Deadline: March 20 (priority), rolling through April 29, 2022
Duke’s Office of the Provost is offering a broad set of opportunities to support Ph.D. students during Summer 2022. A number of experiential internships with external organizations are available by application, along with other internship and research assistant opportunities with Duke units across campus.
Interested Ph.D. students should search the opportunities to match both skills/background and research interests. You may apply to only two (2) positions (this could be two external or two Duke internships, or one of each).
The priority deadline is March 20. Hosts will begin review of applications on March 21, and then consider additional applications on a rolling basis through April 29.
All interns will be required to take either the experiential workshop, GS950, or a relevant Duke Graduate Academy course, during Duke Summer Session I or II.
Please see the FAQ section below, and contact Amy Feistel (amy.feistel@duke.edu) with any questions.
How to Apply
All applications must be submitted through this Duke portal: https://dukeinterdisc.formstack.com/forms/duke_phd_summer_internship
You will be asked to provide the following:
- Letter of application for each opportunity
- Brief CV (2-page maximum)
- Letter of support from your department DGS, indicating how the proposed internship(s) will enhance your intellectual trajectory.
Provost Internships
Browse, search or sort alphabetically by any column. Click on the link in the Internship Focus column to access more information.
| Organization or Duke Unit | Internship Focus | Brief Scope of Work |
| American Historical Association | FILLED: Research & Publications | Work with the Perspectives on History editorial team, write article(s), work on Racist Histories and the AHA project |
| Central Park School for Children | Anti-Racist Curriculum & Pedagogy Development | Work with school’s equity coach to design, distribute and implement culturally responsive lessons and curriculum for K-8, and professional development for staff to support pedagogical practices |
| Don’t Waste Durham | Environmental Equity & Social Justice | Finalize ReCirculation Project design based on pre-pilot survey data, develop and finalize data collection tools, conduct monitoring and evaluation, report on results, draw conclusions |
| Duke Bass Connections | FILLED: Analysis of Interdisciplinary Research & Learning | Conduct landscape analysis of analogous interdisciplinary research and education programs, draft publications to share lessons learned from Bass Connections model with other institutions, help design symposium on interdisciplinary and collaborative learning |
| Duke Career Services | Alumni Engagement | Develop and execute a plan to engage graduate alumni and local/regional employers about expanding and deepening experiential learning opportunities for Duke Ph.D. students; catalog known Ph.D. internship opportunities with Triangle area companies |
| Duke Center for Computational Thinking | FILLED: Ph.D. Computational Fellowship | Participate in Summer Bootcamp: Introduction to Data Science; give short oral presentation of research question, exploratory data analysis and findings as a final project |
| Duke Clinical & Translational Science Institute, Center for Equity in Research | Equity in Research | Collaborate with center’s team members on expanding six key focus areas; gather and organize evidenced-based practices; collaborate on design or improvement of trainings and workshops |
| Duke Curriculum Development Committee | FILLED: Undergraduate Curriculum Development | Collect scholarly research, work with data on curriculum and students’ paths, identify and summarize peer curricula, perform other research activities |
| Duke Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Triangle Center for Evolutionary Medicine (TriCEM) | FILLED: Evolutionary Medicine Summer Programs Coordination | Assist in planning, facilitating and contributing to TriCEM’s summer programming including educational workshops, other trainings, science communication, and working group meetings to advance research |
| Duke Department of Romance Studies | FILLED: Language Pedagogy for Undergraduate Education | Work on research and development for set of best practices for Multilingual Writing Center, research parallel structures in English, examine literature writing pedagogy in different languages, collaborate with language program directors and faculty to understand student and faculty needs |
| Duke Divinity School | FILLED: Oral History Project | Partake in interview training and practice, conduct background research on the school’s history of, interview former faculty |
| Duke Forest | FILLED: Governance and Land Use | Assess governance and land use contexts surrounding the Duke Forest Teaching and Research Laboratory, identify potential threats, vulnerabilities and risks to mission, management objectives and strategic vision |
| Duke Initiative for Science & Society | Science Communication Curriculum | Create strategic scoping document of SciComm trainings from Duke, other universities and private sector; identify best practices and ethical issues; identify/develop assessment tools to determine effectiveness; conduct assessment Duke SciComm offerings; begin development of curriculum design |
| Duke John Hope Franklin Humanities Institute | FILLED: Humanities & Climate Communications | Conceptualize and generate faculty/student interviews, profiles of research projects and collaborations, or other content; generate materials for campus communications and for FHI annual report |
| Duke Kenan Institute for Ethics | FILLED: Research & Grant Proposal Writing | Research and draft grant proposal on developing and evaluating programs that integrate questions of meaning, purpose and character into undergraduate and graduate/professional education |
| Duke Public Affairs & Government Relations | FILLED: Qualitative Diversity & Inclusion Research | Assess Duke communicators’ experience related to anti-racism, diversity, equity and inclusion using survey data; conduct focus group(s); prepare report with analysis and recommendations regarding current environment, culture and challenges |
| Duke Social Science Research Institute | FILLED: Evaluation of COVID-19 Relief Solutions | Conduct community-partnered research and evaluation efforts based in SSRI; perform qualitative data collection exploring implementation to address COVID-related educational needs and inequities |
| Duke University Press | FILLED: Preparation of Books for Publishing | Format manuscripts, organize art program for books, write book summaries to be presented to Editorial Advisory Board, help with other pre-production tasks |
| Durham Technical Community College | FILLED: American Literature Research for Curriculum Diversification | Help diversify curriculum for key courses; connect with existing faculty and resources; research work from underrepresented communities in American literature; create course content |
| Durham Technical Community College | FILLED: Data Analysis of Transfer Students | Collect and analyze data concerning key metrics for university transfer students; examine measures involving student success in key English and Math gateway courses as well as those that concern curriculum completion and equitable outcomes for students |
| Durham Technical Community College | Equity Gap Research | Work with instructors to identify social factors affecting students, review literature to find promising interventions to support students, adapt intervention for first-year composition class |
| Durham Technical Community College | FILLED: Pedagogical Best Practices for Online Instruction | Conduct literature review concerning pedagogical best practices for synchronous online instruction as they are applied to college-level general education courses; help design and develop faculty training |
| Hope Renovations | Market Analysis | Perform market analysis and offerings recommendations, including pricing; produce implementation plan, including marketing recommendations |
| JusticeMatters | Community Health/Food Security & Nutrition | Build knowledge around legal services and remedies, complete literature review, give presentation to leadership team and board members |
| MDC | FILLED: Equity & Prosperity in the South | Develop data profiles that provide indicators of current state of equity and prosperity across the South; contribute to qualitative design, implementation and analysis of discussions that occur at community convenings |
| National Humanities Center | FILLED: Preparation of Scholarly Work for Digital Project | Curate, frame, produce and translate scholarly work for new digital project, Humanities Town Square; work with digital and narrative content and platforms, engage partners and contribute to design and editorial framework |
| North Carolina Department of Justice, Consumer Protection Division | Exploration of Antitrust Remedies | Explore interoperability, data portability and/or data sharing as potential antitrust remedies; analyze privacy issues such as use of data in advertising, anonymization of data and differential privacy in relation to remedies |
| RTI International | Diversity & Community Engagement | Synthesize information to inform prototype development; analyze qualitative data generated from design sprints; contribute to digital strategy related to engagement experiences for health care providers and diverse community members |
| RTI International | Global Noncommunicable Diseases | Interpret data on performance of NCD screening and treatment programs, research disease burden, policy and health economics related to NCDs, prepare summaries of research findings |
FAQ: Summer 2022 Provost Internships
Are master’s students or professional students, including professional doctorates like Th.D. students, eligible to apply for these opportunities?
We are sorry; the internships are only available to Ph.D. students.
I am graduating from Duke with a Ph.D. this spring. Am I eligible to apply for one of these opportunities?
No, only currently enrolled Duke Ph.D. students are eligible.
I already have full summer funding, but one of these positions would be a perfect fit for me. May I still apply?
No, these internships are available only to current Ph.D. students without full summer funding.
I have partial summer funding. Am I still eligible?
Interns may receive other Duke summer funding; however, total Duke summer funding may not exceed $8,750.
I would like to apply to several opportunities. Is this allowed?
No, you may only apply to two (2) opportunities (two external or two internal internships, or one of each).
I’m an international Ph.D. student. May I apply?
Yes, so long as you are residing in one of the U.S. jurisdictions approved for Duke employment: North Carolina, District of Columbia, California, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, New York, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia. You also need to verify your visa status and confirm your eligibility for this funding opportunity with Duke Visa Services before applying.
I am a Ph.D. student currently in the United States but living outside North Carolina. Can I still apply?
Yes, as long as during the internship you are residing in one of the jurisdictions approved for Duke employment besides North Carolina: District of Columbia, California, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, New York, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia.
What would a strong application for an internship look like?
Beyond submitting all the required pieces of the application, we recommend giving special attention to the letter of application and brief CV. The application letter should explain how the opportunity would enrich or further develop your academic interests. At the same time, internship hosts are particularly keen to identify the best candidates for the job at hand. Help the readers understand how you are well qualified for the position, and give some sense of what unique contributions you can make to the position and the organization or Duke unit.
How do I abridge my CV to two pages?
Only include the most important information from your longer CV (key elements of your scholarship; your most important fellowships and teaching assignments; etc.). Highlight details that best demonstrate your qualifications for the position. As an example, for a research-intensive position, you should include evidence of your skills in research and writing, such as publications. For other positions, you may want to offer more information about your experience with collaborative projects, website development and relevant nonacademic work.
How will candidates be evaluated and selected?
You will apply through this Duke portal. Complete applications that are well suited to the positions will be forwarded to the internship hosts. Hosts may or may not reach out to candidates for virtual interviews, which may happen on very short notice. Hosts will make the final decision on candidate selection, but notification letters will come from the Provost’s Office. If you wish to check up on your application status or have questions, please contact Amy Feistel (amy.feistel@duke.edu). Please do not contact the host directly.
What is the timeline for these opportunities?
Hosts will begin review of applications on March 21, and then consider additional applications on a rolling basis until April 29, 2022. They should make their decisions by that date. We ask all students to expeditiously confirm their acceptance/decline of offers. Internships will begin no earlier than May 16, 2022 and will end no later than August 19, 2022.
When will the internship take place? How many service hours are expected?
Internships will begin no earlier than May 16, 2022 and will end no later than August 19, 2022. All internship opportunities listed are configured in one of the following formats:
- Three months (12 weeks, 19.9 hours/week)
- Two months (8 weeks, 19.9 hours/week)
- One and a half months (6 weeks/19.9 hours/week)
How much will I be paid for the internship, and how will I be paid?
You will receive a stipend commensurate with the three options for length of engagement:
- Three months: $8,250
- Two months: $5,500
- One and a half months: $4,125
You will receive your stipend through your department payroll, June – August, 2022. Your summer tuition will be covered, and your department will also receive the summer health fee.
I am not eligible to apply, but I would love to collaborate with one of these external organizations in some way. How can I reach out?
This is not the time to reach out unless you’re eligible to fill the organization’s posted position. Please consider contacting Maria Wisdom, director of interdisciplinary mentoring and coaching programs, to discuss a long-term networking strategy.
I will be traveling during the summer. Am I still eligible for an internship?
Though brief travel outside the internship jurisdiction is permitted, you need to be physically residing in the jurisdiction approved for Duke employment for the duration of the internship to be eligible for the opportunity. International students should confirm their visa/residency status with Duke Visa Services.
I am available for less time than the full duration of the internships to which I am applying (e.g., I am only available for 8 weeks instead of 12 weeks). Will I still be considered for selection?
Your application will still be sent to the host for consideration. Your limited availability may affect selection if timing is important to the host, though you may be able to negotiate timing for the internship if selected for an interview.
I am planning to teach a course in one of Duke’s Summer Sessions. Am I still eligible for an internship?
You are not eligible for an internship if you are teaching a Summer Session course. When offered an internship, you will be required to make a choice — to move forward with plans to teach the course or to cancel the course in order to pursue the internship opportunity. The timing around this decision may be tight (a few days) so it is important to consider your preferences in advance.
