Intern - Europe, Russia, and Eurasia Program (Spring 2026)

The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) is a non-profit, bipartisan public policy organization established in 1962 to provide strategic insights and practical policy solutions to decision makers concerned with global security and prosperity. Over the years, it has grown to be one of the largest organizations of its kind, with a staff of some 250 employees, including more than 120 analysts working to address the changing dynamics of international security across the globe.

The CSIS Europe, Russia, and Eurasia (ERE) program seeks to develop a deeper understanding of Europe's political, security, and economic evolution and its future role in the world; geopolitical developments in the circumpolar Arctic; the implications of Russia's foreign and defense policies for transatlantic security; and political and economic developments in Russia and Eurasia.

The research internship will focus on ERE's Russia portfolio. More specifically, an intern will provide research assistance within a project funded by the Russia Strategic Initiative, U.S. European Command. The project is looking at Russia's key defense firms, various internal and external factors impacting production rates and product quality, along with Moscow's overall defense industrial manufacturing capacity.

Tentative internship start and end dates are February 2, 2026 and May 29, 2026. The internship will be part-time (around 20 hours per week) and can be hybrid, with both virtual and in-person components, depending on the candidate's location and availability.

The hired candidates will be paid hourly, commensurate with experience ($18.00/hour for current undergraduate hires, $19.00/hour for hires with a bachelor's degree, and $20.00/hour for hires with a master's degree).

Essential functions may include, but are not limited to the following:

*Provide relevant research, writing, and editing support to multiple staff members within the highlighted research project;

*Discover, clean, organize, and analyze various Russian-language data sources;

*Monitor relevant Russian-language paper and press releases;

*Perform ad hoc requests and other duties as necessary in support of staff members within the highlighted research project.

*Should be currently enrolled in a thematically relevant master's or bachelor's program (in the case of undergrads, 3rd or 4th year students are preferred);

*Interest or experience in Russian domestic and foreign policies; Russian defense industry; and/or Russian economy;

*Advanced knowledge of Russian language is required;

*Knowledge of different data scraping and processing tools (R Studio, Python, etc.) is preferred;

*Excellent record in an academic and research environment;

*Strong writing, editing, communication, and time management skills.

The physical demands are representative of those that must be met by an employee working in an office environment. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential job functions. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.

In order to be considered, please submit: (1) a one-page resume as a PDF; and (2) a one-page cover letter as a PDF, explaining your interest in the research internship and highlighting relevant language, regional, and thematic experience. Please submit these materials by December 30, 2025.

Please note that incomplete applications, applications exceeding the page limit or diverging from the required format (PDF), and applications submitted after the deadline will not be considered.