The Center for Science in the Public Interest offers a paid internship program for students in undergraduate, graduate, law and medical schools, and we also consider postgraduates. These paid internships offer structured work experiences and an opportunity to:

• Gain substantial knowledge of the process of conducting safety assessments for chemicals in food.
• Participate in group meetings and strategy brainstorming sessions.
• Obtain general research and communication skills by working closely with science, policy, legislative and outreach experts.
• Meet with staff at all levels of the organization to discuss career roles and paths.
• Assess your own interests and skills.

 About CSPI

The Center for Science in the Public Interest, your food and health watchdog, is one of the nation’s leading public health advocacy organizations with a 50-year record of fighting for science in the public interest and working to improve the food environment for all. We’ve led efforts to win passage of many state and local policies to improve school foods, put calories on chain restaurant menus and menu boards, and remove sugary drinks from children’s menus. National policy successes include the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act; Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act; Food Safety Modernization Act; and Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act. More recently, CSPI has also been involved in broader public health advocacy on issues such as scientific integrity, alcohol policy, agency transparency, and the regulation of selected medical products.

About the Internship Opportunity

Chemical Cuisine is one of CSPI’s most visited webpages and provides easy-to-understand safety ratings with brief summaries of the scientific evidence for chemicals added to our foods. The intern will assist the Food Additives Team in conducting chemical-specific literature reviews for Chemical Cuisine entries. The intern will identify and collate chemical-specific safety information relevant to Chemical Cuisine entries from the scientific literature and publications from authoritative bodies and thereafter assist CSPI’s Staff Scientist for Food Additives in screening and evaluating the evidence. Specific tasks will be based on the intern’s level of education and experience. The intern will have the opportunity to develop web content (e.g., blogs, social media posts) on behalf of CSPI and may have the opportunity to review and synthesize the relevant body of evidence into written summaries. They will also participate in CSPI’s ongoing advocacy efforts aimed at reforming federal food additive regulations. 

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Providing technical and research assistance to support CSPI’s work on food additive safety
• Assist the Staff Scientist in evaluating the safety evidence
• Creating and refining chemical-specific search terms for PubMed and other scientific literature databases.
• Conducting searches to identify relevant peer-reviewed literature and performing initial screening of titles and abstracts for use in chemical safety assessments. 

Qualifications

• Currently enrolled in a graduate degree program (master’s or doctoral) in toxicology, public health, environmental health, food science, or a related field. A late-program (at least a 3rd-year) undergraduate in these fields may be acceptable
• Excellent research and writing skills with ability to read, analyze, interpret, and summarize scientific research 
• Exceptional attention to detail
• Demonstrated ability to work independently and manage tasks appropriately to achieve project goals
• Interest in food additives and safety
• Experience in toxicology research, conducting systematic reviews or science writing is a plus

What Else You Should Know

CSPI pays interns $17.00 per hour at the start of the internship. Intern pay will increase to $17.50 per hour effective 7/1/2024. Our 10-week summer intern program is full-time (40 hours per week). We provide two paid holidays (Juneteenth and Independence Day), ½ day Fridays, and up to two days of paid sick leave. The ideal start date is late May/early June, but we will work with applicants if there’s a schedule conflict. The internship is remote (must be in the US), with the opportunity to work from our DC office if desired.

As a public health organization, CSPI makes efforts to maintain a safe workplace for employees and visitors. We require all employees to be up to date with their COVID-19 vaccines as soon as they are eligible, and the vaccine is available to them. Proof of vaccination is required during the onboarding process.

CSPI on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

CSPI is committed to including and valuing diverse voices and fostering a culture that ensures all staff feel a sense of belonging and are encouraged to be their best selves. In that spirit, each of us is committed to putting in constant work to live up to our organization’s core values:

• We are inclusive. We seek to foster an environment where all staff feel a sense of belonging and are affirmed. We are not looking for everyone to think and look the same. We actively welcome and value staff with different experiences, backgrounds, attributes, abilities, and perspectives.
• We are open. We are honest and direct in how we communicate with each other in order to build trust and integrity within our organization.
• We are accountable. We acknowledge and assume responsibility for our actions.
• We are kind. We communicate and treat one another in a respectful, generous, considerate, and compassionate way.
• We are collaborative. We work together for the common good and shared success.  

https://www.idealist.org/en/nonprofit-internship/73198036abb64b27b375041cfc6814df-2024-summer-cspi-food-additives-internship-center-for-science-in-the-public-interest-washington?utm_source=symplicity&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=listings-api