RISE Internship: Heat Resilience Research Assistant
Position Title: Heat Resilience Research Assistant
Reports to: Halley Hughes, Program Coordinator
Hours/Week: 10
Internship Date Range: 11/10/25 – 05/14/2026
Location: On Campus; Hybrid
About the Resilience Internships and Student Experiences (RISE) Program
The RISE Program is hosted by the Arizona Institute for Resilience (AIR) and provides undergraduate and graduate students with paid internships related to resilient environments and societies. RISE internships give students workplace setting experience with an opportunity to grow their core skills and prepare them for careers after graduation.
About the Heat Resilience Initiative:
Extreme heat is one of the greatest challenges posed to humanity and will require rapid advances in science and practice to increase heat resilience and protect health, economies, and the environment globally. The Heat Resilience Initiative’s mission is to advance heat resilience through collaborative research, education, and outreach. The initiative’s core research pillars are health and medicine, planning and policy, built and natural environments, and technology and innovation. Our focus is on strengthening heat resilience research, especially aimed at improving science-based policy and governance, as well as addressing extreme heat in communities in Arizona, the U.S., and the globe.
Internship summary:
The student will assist communities in developing heat action roadmaps to determine and communicate the local impacts of extreme heat, assess their capacity to respond, and design a locally tailored blueprint for heat resilience. These roadmaps can help protect communities from harmful impacts, such as heat-related deaths and infrastructure damage. Derived from the work of the Center for Heat Resilient Communities program, this project provides a unique opportunity to engage in important planning and resilience work with assistance from University of Arizona experts.
Internship description:
The student will have the following duties and expectations:
- Complete climate and social vulnerability risk assessments for Arizona communities
- Learn and communicate extreme heat research, including heat exposure, public health, heat governance, heat planning, and locally relevant heat mitigation and management strategies
- Work independently to complete research for heat action planning related to specific communities in Arizona
- Professionally present their work to a variety of audiences
- Work in a team and independently to complete tasks within given deadlines
What the student will gain:
- Facilitation and communication skills relating to climate hazards, urban planning, and public health
- Research skills related to resilience, heat governance, and participatory planning
- Potential to contribute to a peer-reviewed academic paper focusing on participatory heat action planning
Compensation:
The intern will be hired and paid by the University of Arizona. The pay rate is $19/hour.
Credit Requirements:
The intern will be hired as a U of A student employee.
- For internships during the academic year: applicants must be active U of A students enrolled in at least 6 credits.
Allowable Work Hours:
- During the semester, student employees are limited to 25 hours/week (20 hours/week for international students) across ALL U of A positions.
International Students:
International students should consult with International Student Services (ISS) if work authorization is needed before securing an internship. ISS advising information can be found here.
How to Apply:
Please email Halley Hughes at halleyhughes@arizona.edu with a resume and a brief description of your skills and interests in this area.
Applications must be submitted no later than 11/7/25.