Summer Internship - Research

At Gensler, we design for people. We leverage our global perspective and local presence to innovate at every scale. We’re not just designers. We’re tinkerers, craftspeople, visionaries, innovators, and thought leaders. Fueled by passion and entrepreneurial spirit, our people bring new ideas to solve the world’s most challenging problems, like designing a more resilient, inclusive, and equitable future for our communities and cities.

Our people-centered, “People First” culture and “One Firm-Firm” motto promotes integrated teams that unite to shape the future of cities. Gensler’s vision is to “Create a Better World through the Power of Design,” and we do that by our deep commitment to our clients and by fostering a collaborative, diverse, and inclusive environment that enables our people to create impactful solutions together.

Your Role

As a Research Intern within the Gensler Research Institute, you will join our team for a full-time, in-person, paid internship opportunity. During your internship, you will provide broad research support across our six areas of focus - workplace, cities, health, lifestyle, equity, and resilience and contribute to major global, primary research initiatives. This internship will offer exposure to various stages of the research lifecycle, from study design and data collection to analysis, synthesis, and storytelling. You will support the team across a variety of research activities and have the opportunity to collaborate with designers and strategists across Gensler on internal research grants. Qualified candidates should be collaborative, intellectually curious, self-motivated, and eager to apply their research skills in a dynamic, creative environment.

What You Will Do

• Provide broad support across different phases of the research project lifecycle, including secondary research, research design, survey instrument writing and testing, data collection, data quality assurance/control, analysis, reporting, and synthesis. 

• Assist in responding to data and findings requests from Global Research Leads and Practitioners, as assigned.

• Participate actively in team meetings, brainstorming sessions, and cross-functional collaborations throughout the internship.

Your Qualifications

• Currently enrolled in a graduate program (Master’s or PhD) in a social science or applied research field, such as Sociology, Psychology, Statistics, Economics, Social Research, Market Research, Consumer Behavior, Environmental Psychology, or a related discipline. Exceptional undergraduate students (junior or senior standing) in a relevant field will also be considered. This internship is not for recent graduates.

• Prior coursework or hands-on experience in research methods, including quantitative and/or qualitative approaches.

• Familiarity with statistical concepts and techniques, both descriptive and inferential.

• Proficiency or coursework experience with statistical software such as R, SPSS, Stata, or Python is required.

• Experience with or strong interest in survey platforms; Qualtrics experience is preferred.

• Exposure to data visualization or exploration tools (e.g., Tableau, Power BI) is a plus.

• Outstanding analytical, communication, and interpersonal skills

• Strong organizational skills with the ability to multi-task

• Resourceful, self-motivated, enthusiastic team player

• A genuine curiosity about the built environment, design, and the ways research can inform us about how we live and work.

Program Details

• Duration: 10–12 weeks (Summer 2026)

• Schedule: Full-time (40 hours/week)

• Location: Washington, DC - In-person; this is not a remote position.

• This is a paid internship. A competitive hourly stipend will be provided at $25/hour