EPIC: Resources for the Future (RFF) – Washington, D.C.

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 Kristen McCormack (RFF Fellow)

Areas of Interest: Climate adaptation and resilience, disaster management, extreme heat, wildfire, risk mitigation policy

Summer 2023 Fellows:

Summer 2024 Fellows:

Summer 2025 Fellows:

Office Description

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 for almost 75 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. 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. Dr. Yanjun (Penny) Liao’s research focuses on natural disaster risk management, climate adaptation, and the interaction between disaster insurance and the housing and mortgage sector. Dr. Kristen McCormack’s research focuses on distributional effects of climate change (e.g., extreme heat) and the design of energy and environmental policy under regulatory and market uncertainty.

Description of the Work

The intern will work with RFF Fellows to collect information about rising extreme heat exposure and associated vulnerabilities, with a particular focus on access to air conditioning (AC) in households and schools as a critical tool for adaptation. Significant data gaps currently exist regarding AC adoption, limiting our ability to identify vulnerable populations, assess the impacts of heat, evaluate adaptation opportunities, and support effective local planning and policymaking. The intern’s responsibilities may include conducting online research, contacting state and local government offices, and processing large, administrative datasets.

List of Potential Projects:

The intern’s work could involve one or a combination of project tasks related to:

Identify and compile data sources on household and school AC prevalence using public records, state/local reporting systems, surveys, and building codes.
Conduct structured online searches to gather information on AC policies, heat emergency plans, and cooling-related infrastructure across U.S. jurisdictions.
Contact state and local government offices (e.g., school districts, public works departments, state energy offices) to request information about data availability and data needs.
Assist Dr. Liao and Dr. McCormack on research on the impact of heat and other natural hazards on students, workers, and households.
Process and visualize administrative datasets.
Develop short write-ups or visuals (charts, tables, maps).

Desired Skills

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 or Stata) 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 6, 2026).