The Nicholas Institute is seeking a student intern for summer 2026, supporting our work to inform peatland restoration and climate adaptation planning through mapping artificial drainage ditches in the North Carolina and Virginia coastal plain. This region was drained through an expansive network of ditches to facilitate agriculture and forestry in naturally wet areas. Artificial drainage has negative impacts for peat wetlands (also known as pocosins); when their deep, carbon-rich soils dry out due to the lower water table, they slowly emit greenhouse gases and become vulnerable to wildfires which cause rapid carbon emissions, as well as human health issues and community disruption due to hazardous air quality. Ditches can also exacerbate saltwater intrusion by providing a conduit for saline water to move inland and reducing freshwater flushing of the system during rain events. Several organizations (state, federal, and nonprofit) are working to restore degraded wetlands and help farmers and foresters plan for saltwater intrusion impacts. Effective restoration and adaptation planning require information about where drainage ditches exist and what that means for saltwater intrusion vulnerability. Currently available ditch maps are outdated and omit many smaller ditches.
Our team at the Nicholas Institute is working to develop high-resolution, updated ditch maps and use them to identify wetland restoration needs and saltwater intrusion vulnerability across the coastal plain. Previous work has focused on collection of new, high-resolution lidar data at selected field sites and using those data to develop a workflow for identifying drainage ditches. During summer 2026, that workflow will be extended to map ditches across the full study area and use the ditch map to create additional data products including maps of peatlands in need of hydrologic restoration and maps of saltwater intrusion hazard and vulnerability.
The intern’s primary role will be developing and implementing spatial analysis methods for the two derived data products (peatland restoration needs and saltwater intrusion vulnerability), beginning with pilot sites for which ditch maps are currently available and extending to the full study area as the broader ditch maps are created. Other project work will include engaging with stakeholders and subject matter experts to get feedback on methods and preliminary maps and drafting project deliverables aimed at end-user groups, such as web maps, StoryMaps, and reports.
This position will report to senior policy associate Katie Warnell under the guidance of program director Lydia Olander. The intern will also work with collaborators including state and federal agency staff, the Albemarle-Pamlico Estuary Program and other partner NGOs, and researchers at Duke and other institutions. This is a full-time (40 hours/week), paid position for summer 2025. Work will be conducted in person or on a hybrid model. This position is open to students enrolled at Duke University.
Key Tasks
- Identifying, accessing, and cleaning spatial and remote sensing datasets as inputs to spatial data analyses
- Developing spatial analysis workflows (in ArcGIS Pro or Python) to identify peatland restoration needs and saltwater intrusion vulnerability
- Testing analysis workflows for small areas (pilot sites) for methods development and implementing final analysis method for regional study area
- Creating materials (slides, methods summaries, etc.) to seek feedback from partners
- Engaging with project partners and subject matter experts to get feedback on analysis methods, preliminary results, and deliverables
- Drafting deliverables including data products, written reports, and interactive visualizations
Skills
- Literature review and synthesizing information from multiple sources
- Advanced use of Excel to organize data and perform analysis
- Geospatial analysis (ArcGIS Pro required; Python or R preferred)
- Experience with ArcGIS Online (web maps, web apps, and StoryMaps are particularly relevant to this project)
- Familiarity with or interest in peatland ecology, wetland restoration, and saltwater intrusion
- Expert and stakeholder engagement (e.g., via formal or informal interviews, facilitated discussion, surveys, etc.)
- Strong organizational skills
- Excellent oral and written communication
To Apply
To apply, please send your resume or CV and a cover letter to Katie Warnell, katie.warnell@duke.edu. We will begin interviews on Tuesday, February 17th on a rolling basis.
The intent of this job description is to provide a representative and level of the types of duties and responsibilities that will be required of positions given this title and shall not be construed as a declaration of the total of the specific duties and responsibilities of any particular position. Employees may be directed to perform job-related tasks other than those specifically presented in this description.
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