These volunteer job and internship opportunities in the biological sciences are unpaid opportunities that compensate participants with some combination of housing, food, and travel stipends. They typically are field-based, and do not involve an individual research project.

Summer 2024

5/16 - ...until next year!

Have a great summer!

Year-round

Research Intern, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology - Trinidad

Paid Research Internships - Ecology and Evolutionary Biology:

Research interns are needed to assist in a multi-disciplinary, multi-investigator, experimental study of the evolution of species interactions in Trinidad, West Indies. The research is led by Professors David Reznick (University of California, Riverside), Joseph Travis (Florida State University), Tim Coulson (University of Oxford), and Ron Bassar (Auburn University).  We seek to integrate multiple biological fields for the study of these interactions in experimental populations of guppies and killifish in Trinidad. Duties include assisting in monthly censuses of guppy and killifish populations in montane streams and helping to execute experiments in on-site artificial streams. The monthly censuses include long hours in the field and laboratory.  
Interns will be required to spend a minimum of 3 months in Trinidad, with possibility of extension. There are potential start dates in April 2023 and every month thereafter until September 2024. We will pay a monthly stipend, cover travel, living expenses, and provide housing. 

Qualifications: We seek interns who are entertaining the possibility of pursuing graduate studies in some area of ecology and evolution and who wish to gain some additional field research experience before doing so.  Research will take place in semi-remote areas of Trinidad, sometimes under bad weather conditions. Applicants must be able to live and work well with others. Research will involve carrying heavy packs over slippery and steep terrain. Applicants must be in good physical condition and be able to meet the demands of field research under these conditions. Ability to drive a standard transmission vehicle is desirable but not required. Applicants with first-aid/first responder training, skills in automobile maintenance, and construction skills are highly desirable. Please address these skills when applying.

Please see our website (www.theguppyproject.weebly.com) for more information on the project and access to reprints.  Be sure to check out our video menu, which includes a "guppy censuses" as submenu VII.  It details the main tasks associated with the internship.

Applicants should send a cover letter, CV, and the names and e-mail addresses of three or more professional references to David Reznick (gupy@ucr.edu). At least two of the references should be academics.

Ecology & Conservation Internships - Costa Rica

Osa Conservation offers both short- and long-term internships at our biological station in Costa Rica's southern Pacific Ocean.

At Osa Conservation, we reconnect the rainforest, monitor and protect biodiversity, and work hand-in-hand with the local community to build climate resilient ecosystems for people and wildlife. Our team works across southern Costa Rica, connecting and protecting landscapes and biodiversity from the ridges of the Talamanca mountains to the coral reefs of the Golfo Dulce and the Pacific Ocean.  Be part of our conservation successes and come get your boots dirty in one of Earth’s greatest wildernesses.

Browse internships: https://osaconservation.org/visit-the-osa-2/volunteer/field-internships/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/osaconservation

Microbiology / Sustainability Internship - VT

Microbiology Intern (Job ID: 21-09) - GSR Solutions, Burlington VT

We are inviting dependable and highly driven interns with good microbiology and/or biology-related skills as well as experience with lab practices and record-keeping that are creative, independent, motivated by challenges, and passionate about making a sustainable impact in communities.  The interns will be responsible for providing scientific support to our team in an intellectually challenging environment while following essential workplace safety guidelines.

Job requirements: Interns will be required to assist with experiments, taking measurements, reporting, etc., and maintain both equipment and work areas in a clean, organized manner in accordance with the current safety and quality standards.

Qualifications: BS or MS student pursuing a degree in Microbiology, Medical, Biology, Biochemistry, or a major related to the position of interest.  Proficiency in Microsoft Word and Excel.

Hours: flexible, from 5 to 20 weekly

Number of positions available: 2

**Position is unpaid, but can be set up for internship credit through UVM.

To Apply: email your resume with complete contact information along with three references to info@gensysresearch.com

About GSR Solutions: We provide sustainable solutions for addressing the challenges of food, water, and energy markets.  Our mission is to create value from waste streams and help communities address environmental, economic, and social challenges to build a sustainable future for all.  Website: https://gsrsoln.com/index.html