Computational Social Science Intern (Fall 2026

Computational Social Science Intern (Fall 2026)

Washington, DC | Maximum 40 hours/week | In-Office with Remote Opportunities (Fall 2026)

We fuse rigorous, methodologically sound analysis with our cutting-edge technology platform, Narrative Analytics®. This powerful combination enables us to quantitatively analyze open-source media, deliver strategic recommendations, and craft executive-level communication strategies for clients with missions that matter.

Our team is a vibrant mix of communication specialists, data scientists, and subject matter experts with extensive experience across U.S. Government agencies, non-profit organizations, and Fortune 500 companies. By joining Protagonist, you'll immerse yourself in a collaborative environment where innovation thrives, and your contributions truly matter.

Innovative Solutions:
We co-develop cutting-edge solutions with our clients to address tough communication problems and capitalize on opportunities to make a tangible impact.

Data-Driven Insights:
Our tools and methodologies provide actionable insights that help clients meet their communication objectives and stay ahead of global challenges.

Applied Expertise:
We integrate our solutions within client organizations, leveraging our profound expertise to address critical issues and ensure sustainable success.

At Protagonist, you'll work on compelling projects that make a real difference. We seek talented individuals eager to contribute to our mission and grow alongside us. If you're passionate about communication, data analysis, and making an impact, we invite you to explore a career with Protagonist.

Ready to take the next step in your career? Join us at Protagonist and be part of a team that's making a difference.

You are an analytical thinker with a passion for applying rigorous, modern data science methodologies to real-world challenges. You thrive in ambiguity and bring clarity through structure, insight, and evidence. You understand that data doesn't speak for itself—that the best insights come from combining computational rigor with an understanding of the social, political, and communication dynamics that generate the data in the first place.

You are fluent in the fundamentals of predictive modeling, classification, and natural language processing, and you're eager to grow your skills in a dynamic, collaborative environment. You enjoy working with data from messy sources and turning it into actionable insights for a range of clients. You're driven by curiosity, grounded in social science thinking, and you know how to ask the right questions of data to uncover what matters.

• Data Collection & Preparation
  • Collect and curate data from a variety of media content aggregators, open-source platforms, and APIs using scripts, scrapers, and automated tools.
  • Build datasets that are relevant to the customer's project scope and need area.
  • Use Python, SQL, or similar languages to clean, structure, and transform datasets for analysis.
• Applied Machine Learning & NLP
  • Apply machine learning and natural language processing techniques to large, unstructured text datasets to uncover meaningful patterns and insights.
  • Implement topic modeling, classification, clustering, and other core NLP/ML workflows aligned with customer analysis needs.
  • Experiment with and evaluate different models and algorithms, including both traditional statistical approaches and modern AI techniques (e.g., transformer-based models, embeddings, stance detection).
• Analytical Design & Research
  • Contribute to the design and refinement of analytical frameworks and research methodologies that structure how we assess complex information environments.
  • Help translate social science research questions into computational workflows, bridging theory and applied analysis.
• Visualization & Insight Generation
  • Create visualizations and interactive dashboards using tools like Tableau, Superset, Power BI, or similar platforms to communicate analytic findings.
  • Translate complex data outputs into accessible formats that support client…