Global Terrorism Database Paid Internships - Summer 2023

Interns recruited for these positions will be part of the data collection team responsible for START's flagship project--the Global Terrorism Database (GTD). The GTD is the most comprehensive unclassified terrorism database in the world. Currently updated through 2020, the GTD details information on more than 200,000 terrorist attacks that have occurred since 1970. Data from the GTD have been featured by the BBC, CNN, The Daily Show, The Economist, The New York Times, Reuters, The Washington Post, and numerous other media outlets. The GTD is used by researchers, analysts, and policymakers in the private sector and federal, state, and local governments in the United States and around the world. Interns working on the GTD team gain valuable experience applying research fundamentals to real-world challenges and data resources used by those responsible for shaping counterterrorism policy.

Deadline to apply: Mar. 12, 2023 at 11:59pm ET

Required application materials: Resume, cover letter, unofficial transcripts, and 2 pg. writing sample (the writing sample does not need to be something new, this can be something you've already written for a class or other assignment/project)

Citizenship Requirement: US citizenship is not required.

Team Meeting Times: Mondays, 2:00-3:00PM ET

We are currently seeking graduate students and exceptional undergraduate students with an interest in terrorism research and public policy to assist with identifying, classifying, analyzing, and recording information about current terrorist attacks.

Throughout the course of the internship, students will be exposed to tens of thousands of media articles from both global (Reuters, Associated Press, BBC, Al-Jazeera, etc.) and local (Nigeria Punch, Al-Mada Press, Plus News Pakistan, Yemen Fox, etc.) news sources that describe thousands of terrorist attacks and acts of targeted violence. The main task of the intern will be to systematically extract information about the location, perpetrators, targets, consequences, or weapons/tactics of these attacks from the news articles.

By joining this team, students will experience what it is like to be a member of a large, multi-year social science research project that has a real-world and real-time policy impact. Interns will also gain valuable data analysis and analytical skills and acquire in-depth knowledge about the patterns of global terrorist activity.

This internship is relevant for those planning to apply to graduate school in related social and behavioral science fields or anyone interested in gaining employment in the homeland security, defense, law enforcement, or intelligence communities.

While the main task of this internship generally consists of synthesizing and systematically recording detailed information about current terrorist attacks, the team is organized into the following topical domains: 

Project Manager: Jake Loewner

This task focuses on identifying the vital information relevant to the location of terrorist attacks, which allows researchers to analyze the data spatially. Interns with regional geographic expertise are encouraged to apply. This project is recommended for students that are interested terrorism and geography. There are additional opportunities for interns to enhance their ArcGIS capabilities.

Project Manager: Ben Evans

This task focuses on identifying the groups and individuals responsible for committing terrorist attacks. This project is recommended for students that are interested in learning more about the myriad groups that engage in terrorism, their goals, and the complex relationships between them. Preferred qualifications for this project include non-English language skills (reading proficiency), particularly in Arabic or Spanish.

Project Manager: Amy Iandiorio

This task focuses on the people and entities targeted by terrorists and aims to classify them in ways that ease the identification of trends. This project is recommended for students interested in learning about targeting patterns and who is most at risk from terrorism.

Project Manager: Tyler Yates

This task focuses on the consequences of the attacks, which includes casualty information, property damage, and hostage/kidnapping outcomes. This project is recommended for students that are interested in understanding the consequences of an attack and learning about what happens after attacks take place.

Project Manager: Amanda Quinn

This task focuses on how perpetrators carry out their attacks. Interns will specifically focus on which types of weapons were used in the attack as well as the tactics employed. This project is recommended for students that are interested in learning how terrorist groups use weapons and various tactics to their advantage in attacks.

Applicants must

Applicants should

START is headquartered at the University of Maryland, College Park, and will be offering its internship program in-person for the summer 2023 semester.

Orientation Date: Monday, June 5, 2023. All interns are required to attend orientation. You may be required to attend an additional day of orientation on Tuesday, June 6, 2023. Your supervisor will inform you if you are required to attend both days.

Internship Duration: Monday, June 5, 2023 to Friday, August 11, 2023. All interns must be able to commit to the duration of the whole program.

Work Hours: All interns must work at least 20 hours per week during the summer 2023 program. Work hours are scheduled from Monday to Friday, 9:00am-5:00pm. Interns may not work longer than 8-hour or shorter than 2 hour shifts.

The University of Maryland has made the safety of our students, faculty and staff, and our surrounding communities a top priority. As part of that commitment, the University System of Maryland (USM) recently announced that students, faculty, and staff on USM campuses, including UMD, are required to be vaccinated against COVID. Accepted interns will be required to comply with the University's vaccination protocol or to request and be approved for a medical or religious exemption in order to work at any University of Maryland location. Internship offers are contingent upon admitted candidates providing proof of full vaccination or obtaining approval for a medical or religious exemption.

Intern offers are contingent on completion of a background check. A prior criminal conviction or convictions will not automatically disqualify a finalist from employment. Prior to any adverse decision, individuals will have an opportunity to provide information to the University regarding their background check. Individuals will also be provided an opportunity to appeal any decision prior to a final outcome.

Additionally, accepted interns will be required to complete an I-9 Employment Eligibility Authorization, which may require in-person delivery. Lastly, accepted interns will be required to complete a Federal W4, State W4, and Direct Deposit forms. Non-U.S. Citizens will have additional tax/payroll paperwork to complete. The inability to complete any of these documents or processes may result in the internship offer being rescinded.

How to Apply for START Internships:

START is currently accepting applications for the summer 2023 semester. Please make sure you check the dates for the project you’re interested in to make sure they’re available during the semester you intend to apply. The summer 2023 application form will be open until 11:59pm ET on Sunday, March 12, 2023. For best consideration, interested candidates may submit their applications two weeks ahead of the closing date, by 11:59pm ET on Sunday, February 26, 2023. Late, incomplete, or applications not submitted correctly will not be considered. To access the application: click here.

Notes:

If you have difficulty submitting your application or have questions about your application status, please contact us at internships@start.umd.edu. To request an ASL interpreter or other accommodations, please email diverseterps@umd.edu.

Application Materials:

All internship applicants must submit all materials in one .pdf file using the file name format:

LastName, FirstName_InternCandidate.pdf or .doc.

 The internship application packet should include the following documents in the following order:

Note for International Students:

START welcomes applications from international students for all of our internships where US citizenship is not a requirement (see the qualifications listed for each project for details).

It is, however, the responsibility of the applicant to ensure that their visa or immigration status permits them to undertake a paid internship. It is also the responsibility of the applicant to ensure that all proper paperwork, like documented approval from your home institution, is available and processed in time for the start of the internship. Failure to comply with these stipulations, or provide the paperwork required to verify your status, will result in your internship offer being rescinded without further consideration. START is unable to sponsor visas for non-US Citizens due to the short timeline of our program and the lengthy processing time for visas. Unfortunately, this largely limits our ability to accept anything other than F-1 visas on regular, not OPT, status.