Science Internship

Remote (U.S. and globally) or in-person at ELAW's office in Eugene, Oregon USA.

Candidates should indicate whether they intend to work remotely, or from ELAW's Eugene office. The Eugene office is a historic building. In-person internships may include additional opportunities to interact with visiting lawyers.

10 weeks between late May and September 2027 (full-time, ~40 hours/week). We are open to considering a different timeframe to accommodate other academic schedules. If you need a different timeframe, please clearly describe that in your application materials.

Open to students enrolled in or who have recently completed a graduate-level studies in environmental science. International applicants with equivalent science education are welcome to apply and should describe how their academic or professional background prepares them to succeed in this role.

The Science internship with the ELAW Science Program team involves communication in English. For applicants from non-English speaking countries, we will work with applicants to identify the best method of establishing proof of English language proficiency (including but not limited to TOEFL or IELTS scores, or enrollment in an English-speaking LLM, as proof of English language proficiency). Spanish or French as a first language or proficiency is a welcome asset.

While applicants are encouraged to seek funding through school grants or external scholarships, financial aid status is never considered during candidate selection. ELAW will supplement external funding to guarantee that all interns receive a total rate of $17.50 per hour for 10 weeks of full-time work (up to $7,000 total).

Environmental Law Alliance Worldwide (ELAW) is an international NGO, registered in Oregon as a nonprofit. At ELAW, we believe that environmental protection and human rights are inseparable—and that the best solutions come from those closest to the problem. That’s why we support a global network of public interest lawyers and scientists in 80+ countries working to protect communities and ecosystems through law.

The Science & Economics team delivers timely scientific and economic expertise to global public interest advocates in pursuit of environmental justice. We respond to individual requests from public interest environmental lawyers on a broad range of topics, including public health, ecology, air and water quality, marine environments, natural resources, and climate science.

As a Science & Economics Intern, you'll directly support these efforts—gaining hands‑on experience, dedicated mentorship, and global exposure while empowering communities with science‑backed arguments for systemic change. Learn more w.org.

Over the course of your internship, you will:

• Conduct science research and draft memos on a wide range of scientific topics.
• Analyze and summarize studies in the peer-reviewed scientific literature.
• Assist with drafting of memos that answer questions pertaining to environmental science for use in submissions to courts and administrative agencies. briefs, regulatory analyses, or resource updates;
• Participate as a collaborative member of a science team that supports interns through meaningful mentorship; and
• Observe strategic and information gathering meetings with local lawyer partners;

• Evaluation of environmental impact assessments to identify deficiencies that might be grounds for rejecting approval of environmentally harmful projects.
• Interpretation of air and water quality data to identify levels that pose risks to human health of wildlife and that might exceed health-based and ecological-based environmental standards

Successful…