Internship in Applied Animal Welfare Research (Fall 2026)

Summary: ASPCA is the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, and they are seeking dedicated interns in Applied Animal Welfare Research. The role involves assisting with program evaluation, research planning, and developing communication plans to create impact for animals. Responsibilities: - Assisting with program evaluation or research planning and design, literature review, data collection, statistical analysis, qualitative analysis, and writing manuscripts - Learning and practicing project management skills - Developing field-facing and public-facing research communications plans - Participating in webinars, conferences, and other opportunities for sharing research findings - Attending internal meetings, including Strategy Vertical meetings with collaborating programmatic teams - Assisting with miscellaneous tasks and projects as needed Required Qualifications: - Students currently enrolled in an academic degree or certificate program (Graduate or advanced undergraduate (junior/senior year) level preferred). Individuals not currently enrolled in an educational program may be considered - Proficiency with Excel including functionality such as creating and formatting spreadsheets, sorting and filtering data, using simple formulas for basic calculations, and creating basic charts. Additional expertise in Excel a plus - Solid critical thinking skills - Ability to work independently (self-starter) - High level of maturity and professionalism - Strong written and oral communication skills Preferred Qualifications: - Coursework completed in research methods, statistics, data science, or similar topics - Experience using statistical software (e.g., SPSS, Stata, R, etc.) for data management and analysis as a part of your coursework; experience using statistical software on a research project an additional plus - Experience with program evaluation, research design and/or data collection as a part of your coursework; experience using program evaluation, research design and/or data collection on a research project or on an independent research project an additional plus - Familiarity with animal welfare topics and issues through academic studies, volunteering, and/or working in the animal welfare field - Animal welfare interests that align with current ASPCA research topics within access to veterinary care, animal sheltering and behavior, and/or animal cruelty Required Skills: Excel proficiency, Statistical software Important Skills: Research methods coursework, Data collection experience Nice-to-Have Skills: Animal welfare knowledge, Critical thinking, Written communication, Oral communication, Project management skills Internship Start Date: Start in 2026 Fall Benefits: A laptop will be provided.