2026 Internship Opportunities

Princeton’s Net-Zero America (NZA) study (https://netzeroamerica.princeton.edu/the-report) was a path-breaking, impactful energy-transition modeling effort that vividly communicated alternative technological pathways by which the U.S. economy could reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. The NZA leaders are now collaborating with research teams worldwide developing Net-Zero “X” studies for other countries.

Internships with the Net-Zero Brazil (NZB) project are available for three students. One internship will be in Princeton with the Andlinger Center’s Energy Systems Analysis Group (ESAG). Two internships will be with collaborators in Brazil, one at the University of Campinas (UNICAMP) and one with the non-governmental Institute of Energy and the Environment (IEMA).

ESAG includes a multidisciplinary group of researchers using engineering-based tools to assess and model technologies and technology strategies for solving major energy-related societal problems—including climate change, air pollution, lack of energy access in poorer countries, and others. In addition to NZB, ESAG researchers are collaborating on Net-Zero projects with colleagues in Australia, China, India, Poland, and Korea. Dr. Eric Larson leads ESAG’s contributions to the NZB and will provide mentorship for the Princeton-based intern.

UNICAMP, in the city of Campinas, is among Brazil’s top universities and home to a variety of significant sustainability initiatives. Faculty from several departments are involved with the NZB project. Prof. Carla Cavaliero, a renewable energy expert in UNICAMP’s Department of Energy within the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, coordinates UNICAMP’s contributions to the NZB, and will provide mentorship for the intern based at UNICAMP.

IEMA (Instituto de Energia e Meio Ambiente) is a leading Brazilian think tank that since 2007 has been driving innovative research and policy solutions to build a fair and sustainable future. Joining IEMA means collaborating with passionate experts at the forefront of energy transition and climate action in Brazil who produce influential analysis for policy makers, the private sector, and civil society. David Tsai coordinates IEMA’s contributions to the NZB and will provide mentorship for the intern based at IEMA.

The interns will support the NZB project in various ways, including assisting with:

• Collecting/organizing input data for modeling work
• Learning and running decarbonization transition models, including energy/industrial demand and supply optimization and land-use change visualization tools.
• Documenting project work in various ways, including creating and populating templates for graphical and mapping representations of modeling results
• Other activities as mutually agreed with supervisor

The interns will gain an understanding of:

• Systems level, interdisciplinary thinking and analysis
• Current energy production and utilization patterns across Brazil
• A wide range of energy producing and using technologies
• Optimization based modeling of national energy/industry transitions and how such models are applied to guide real-world decarbonization decisions.
• Various other software tools
• Effective organization and presentation of large energy and land-use related datasets.
• For the interns based in Brazil, there will be opportunities for site visits to commercially operating bioenergy facilities in the state of São Paulo.

STEM major with interest in energy-systems and national decarbonization transitions, especially for Brazil

• LBasic data analysis skills, including proficiency with MS Excel and one or more coding languages (e.g., Julia, Python)
• Experience with geographic information system software (ArcGIS or QGIS) desirable.
• Familiarity with Tableau software

Interns should have their own laptop

• Students will meet with internship mentors in the spring, prior to the internship start date.
• Student(s) are responsible for securing accommodations for the duration of the internship.
• Students who will be traveling abroad, will need to consult UHS for travel medical requirements. It is the responsibility of the student to be aware of entry requirements and to obtain any necessary documentation. Valid passport required. Students are required to register their travel with the University through Enroll My Trip. Information related to the University’s Permissible Travel Guidelines can be found here. Funding is contingent on travel registration and University approval.
• Students, who will be on Princeton Campus, are responsible for securing accommodations for the duration of their internship. On-campus summer housing is typically available the first week of June until the first week of August (details to become available in Spring 2026). If the internship falls outside of on-campus housing availability, students will need to secure alternate housing.