Applied AI / Data Engineering Intern

ISD is a think and do tank that works globally to safeguard public safety, national security, human rights and democracy in the digital age. Combining research and analysis with government advisory work and the design and delivery of international training, education and communications programs, ISD works to implement real-world, evidence-based responses to these challenges. ISD has teams in London, Amman, Berlin, Paris and Washington DC. 

Why work for ISD? 

ISD is not your ordinary think tank. We turn research into action that changes the world. Our insights don't gather dust on shelves - they power the fight to protect democracy and human rights on the front lines. We're committed to delivering real change, from the grassroots to the highest levels of global institutions. And we're looking for passionate individuals who share our commitment to making a difference. Join us and be part of an organisation that's making an impact. 

 
ISD's Guiding Principles of  integrity, collaboration, agility and courage  define who we are as a team and an organisation. These principles reflect our culture and guide the way we work and the choices we make. 

Our benefits 

• Flexible and remote working based on ISD's Time Principles (Trust, Communication, Flexibility). 

• 10 days paid time off during the course of your internship + public holidays + up to 3 weeks paid sick leave
  
  

Salary

$21/hr

Location 

Washington DC or US remote, East Coast preferred.
We cannot provide Visa sponsorship for this role. Please note that unfortunately any applicants who are not based in the US with a valid US work authorization will be automatically disqualified and will not be contacted.

Contract type 

4-6 -month fixed term contract, depending on business needs.
There may be opportunities for full-time employment at the conclusion of the internship, though this is dependent on funding and cannot be guaranteed.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion 

ISD is committed to promoting diversity throughout its workforce and aims for its team to be truly representative of all sections of society. We make a concerted effort to ensure our workplace, employment policies and organisational culture creates an inclusive, positive and progressive environment in which all members of our team are treated with dignity and respect. For further information about this policy or our recruitment practices, please email vacancies@isdglobal.org. 

 
We strongly encourage applications from people of colour, the LGBTQ+ community, people with disabilities, neurodivergent people, carers, and people from diverse socio-economic backgrounds. 

Role Purpose 

We are seeking an Applied AI / Data Engineering intern to help build and scale our AI-powered research infrastructure. You will contribute to the design and implementation of data pipelines that process millions of social media posts, integrate LLM APIs for content classification, and develop tools to help researchers analyze online harms more effectively. 

Please find a detailed job description here.

Key responsibilities include:

• Platform & Pipeline Development (40%) 

• Support the development of a social media analytics platform. 

• Contribute to the development of a low-code tool by building ETL workflows that process large-scale social media data, including handling uploads, data standardization, and bulk indexing. 

• Connect to social media APIs (e.g., X, Reddit), manage rate limits, handle authentication, and pipeline data reliably and efficiently. 
  
  

• AI & LLM Integration (40%) 

• Design and implement classification systems using OpenAI, Anthropic, and other LLM APIs to detect violent rhetoric, hate speech, and other indicators of online harm at scale. 

• Experiment with and drive innovation around the use of AI technologies to enhance the organization’s technical capabilities, including identifying opportunities to improve workflows through new and existing technology

   
  

• Research Support (20%) 

• Contribute to technical tasks for 1-2 ISD research outputs (examples of past research available here, here, and here). 

  
  

The ideal candidate 

Interns at ISD play an important role in the organisation and support teams in several ways, from working on large organisation-wide projects, to various ad hoc tasks which will build out your wider experience and exposure.

Please review our  job description for essential criteria, and keep in mind that no candidate will meet every requirement in the advert. If your experience looks a little different from what we've identified, but you think you can bring value to the role, we'd love to hear from you.

How to apply

Applications should be submitted by January 2. ISD reserves the right to conduct interviews and make appointments prior to the stated deadline. Applications must be submitted in English.
 

If you have any further questions about this vacancy or want to speak to a member of our recruitment team, please contact vacancies@isdglobal.org.