Fall 2025 Graduate Student Research Assistant Internship – Technical / Policy Solutions Developer

Fall 2025 Graduate Student Research Assistant Internship – Technical / Policy Solutions Developer

LOCATION:Fully Remote;Within contiguous UnitedStates. Must be available between the hours of 9:00a – 6:00p EST.

DEPART./PROG.: Program – Empowering Health & Sustainability Project

TYPE: Internship; Temporary; Part-time (16 hours/week)

SEMESTER/DURATION: Fall 2025; 16 weeks (Mid-August thru Mid-December)

RATE:$25.00 per hour (Master’s Student); $27.50 per hour (Doctoral Student)

About the Project : “Empowering Health and Sustainability: Integrating Black-Owned Solar Solutions in the Healthcare Sector”. Funded by a generous planning grant from the Kresge Foundation, the research will explore the integration of Black-owned solar energy solutions into the healthcare sector to improve energy resilience, sustainability, and equitable access to clean power. The research will focus on the challenges faced by (essential) hospitals serving BIPOC communities. We will first establish institutional relationships with America’s Essential Hospitals and Health Care Without Harm. The goal is to increase B.O.S.S.’ capacity to work alongside hospitals/health systems to build out an infrastructure of renewable generation and sustainable building performance/energy efficiency reduce power outages and operating costs.

Position Overview

B.O.S.S. is seeking a Graduate Student Research Assistant Intern to serve as Technical / Policy Solutions Developer to support the development of renewable energy integration plans in collaboration with B.O.S.S. members and hospital technical teams. This role involves documenting technical solutions for solar solution design and implementation, identify policy barriers and financing mechanisms supporting working group execution and documentation, and contributing to implementation planning.

The B.O.S.S. “Empowering Health and Sustainability: Integrating Black-Owned Solar Solutions in the Healthcare Sector” internship program offers hands-on experience in renewable energy, healthcare sustainability, economic analysis, case study development, and community engagement. Reporting directly to the Special Grant Research Project Consultant, Interns work directly with project leaders, technical consultants, and diverse stakeholders while gaining valuable skills in project management, research, stakeholder engagement, and technical analysis.

Key Responsibilities:

• Document emerging technical solutions from design process.
• Support technical specification development for different hospital categories.
• Play a central role in organizing and documenting Working Group workshops.
• Contribute to phased implementation approach planning.
• Research technical, policy and financial requirements for healthcare facility solar integration.
• Support operations and maintenance protocol development.
• Assist in technical, policy and financial aspects of case study documentation.
• Develop visual assets for technical documentation.
• Research workforce development needs related to technical implementation.
• Support integration of technical components into implementation plan.

The ideal candidate MUST possess the following MINIMUM qualifications:

• Current graduate student in engineering, renewable energy, architecture, facilities management, or related field.
• Understanding of solar energy systems and technical specifications.
• Background on renewable energy policy and financial mechanisms.
• Ability to translate complex technical information for diverse audiences.
• Strong research and quantitative/qualitative analysis skills.
• Familiarity with building systems (preferred).
• Knowledge of healthcare facility operations (preferred).
• Strong visual communication skills.
• Ability to work effectively with diverse stakeholders.
• Excellent attention to detail.
• Excellent organizational and time-management skills, excellent attention to detail, with the ability to prioritize and manage multiple tasks simultaneously.
• Commitment to racial equity, social justice, clean energy, environmental sustainability, and climate justice.
• Impeccable integrity, judgment, and discretion; A balance of humor and diligence, humility and mission-driven ambition.
• Advanced proficiency with solid, measurable experience (or trainability) in using a variety of software applications, social media platforms, and other databases (e.g. Microsoft 365; Outlook, MS Office Full Suite; Adobe; Doodle; Survey Monkey; Zoom, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube).
• Fluency in written and oral English (Required); Bi-lingual (English/Spanish) highly desirable.
• Proof of eligibility to work in the US (Required).