Economics and Machine Learning Intern

EDF internships provide high-quality experiences (including relevant projects and opportunities for networking) that form the foundation for any individual who is serious about pursuing an environmental career.

Location

U.S. Remote with option to be hybrid out of an EDF office in San Francisco. Intern supervisor is in San Francisco.

Term

Fall 2026

Hours

Part-time (12 hr/week)

Application Materials

Interested applicants should attach their cover letter and resume to the EDF application.

Program/Department Overview

The Economics Team ensures that environmental policy advanced by EDF is underpinned by sound economic thinking. Within the organization, the Economics Team works across all of EDF’s workstreams providing thought leadership and economic analysis. Outside the organization, the team maintains relationships with leading environmental economists and key stakeholders (including policymakers) to ensure that the best available knowledge is used to advance EDF policy.

Overall Function

The intern will conduct literature reviews and research to support the development and implementation of a machine learning procedure that uses computer vision techniques to identify oil and gas infrastructure using remote sensing imagery. They will also perform data analysis on oil and gas infrastructure to match  observations to infrastructure databases. The intern will write reports on their findings to share with the team. The intern will report to an EDF Economist and work closely with other Economics team members.

Key Responsibilities

Tasks will include but are not limited to:

• Perform literature reviews and research on machine learning and computer vision techniques.
• Implement computer vision techniques to identify oil and gas infrastructure using remote sensing imagery.
• Perform data analysis on oil and gas infrastructure.
• Write reports on techniques and results on findings and share with the team and stakeholders.
• Participate in advancing EDF’s organizational effectiveness and culture goals, so people from all backgrounds and experiences feel connected, included and empowered to address environmental and organizational challenges in ways that align with EDF values.

Qualifications

• Enrolled in or recent graduate of an undergraduate degree program with coursework in economics and machine learning.
• Demonstrated interest in environmental economics, machine learning, econometrics.
• Experience in computer programming with R or Python.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Must be well organized, motivated, and detail-oriented.
• Ability to multi-task, prioritize and meet deadlines.
• Ability to work in a team setting and have the ability to work independently when projects are due.
• Demonstrate self-awareness, cultural competency and inclusivity, and ability to work with colleagues and stakeholders across all cultures and backgrounds.
• Demonstrate initiative and problem solving skills.

Compensation

This internship would involve compensation for work paid at a rate competitive with leading non-profits at $18/hour or the local minimum wage if it exceeds $18/hour.

Learn more about internships at EDF -http://www.edf.org/environmental-careers/internships