Biofuels, Transport & Health Intern

Program/Department Overview

Transportation is a keystone to a thriving sustainable economy delivering the goods and mobility that people need without compromising clean air or climate stability. Transportation creates 20% of the world’s climate pollution and demand continues to grow worldwide. We must accelerate the transition of our cars, trucks, planes and ships to clean electricity and sustainable fuels, to deliver the goods and mobility people need, without compromising clean air or climate stability.

The goal of our Fuels & Feedstock work is to ensure new clean fuels and feedstocks are developed efficiently and cleanly.Not all global greenhouse gas pollution from industry and transportation can be addressed with clean electricity alone. We need new fuels and feedstocks – made from hydrogen, plants, and waste – to power heavy industry and long-distance transportation. And we need to develop them sustainably and equitably.

Overall Function

The intern will research the health impacts of biofuel sourcing and production, handling, and use in long-distance transportation. They will pull heavily from existing EDF resources and prominent peer-reviewed articles to outline the air quality and other public health effects from different pollutants associated with stages of the biofuels supply chain. They will also meet with EDF experts across the Transport, Science, Economics, and Justice & Equity teams to help identify potential health effects and guide the research. Deliverables will include an overview report, underlying database of reviewed materials, and visual diagram mapping pollutants to biofuel pathways and lifecycle stages. This work will be used to inform future research on the equity implications of biofuels deployment, and ultimately EDF’s policy position on biofuels. The intern will report to the Senior Analyst, Global Transport with additional guidance from the Director, Global Shipping, Manager, Economics and Policy and others.

Key Responsibilities

Tasks will include but are not limited to:

• Perform a literature review on the air quality and health impacts of biofuels.
• Provide a synthesis of insights and recommendations for future research.
• Identify sources of relevant information, including academics and organizations for future outreach.
• Participate in regular biofuel team meetings, providing periodic updates on research.
• Provide support to the team by researching biofuels or transportation decarbonization topics as needed.
• Deliver a final presentation to the biofuels working group of research findings and recommendations.
• Participate in advancing EDF’s organizational effectiveness and culture goals, so people from all backgrounds and experiences feel connected, included, and empowered to address environmental and organizational challenges in ways that align with EDF values.

Qualifications

• Currently enrolled or recent graduate of an graduate or PhD degree program, with demonstrated interest in clean energy, biofuels, and/or climate/health equity.
• Coursework in environmental ecology, chemical engineering, or public health recommended.
• Experience with conducting research and literature reviews.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Must be well organized, motivated, and detail-oriented.
• Ability to multi-task, prioritize and meet deadlines.
• Ability to work in a team setting and have the ability to work independently when projects are due.
• Demonstrate self-awareness, cultural competency and inclusivity, and ability to work with colleagues and stakeholders across all cultures and backgrounds.
• Demonstrate initiative and problem-solving skills

Location

U.S. Remote with option to be hybrid out of an EDF office in New York, NY, Austin TX, San Francisco, CA, Boulder, CO, Boston, MA, and Washington DC, with a preference for Raleigh, NC. Intern supervisor is in Raleigh, NC and team members are located across the U.S. and in the EU.

Term

Summer 2026 (10 weeks)

Hours

Full-time (35 hr/week)

Compensation

This internship would involve compensation for work paid at a rate competitive with leading non-profits at $20-$24/hr.

Application Materials

Interested applicants should attach their cover letter and resume to the EDF application.