Employers, the Energy Internship Program makes it easy for you to find a whip-smart, motivated Duke University intern, a self-starter who’s eager to learn and contribute to your organization.
Our talent pool includes undergraduate and graduate students in many degree programs, including business, engineering, environmental management, law, policy, the sciences, and more. All benefit from Duke’s interdisciplinary approach to energy, which encourages systemic thinking and hones students’ problem-solving skills.

PICTURED: Sofia Hornstein (E'22) (bottom left) and Sam Pollan (MEM/MBA’21) (bottom right) with Joules Accelerator executive director Bob Irvin (MEM'79) (top right) and director of business Ryan Rutledge (top left).
How it works:
1. Tell us what you seek in a candidate and how students can apply.
2. We relay this information to our talent pool of 1.5K+ Duke students interested in energy.
3. Students apply to your opening(s).
4. You screen candidates and make offers.
5. You let us know when the position has been filled.
General guidelines:
DURATION: 8-12 weeks (40 hours/week) is typical.
TIMELINE: Starting in January, our students will begin to make contact and apply for your position(s). We encourage you to list your position(s) and begin the screening process ASAP, since many students are already exploring and beginning to commit to summer options. That said, students will continue making plans throughout the spring. We will remove the position listing when you let us know it has been filled.
LOCATION: We encourage you to consider making remote internship options available.
Can't afford to pay an intern?
If a student is offered a position with an employer who lacks the capacity to pay a full-time intern, that student can apply to the Energy Internship Program for summer 2021 funding, as long as they will not be graduating in May 2021. Student funding applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until funds are exhausted. Thanks to a partnership with the Energy Access Project at Duke, a portion of the funding is reserved for internships related to energy access or energy transitions in low- and middle-income countries.
If financial support is granted by the Energy Internship Program, the amount will be negotiated with both student and employer based on numerous factors, including the extent of compensation (if any) indicated in the internship offer letter. Typically, we will only provide funding for one student internship per employer. Internships funded by this program in summer 2021 may need to be conducted remotely if Duke University's evolving pandemic policies require it.
Questions?
Contact Stacy Peterson, Assistant Director for Student & Alumni Engagement at the Duke University Energy Initiative.