Career Services

The Physicists Coalition for Nuclear Threat Reduction, in partnership with the University of Illinois, is seeking applications for two interns to help with its programmatic and outreach activities.

The internship will start April 1, 2025, and run for approximately 13 weeks, concluding at the end of May 2025. Interns can work remotely but should be present in Washington D.C. May 12-23. The intern will work for up to 10 hours per week and be compensated $17 per hour. Travel and local expenses in Washington D.C. will be reimbursed up to $3,500.

Applicants must be UIUC students and have the authorization to work in the United States as we are unable to assist in procuring visas or work permits.

Applicants who are non-U.S. citizens/permanent residents must show appropriate authorization to work in the United States. This internship is an excellent opportunity to gain experience in community organizing and public engagement with Congress and the executive branch on nuclear weapons and arms control issues. Expertise in the field of arms control, nonproliferation issues, or physical sciences is not necessary, but candidates should demonstrate an interest in these issues.

The interns in this role will have the opportunity to:

• Assist in research content, writing, and copy-editing advocacy materials.
• Develop skills in planning and implementing an advocacy event in Washington D.C., including scheduling meetings with congressional offices.
• Copy-edit content for the Physicists Coalition's website and social media.
• Carry out other tasks as assigned by the Coalition's Policy and Communications Coordinator.

Qualifications - Applicants should:

• Have completed or be working toward a college degree, preferably in a related field (e.g., International Affairs, Political Science, or Physical Sciences). Students pursuing advanced degrees are also encouraged to apply.
• Be an effective communicator, both written and oral.
• Have experience writing in multiple styles and voices (e.g., tweets, blog posts, news briefs).
• Be self-motivated and detail-oriented, have good organizational skills, and be able to prioritize, multi-task, and meet deadlines.
• Experience in planning events and scheduling meetings with congressional offices is preferred.
• Experience using Microsoft Office products and Google Workspace is required.
• Familiarity with updating web content is a plus.

To apply please send AS A SINGLE PDF - your cover letter, resume, 1-2 page writing sample on a public policy topic, and contact information for three references to acdis@illinois.edu with "PhysCo Internship" in the subject line.

The application deadline is March 23, 2025.

Contract Pay and Work Environment

This internship is a part-time contract consultancy paying $17 per hour for up to 10 hours per week for up to 13 weeks. Interns are paid by the University of Illinois. They will use their own personal computer and will be required to download and install security software provided by the Physicists Coalition for the duration of the internship.

Applications are open for the Herbert Scoville Jr. Peace Fellowship, a highly competitive national fellowship program that provides recent college and graduate school alumni with the funding and opportunity to work with one of more than two dozen participating institutions in Washington, DC, including leading think tanks and advocacy groups that focus on international security and diplomacy issues.

We have scheduled two information sessions for prospective applicants to learn more about the fellowship. Professors and career advisors are welcome to join as well. Registration is not required to join the calls. The Zoom links to the information sessions are posted on our website at Information Sessions

Scoville Fellows are supervised by senior-level staff members at their host institutions and may work on a range of issues including nuclear and conventional arms control and nonproliferation; atrocity prevention, conflict resolution, and peacebuilding; diplomacy; emerging technology threats; environmental security; and global health security. They contribute to their host organizations' goals through research, public education, advocacy, and by writing articles, blog posts, fact sheets, letters to the editor, op-eds, and/or reports. In addition, fellows often help organize talks and conferences and attend coalition meetings, policy briefings, and congressional hearings. Benefits of this fellowship include salary, basic health insurance compensation, mentoring, moving costs to DC, meetings with policy experts, a modest stipend for professional development purposes, and an entrée into an increasingly influential network of alumni working for domestic and international NGOs, the federal government, academia, and media.

The Scoville Fellowship has helped launch the careers of our alumni, many of whom are now employed by domestic and international NGOs, the federal government, academia, and media. A list of the jobs and graduate school activities of former Scoville Fellows related to international peace and security may be viewed at Post-fellowship Careers

Upcoming Application Deadlines

Spring 2025 Fellowship–October 15, 2024

Fall 2025 Fellowship–January 6, 2025

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Promotes "the study of advancement and dissemination of a knowledge of American Foreign Relations"

At the low student rate for SHAFR Membership of only $20.00 per year, students receive regular member benefits (see poster) in addition to numerous special opportunities, events, and resources, including

• Special Graduate Student Access to the Annual SHAFR Conference
  1. The 2025 SHAFR Conference will be held from June 26-28 at the the Renaissance Arlington Capital View. The Call for Papers is now open. Full details about the conference can be found at https://www.shafr.org/shafr2025.
  2. Special events for graduate students will be announced in the Spring.
• Upcoming SHAFR Fellowships & Grants for Graduate Students
  1. SHAFR offers fellowships and grants to support graduate student research travel, dissertation writing, and language training. Awards range from $2,000 to $25,000. The next application deadline date is October 15th.
  2. A full list of grants/fellowships is available at https://shafr.org/fellowships-grants.
• Virtual Roundtable – Preparing a Successful SHAFR Grant Application
  • SHAFR will hold a virtual roundtable on Wednesday, September 18th at 3:00pm (PST) / 6:00pm (EST) with four experienced members of SHAFR who have either received SHAFR grants in the past, sat on selection committees for grants, or both!
  • The panel will discuss the ins and outs of crafting a successful grant proposal, and answer questions from the audience about the process.
• Virtual Roundtable – How to Assemble a SHAFR Panel
  • In support of the SHAFR Conference call for papers SHAFR will be holding a webinar on Tuesday October 8th at 11:00am (PST) / 2:00pm (EST) with four SHAFR members with experience organizing panels for conferences.
  • The panel consists of scholars at various stages of their careers, and will provide tips, tricks, and strategies on successfully organizing a panel that could be accepted to the SHAFR (or any other) conference.
• SHAFR Summer School: “Writing the History of U.S. Foreign Relations in an Age of Crisis” w/ Alvita Akiboh and Michael Brenes (Yale University)
  1. SHAFR is accepting applications for their annual Summer School, taking place at Yale University the week of June 21-25, 2025, an opportunity to connect with the field’s top scholars for an intensive week of collaboration on questions about the role of historians of the United States and the world.
  2. The deadline for applications is December 15, 2024. More information is available at Click Here
• SHAFR Graduate Student ListServ
  1. Student members of SHAFR are able to connect with one another through a students-only ListServ – a perfect place to discuss issues, pose questions to peers, find conference panelists, collaborate on projects, and more!  

"It's not an exaggeration to say it played a critical role in the rest of my career path. ... I'm nothing but a fan of this program. I applaud the Council for having it." Phillip Gordon, National Security Council (1998-99 IAF)

• Want to learn more about the US Department of Homeland Security and the research the agency and component agencies do to enhance your research interests and career goals?
• Interested in learning from top scientists and subject matter experts in homeland security related areas?
• Seeking to network with your peers and members of the academic and scientific communities in government facilities conducting research in DHS relevant areas?

 If you answered “Yes”, to the above questions, the HS-POWER program is for you!

HS-POWER is open to undergraduate and graduate students majoring in a broad spectrum of homeland security related science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) disciplines as well as DHS mission-relevant research areas which includes social sciences.

Undergraduate students receive $750 per week and graduate students will receive $950 per week. Appointments will be for 10 consecutive weeks during the months of May-July. Onsite daily participation is required, however, virtual appointments may be available for some appointments. As a participant in the HS-POWER Program, you will participate in quality research experiences with federal research facilities and other DHS-STEM focused entities nationwide.

For additional details and an application for the program, click here.

If you have any questions, contact them at dhsed@orau.org or find more information on their website. 

Weapons of Mass Destruction Branch in NYC looking for an intern!

UNODA provides substantive support in the area of the disarmament of weapons of mass destruction (nuclear, chemical and biological weapons). It supports and participates in multilateral efforts to strengthen the non-proliferation of WMD and in this connection cooperates with the relevant intergovernmental organizations and specialized agencies of the United Nations system, in particular the IAEA, the OPCW and the CTBTO Preparatory Commission, in addition to supporting relevant multilateral treaties such as the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons and the Biological Weapons Convention.

Internship Information - Click Here