Location: Los Angeles Zoo – 5333 Zoo Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90027

Dates: June 16 – August 8, 2026 (mandatory orientation takes place on June 16 and June 17)

Time Commitment: 25 hours/week, for a total of 200 hours

Stipend: $3,500

Housing and transportation: NOT provided. The selected intern(s) must provide their own housing in Los Angeles and transportation to the Zoo work site.

In July 2021, the Zoo released its first Conservation Strategic Plan (CSP), which guides its conservation efforts with an increasing focus on local, community-engaged conservation projects. Central to this work are initiatives that enhance native biodiversity, support climate resilience, and strengthen stewardship capacity in Los Angeles. This internship directly supports this through place-based conservation work centered on the Zoo’s Oak Woodland Restoration and Career Pathways project, a multi-year effort to restore native habitat and evaluate ecological outcomes. 

This internship will provide opportunities to:

• Gain career experience in zoo-based conservation and field science 
• Develop technical skills in ecological field methods, including habitat assessments, wildlife and plant ID, and data collection
• Conduct background research, data analysis, and scientific communication through project-based learning 
• Collaborate with peers to design and carry out a research project related to native ecosystems or wildlife, then present findings to Zoo staff and peers
• Build an understanding of local conservation challenges, the Zoo’s role in addressing them, and the importance of inclusive, intergenerational stewardship 

Location: The Natural History Museum of LA County; may include virtual work depending upon the assigned tasks.

Dates: June 1, 2026 – August 7, 2026

Time Commitment: Full-time, 10 weeks 

Stipend: $6,000 stipend

Housing and transportation: NOT provided. The selected intern must provide their own housing in Los Angeles and transportation to the NHMLA work site.

The intern will work directly with the NHMLAC’s Mammalogy and associated departments (including Ornithology, Paleontology, Anthropology), gaining real- world experience in natural history collections and learning practical collections skills. The County of Los Angeles, a designated “biodiversity hotspot” by Conservation International and a key part of the NHMLAC collections work, is managing specimens and data to facilitate research that furthers conservation goals and builds biodiversity knowledge. NHMLAC research associates, and community scientists use these collections to examine the impacts of humans and wildlife and to guide recommendations for making Los Angeles a hospitable place for all.  

This internship will provide opportunities to:

• Gain career experience in the ‘door-to-drawer’ process of managing a museum research collection
• Participate in the cataloging and integration of the USC Dornsife education collection specimens transferred to NHMLAC in September 2024
• Assist with connecting digital records, data, images, publications, and other derivative products to museum specimens
• Develop lab, preparation, and collection management skills by doing hands-on work
• Gain understanding of how natural history collections and data contribute to a research on urban ecology and the importance of building accessibility and intergenerational stewardship capacity.