Established in Washington, DC over 60 years ago, the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) is a bipartisan, nonprofit policy research organization dedicated to providing strategic insights and policy solutions to help decisionmakers chart a course toward a better world.

The CSIS Middle East Program analyzes the drivers of the region’s social, political, economic, and environmental changes for U.S. and global audiences. With a broad following among decision makers and thought leaders around the world, the CSIS Middle East Program disseminates its ideas through written scholarship in various formats and lengths; video products; events with leading scholars, policymakers, and diplomats; and its podcast series Babel: Translating the Middle East.

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**Job Summary**

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 full-time staff of over 250 employees.

The Freeman Chair in China Studies at CSIS is seeking an intern who can provide dedicated support for research on China’s domestic politics and foreign policy, as well as Taiwan and cross-Strait issues, during the period from **June 8, 2026, to August 28, 2026. ** This is an in-person, paid position. We will consider candidates seeking a part-time or full-time internship.

The hired candidate 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 Duties And Responsibilities**

The CSIS Freeman Chair in China Studies is a leading source of insight and analysis on China’s evolving political system, domestic agenda, and foreign policy. Our work focuses on leadership politics, policymaking and decision-making processes, party-state governance, political discourse and the role of ideology, sources of political stability and risk, and how these dynamics affect the broader world. Competitive candidate will have significant knowledge on China’s domestic politics and foreign policy, as well as familiarity with the U.S.-China relationship. The ideal candidate will also have familiarity with how to find and analyze primary source Chinese-language documents. Because of the fast-paced work environment, interns should be motivated self-starters that are able to engage in a wide variety of analytic and logistical tasks. The successful candidate will be an exceptional writer.

**Core Responsibilities Include**

- Assisting in research, analysis, and writing for articles, event preparation, outreach and promotion, and other projects

- Developing content for the Freeman Chair’s social media platforms

- Reviewing Chinese-English translations for accuracy and precision

- Monitoring Chinese-language media sources and reports

- Performing a variety of other duties as assigned

Knowledge, education, and experience

- Current undergraduate seniors, graduate students, and recent graduates. Applicants that are currently enrolled in or have recently completed a master’s degree are preferred

- Must have superior research, analysis, and writing skills

- Must demonstrate academic or professional background in China’s domestic politics and foreign policy

- Must have advanced Chinese-language reading and research skills

- Must have a proactive work ethic, positive attitude, and superior communication and interpersonal skills

- Must have the ability to manage competing priorities and multiple projects under tight deadlines

- Must be eligible to work in the United States

Physical requirements and work conditions

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. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability or protected veteran status.

Equal Opportunity Employer.

How to apply

Applicants will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Please apply at https://careers.csis.org/ by no later than **May 4, 2026 **. All applicants must submit the following in one PDF document

- Resume/CV (one page)

- Cover letter

- A brief (no more than 3 pages) writing sample demonstrating the applicant’s policy analysis and written communication skills

- A list of 2 references (including name, title, affiliation, email address, and phone number)

To submit an application for this position, click the “Apply” button below, and you will be redirected to our secure recruitment portal.

Apply

To submit an application for this position, click the “Apply” button below, and you will be redirected to our secure recruitment portal.

Apply

**About Us**

CSIS is a bipartisan, nonprofit organization headquartered in Washington, D.C. The Center’s 220 full-time staff and large network of affiliated scholars conduct research and analysis and develop policy initiatives that look to the future and anticipate change.

~~We are an equal opportunity employer. Employment selection and related decisions are made without regard to sex, race, age, disability, religion, national origin, color or any other protected class. ~~

Research Intern - Freeman Chair in China Studies

**Job Summary**

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 Chair in India and Emerging Asia Economics (India Chair) serves as CSIS’s focal point for policy-relevant work on India, with a longstanding emphasis on strengthening U.S.-India economic engagement, supporting Indian economic reform, and advancing cooperation with India at the national and subnational levels. The Chair’s work is highly action-oriented, emphasizing stakeholder engagement, policy-relevant convening, and practical solutions over purely academic research.

As India undergoes rapid and uneven urbanization, cities will increasingly shape India’s economic growth, climate resilience, infrastructure needs, and governance outcomes. The Chair seeks to deepen its work in this area by launching a dedicated urbanization and urban governance workstream.

CSIS seeks a senior, part-time leader to design, build, and lead an India-focused urbanization and urban governance workstream. The role is well suited to a professional with approximately 10 or more years of experience in urban policy, urban planning, development finance, public administration, or Indian governance. This is a temporary role, with the potential for extension contingent on performance, particularly the successful development of a sustainable fundraising pipeline. The Senior Visiting Fellow will be expected to play a leading role in securing financial support for the workstream, including cultivating donor relationships and generating project funding.

The successful candidate will bring a strong understanding of urban planning and urban systems, combined with familiarity with India’s urban governance challenges, including fragmented authority, municipal finance constraints, service delivery, and center–state–city relations. The work will emphasize policy-relevant insights and practitioner engagement, rather than academic research alone.

This role involves agenda-setting, partner engagement, and shaping funded projects, with limited administrative and research support available.

This role will be supported by a dedicated Program Coordinator/ Research Assistant on our full-time staff. This PC-RA will support a second “Senior Fellow” building out a separate workstream (strategic technology policy). The Senior Fellow will be expected to be in the office two days per week.

This is a part-time term appointment, and the hired candidate will be paid an hourly rate of $83.33-85.00 commensurate with experience.

**Essential Duties And Responsibilities**

Essential functions include but are not limited to the following

Workstream Development and Leadership

-  Design and lead a new India urbanization and urban governance policy workstream, aligned with CSIS priorities and India Chair strengths.

-  Identify priority policy themes such as

- Urban planning and land use

- Municipal governance and institutional capacity

- Urban infrastructure and service delivery

- Municipal finance, own-source revenues, and access to capital

- Center–state–city coordination and reforms affecting cities

-  Translate urban challenges into clear policy frameworks and actionable recommendations.

Lead Visible/ Impactful Public Policy Work

-  Produce and guide policy-relevant outputs (commentaries, briefs, memos, convening readouts), emphasizing actionable recommendations rather than academic research.

-  Engage senior stakeholders across U.S., Indian, and partner-country governments, as well as the private sector and civil society.

-  Organize events (in-person, virtual) to elevate key policy issues.

-  Represent CSIS and the India Chair in high-level meetings, workshops, and private-roundtable discussions on urbanization issues.

Building Ongoing Work

-  Identify and cultivate partnerships with key potential donors- foundations, high net worth individuals, companies, and others.

-  Establish a pipeline of funded projects to sustain and grow the urbanization workstream over time. Successful efforts will lead to an extension and shifting to full-time status.

-  Prepare one or more proposals that comply with CSIS project standards and “arms-length standards” with donors and pitch to potential donors.

Partner and Ecosystem Development

-  Identify and cultivate partnerships with

- Indian urban institutions and reform-minded city leaders

- Development banks, foundations, and bilateral donors

- Planning, infrastructure, and urban services practitioners

-  Help position CSIS as a trusted platform for linking Indian urban reform priorities with global best practices and financing partners.

Knowledge, education, and experience

**Required**

-  Approximately 10 or more years of professional experience in urban planning, urban policy, development, governance, or a related field.

-  Demonstrated understanding of Indian urban governance structures and challenges, including municipal institutions, finance, and implementation constraints.

-  Ability to connect technical urban issues to policy and political economy realities.

-  Proven ability to engage senior policymakers, practitioners, and funders in a constructive, solutions-oriented manner.

-  Comfort working independently and setting strategic direction in a part-time role.

-  Proven network in India with policymakers, foundations, and companies working on urban policy and planning

-  Ability to work at CSIS HQ for 14 hours per week

**Preferred**

-  Direct professional experience working in or with Indian cities or state governments.

-  Direct experience with successful fundraising for a nonprofit highly preferable

-  Familiarity with India’s major urban reform initiatives and financing mechanisms.

-  Experience working with multilateral development banks, donors, or private-sector infrastructure actors.

-  Prior experience in a think tank, government, international organization, or policy-facing advisory role.

Physical requirements and work conditions

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.

-  Occasional travel (domestic and international, including to India) may be required.

-  CSIS operates on a hybrid work model, with in-office collaboration expected during the workweek.

~~Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability or protected veteran status.~~

~~Equal Opportunity Employer.~~

How to apply

Interested applicants should submit a resumé and cover letter at https://careers.csis.org/.

To submit an application for this position, click the “Apply” button below, and you will be redirected to our secure recruitment portal.

Apply

To submit an application for this position, click the “Apply” button below, and you will be redirected to our secure recruitment portal.

Apply

**About Us**

CSIS is a bipartisan, nonprofit organization headquartered in Washington, D.C. The Center’s 220 full-time staff and large network of affiliated scholars conduct research and analysis and develop policy initiatives that look to the future and anticipate change.

~~We are an equal opportunity employer. Employment selection and related decisions are made without regard to sex, race, age, disability, religion, national origin, color or any other protected class. ~~

Senior Fellow – India Urbanization

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