Are you passionate about leveraging data to drive sustainable agriculture and land use? Do you possess a knack for geospatial analysis and a desire to contribute to global environmental solutions? The World Resources Institute (WRI) actively seeks an agricultural data intern to join our innovative Data Lab in Washington D.C. This position, therefore, presents an unparalleled opportunity for you to apply your skills within a global environmental NGO and truly make a tangible impact on critical food security and land use challenges. This agricultural data intern role offers a chance to shape real-world solutions.
About Your Role as an Agricultural Data Intern
This hybrid internship, based in our Washington D.C. office, provides a unique chance to work directly within WRI’s cutting-edge Data Lab. As a core unit for data innovation, the Data Lab provides crucial technical infrastructure, geospatial analytics, and applied data science support across the Institute. This, moreover, includes essential backing for our Food, Land, and Water (FLW) Program and Land & Carbon Lab, key areas where your agricultural data analysis skills will thrive. As an agricultural data intern, you’ll be at the forefront of these efforts.
Cross-Cutting Agricultural data analysis intern
You’ll play a vital role in advancing agricultural and forest-monitoring analytics. Specifically, as an agricultural data intern, you’ll engage in data labeling, execute geospatial workflows, and contribute to advanced models that address yield estimation, natural conversion, and supply chain risk assessment. This position, consequently, directly exposes you to a global team of GIS analysts, researchers, and data scientists. Furthermore, you’ll foster collaboration across WRI’s international offices, thereby applying spatial insights to real-world sustainability, food security, and land use issues.
What You’ll Do: Agricultural Data Tasks
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Geospatial Data Enhancement (60%):
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Utilize digital tools to annotate agricultural field boundaries and features in high-resolution satellite imagery (Sentinel-2, Planet).
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Adhere to rigorous standards and quality control practices when generating training and validation datasets crucial for deep learning models. This is a core responsibility for an agricultural data intern.
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Prioritize labeling tasks for impactful use cases in Latin America (Colombia, Mexico, Brazil) and Africa (Kenya).
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Assist with GIS processing of field boundaries and land cover datasets using powerful tools like Geospatial Python (geopandas, GDAL, rasterio), ArcPro, and Google Earth Engine (GEE). Ultimately, this work supports your analyses related to supply chains, cadastral data, and land use, a key part of your agricultural data intern role.
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Conduct spatial analysis to meet country office needs, including crop identification, agricultural frontier mapping, and bioeconomy analysis.
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Contribute to the creation of clear and effective data visualizations and cartographic products for both internal and external stakeholders.
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Documentation & Collaboration (10%):
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Document workflows and help build reproducible annotation pipelines to ensure efficient and consistent data processing.
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Engage directly with WRI country office staff to understand their analytical needs and translate them into actionable labeling or GIS tasks.
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Equity Integration: You will actively integrate equity considerations into all aspects of your work. This also pertains to the data analysis you perform as an agricultural data intern.
Internship Learning Outcomes for an Agricultural Data Intern
This internship is specifically designed to provide you with significant professional development. Consequently, you will:
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Master the process of annotating and creating high-quality polygon datasets essential for deep learning model training.
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Deepen your understanding of agricultural practices and how to accurately characterize them through advanced geospatial analysis.
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Gain invaluable experience working within a leading global environmental NGO focused on cutting-edge geospatial data innovation. This is a truly impactful agricultural data intern experience in the heart of Washington D.C., preparing you for future agricultural data careers.
Experienced data scientists and land use specialists from the Data Lab, Food Land and Water Program, and Land & Carbon Lab will support you throughout your internship. You’ll report directly to the Agricultural Data Scientist in the Data Lab, enhancing your experience as an agricultural data intern in Washington DC.
What We’re Looking For in an Agricultural Data Intern
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Academic Background: We seek candidates currently pursuing or who have recently completed a degree in a relevant field such as agriculture, geographic information systems (GIS), remote sensing, economics, international development, natural resource management, environmental studies, forestry, sustainability, or conservation. A graduate program is preferred; however, we strongly encourage motivated undergraduate students to apply for this geospatial data intern position.
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Geospatial & Data Skills: Coursework in geospatial analysis or data science is required. Furthermore, familiarity with GIS software (QGIS or ArcGIS) and basic spatial data formats is essential. Your skills are crucial for this agricultural data intern role.
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Technical Aptitude: We’re looking for interest or experience in digital sketching, labeling, and annotation work. Exposure to Python or JavaScript (especially in Google Earth Engine – GEE) for geospatial analysis is highly desirable. Additionally, experience with time series analysis, geospatial agricultural analysis, and remote sensing data is a definite plus.
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Language Skills: Written and spoken proficiency in English is a must. Beyond that, Spanish or Portuguese proficiency is preferred, and French offers an advantage.
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Personal Attributes: We seek creative, adaptable individuals with a genuine interest in sustainable agriculture and land use, a quality valuable for any agricultural data intern.
Compensation & Logistics for this D.C. Internship
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Compensation:
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Undergraduate students: $20 per hour
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Graduate students: $22 per hour
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PhD students: $24 per hour
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Length of Contract: This is a full-time, 3-month internship with flexible start and end dates.
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Location: This is a hybrid internship, based out of our Washington D.C. office. You will work in the office at least 8 days per month. This applies to all agricultural data interns working with WRI.
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Work Authorization: You must possess existing work authorization at the time of application submission. Unfortunately, WRI cannot sponsor work visas for this position.
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Residency Requirement: To be eligible, you must reside in DC, Maryland, or Virginia at the start of employment.
How to Apply
Please submit a resume and a compelling cover letter by July 16, 2025. All applicants must apply directly through the WRI Careers portal for consideration. Please note, we may close applications sooner if we receive a high volume of qualified candidates. This is your chance to become an agricultural data intern at a leading organization.
Apply now: https://unjobs.org/vacancies/1751585482242
FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions) about the Agricultural Data Intern Role
Q1: What are the primary responsibilities of this agricultural data intern role? A1: The agricultural data intern will primarily focus on labeling and annotating agricultural field boundaries in satellite imagery (60% of duties), assisting with GIS processing, conducting spatial analysis, and contributing to documentation (10%). They will also actively integrate equity into their work.
Q2: Is this a fully remote internship? A2: No, this is a hybrid internship. While some work can be done remotely, you are required to work from our Washington D.C. office at least 8 days per month.
Q3: What kind of technical skills are required for this role? A3: We require coursework in geospatial analysis or data science. Familiarity with GIS software (QGIS or ArcGIS) is essential, and exposure to Python or JavaScript (especially in Google Earth Engine) for geospatial analysis is highly preferred.
Q4: Will WRI sponsor a work visa for this internship? A4: Unfortunately, WRI cannot sponsor any visa work sponsorship for this position. Existing work authorization is required at the time of application submission.
Q5: What are the compensation rates for this internship? A5: Undergraduate interns receive $20/hour, graduate interns $22/hour, and PhD students $24/hour.
Q6: What is the duration of the internship? A6: This is a full-time, 3-month internship with flexible start and end dates.