity/national origin/disability/vet

Keywords: policy research; economics; sociology; demography; statistics; political science; history; psychology; engineering; computer science; math; data science; chemistry; physics; astronomy; operations research; industrial engineering; systems engineering; management science; supply chain; risk analysis; cyber. 

Locations: Hybrid remote/onsite; Santa Monica, California; Washington, DC; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Boston, Massachusetts