The Institute for China-America Studies is seeking three paid long-term research assistant interns for 2025! This 6-month minimum internship will run from mid-January through December. This is a part-time, 20-30 hour per week internship that will be conducted primarily in-person at the ICAS office in Washington, D.C. This post is an internship and does not offer work visa to candidates who are non-U.S. citizens.
Competitive candidates will have an interest in U.S.-China relations and are pursuing a Master’s, JD, or PhD degree from an accredited institution. We are looking for specific issue-oriented professionals who can take initiatives to work on individual projects or in collaboration with other experts. Ideal candidates should be detail-oriented and are eager to improve their professional skills through specialized research and event planning activities. Candidates with previous research experience at a think tank, industries, consulting firms, or in a similar field are highly preferred. Fluent proficiency in English is required, intermediate-level proficiency in Mandarin is preferred, and any additional intermediate-level proficiency in another language is a plus.
Preferred Research Areas and Topics:
· Maritime Studies: South China Sea, Artic, East China Sea, International Law of the Sea, Shipping, and Maritime Security;
· Trade and Technology: Tariffs, Sanctions, Industrial Policies, AI, EV, Capital Market, and Crypto Currency;
· Climate Change: Renewable Energy, Climate Finance, Carbon Pricing, Climate Diplomacy, Climate Resilience, and Blue Carbon;
· Congressional Research: Legislations, Congressional Hearings, and Congressional Elections.
Qualifications and required skills:
● An in-depth understanding of and interests in the U.S.-China relations, with a special interest and experience in one of the above-mentioned areas or topics;
● Past Research experience in one of the above-mentioned areas or topics;
● Excellent writing skills and analytical abilities:
- Experience with individual or group research projects
- Experience with policy memo or research report writing
- Experience with database-building and maintenance
- Experience with Microsoft Office & Google Drive operating systems
● Excellent communication, organization, time management and interpersonal skills as well as a strong willingness to further grow professionally in think tanks, government, corporate consulting, multilateral organizations, and private industries.
Job duties will include the following, but are not limited to:
● Taking initiatives of individual or group research projects a selected research area under the direction of ICAS staff;
● Generating original writing in the forms of Issue Briefs and Commentaries;
● Leading and managing the publication and design of a selected ICAS newsletter related to a selected fields under the direction of ICAS staff;
● Conducting primary and secondary research in support of scholarly research agendas for the ICAS staffs;
● Assisting with event planning and setup, as needed;
● Assisting with minor administrative duties, including publishing content on the ICAS website and proofreading, as needed;
● Engaging with social media projects on Twitter and LinkedIn;
Benefits:
This is an excellent opportunity for young professionals interested in U.S.-China relations who are seeking to conduct research and improve their capabilities in a longer term. We offer a small monthly stipend to the interns and selected candidates will also have access to our scholars and network. We offer all ICAS research interns the opportunity to publish their work on the ICAS website.
Interested applicants should identify a specific field of interest, submit a cover letter, resume, and a total of 5-10 page writing sample as
a single PDF using the form on the ICAS Website no later than January 31, 2025.
Questions about the internship can be submitted to Research Associate & Administrative Officer
Yilun Zhang at administration@chinaus-icas.org.
