Careers
Jobs
We are not currently accepting applications at Smart Surfaces Coalition, but check in again sometime soon!
Internships
The Smart Surfaces Coalition offers exceptionally meaningful and interesting semester-long and year-long internships to undergraduate and graduate students interested in environmentally-focused research, communications, data science, and other fields. We are currently accepting applications for a Media/Communications Intern with an immediate start date. We will be reviewing applications on a rolling basis.
Smart Surfaces Scholar Program
Make your thesis matter!
If you are doing a master’s degree thesis, a Ph.D. thesis, or an exceptional undergraduate honors thesis, and want your work to have a real-world impact on climate, people, and equity... AND are interested in networking with many of the nation’s industry leading organizations in developing your thesis, you may well be a good fit for the Smart Surfaces Scholar Program.
“This internship significantly expanded my knowledge of urban stormwater management and how environmental economics can be helpful in mitigating climate change and urban sustainable development. Now, I better understand how green infrastructure can address climate challenges while saving money. I appreciate the opportunity SSC provided to apply my studies and start building experience in this important field.”
Read more about Yizhi’s work at SSC.
Yizhi Shen, Water Research Intern, Summer 2023
Masters Student, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health
“Over the summer, I was able to dive into topics that were once completely foreign to me, like calculating indirect energy savings, quantifying how Smart Surfaces can improve air quality, and the process of federal grantspersonship. I was also able to build connections with Coalition staff and partners alike, all with the same goal in mind: mitigating the effects of climate change to make the world a better, healthier place. As I prepare for the start of the next step in my academic career, I will fondly carry with me the connections made, knowledge gained, and sense of hope that I found during my time at SSC.”
Read more about Joe’s work at SSC.
Joe Alejandro, Research Analyst Intern, Summer 2023
PhD Candidate, University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health
“The amount of responsibility I’ve had as an intern has been extremely unique, and the professional skills that I have built upon and learned in a short time since starting with the Coalition have been invaluable. Specifically, I have improved on my soft skills in communication, knowing your audience, and improving work efficiency through teamwork. In addition, I have also improved upon my hard skills of summarizing and presenting hundreds of pages of information in a clear and concise manner, and working in an efficient team to create a professional deliverable given a strict deadline. This special experience provided to me by SSC will forever serve as a crucial first step in forging a career in sustainability.”
Robert Edwards, Intern, Summer–Fall 2021
Harvard University, Class of 2021
“My professional interests, such as studying how to support more equitable and sustainable communities, are not constrained to one discipline. However, it was difficult to find opportunities outside of academic settings that matched my emphasis on systems-level thinking—until I discovered the Smart Surfaces Coalition. My internship at SSC was an incredible learning experience and helped launch me into a career that feels both innovative and invigorating.”
Read more about Zach’s work at SSC.
Zach Clayton, Intern, Summer 2020-Summer 2021
Masters Student, Stanford University
“During my time at SSC, I was able to apply knowledge from the classroom while learning more about the application of Smart Surfaces, and the challenges associated with creating more green, resilient, and equitable cities… In addition, my co-workers and research emphasized the importance of mapping urban inequity––such as temperature, air quality, and income disparities––which has inspired me to add a geographic information science minor to continue this important work.”
Read more about Sophie’s work at SSC.
Sophie Nichols, Intern, Summer 2021
Student, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
“During a year of record-high temperatures and unprecedented flooding across much of the US, my work with the Smart Surfaces Coalition could not have felt more timely and impactful. In my thesis, I analyzed how deploying Smart Surfaces can create thousands of full-time, good paying jobs and tens of millions of dollars in output in regional economies. My findings can now be used to encourage municipalities across the country to adopt Smart Surfaces to safeguard their citizens against a changing climate.”
Emily Galvin, Smart Surfaces Scholar, 2021
Student, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill
“As a Physics student, despite my limited experience working with Smart Surface technology or climate issues, the environment made it easy for me to quickly process the necessary information and adapt the skills I had already developed for the necessary tasks. I also had the opportunity to work with researchers who were at the forefront of their fields, further developing my abilities and giving me valuable insights over the course of my internship that I will continue to use in the future.”
Yinka Alawode, Intern, Summer 2020
Student, University of Toronto
“During my internship, I was able to pursue research in Smart Surface-related areas that fit my personal interests as well as develop valuable workplace skills I will use throughout my career... Leaving this internship, I feel prepared to enter the environmental-field of work and am more confident in my communication skills, analytical writing, and overall practical working skills.”
Read more about Amanda’s work at SSC.
Amanda Wager, Intern, Spring/Summer 2021
Student, Williams College