The CITRIS Workforce Innovation Program helps UC students pursue world-changing research and accelerate their careers.
The program offers select University of California students the opportunity to inform their career decisions through eight-week internships, where they’ll build in-demand skills through on-the-job experience. Participants will receive training in leadership and project management, and will be supported throughout the internship program by dedicated CITRIS staff, as well as the community of peers in their cohort.
CITRIS and the Banatao Institute invite undergraduates from all majors at UC Berkeley, UC Davis, UC Merced and UC Santa Cruz to apply for placements in one of five areas of emerging IT innovation important to the state of California: aviation, climate resilience, digital health, robotics and semiconductors.
Students who represent the rich diversity of the University of California, including women, people from underrepresented backgrounds, Pell Grant recipients, undocumented students and first-generation students, are encouraged to apply.
Internship duration:
June–August 2022
Who can apply:
Undergraduate students at UC Berkeley, UC Davis, UC Merced and UC Santa Cruz
Note: Applications for 2022 CITRIS Workforce Innovation Program have closed.
You must be signed in to a Google account to complete the interest form.
Internship areas
Interns will have an opportunity to work in one of five areas of emerging IT innovation important to the state of California:
- Aviation: Expanding use of uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs), electrification of flight, leveraging data to improve air transport
- Climate Resilience: Improving energy efficiency, water use, food security, food tech, AgTech, decarbonization of transportation and other industries. For UC Berkeley students, additional placements are available through our partnership with the CITRIS Climate Cal Energy Corps program (separate application required).
- Digital Health: Delivering quality care and improving access, expanding data analytics and telehealth technologies
- Robotics: Augmenting human experience and capacity with automation and sensing
- Semiconductors: Advancing next-generation micro- and nanoelectronics and related emerging technologies, including quantum computing
Intern expectations
- Earn $25 per hour for eight weeks, 30 hours per week
- Receive real-world experience (remote or in-person) at an established company, startup, national lab, government agency or nonprofit engaging in an emerging area of innovation
- Participate in a series of pre-internship workshops to gain technical, communication and leadership skills
- Learn practices to cultivate an entrepreneurial mindset before starting job placements
- Work on projects to add to their professional portfolio
- Provide a fresh perspective and creative ideas to address concrete problems
- Network with peers and industry professionals
Host organization obligations
- Provide a structured internship experience focused on active mentorship
- Ensure that 75 percent of work scope is experiential learning and no more than 25 percent of duties are administrative in nature
- Complete a brief training in best practices for hosting interns to maximize student experience
- Commit to providing a welcoming and inclusive work environment
- Conduct at least two professional reviews — one at midpoint and the other during the last week of the internship
Timeline
- January: Applications open Monday, Jan. 31
- March:
- Internship applications were due Friday, March 18, at 11:59 p.m. PT
- Host organization applications were due Wednesday, March 23, at 11:59 p.m. PT
- March–April: Internships are assigned
- April: Selected students are notified the second and third weeks of April
- May–June: Pre-internship training workshops take place
- June: Internships begin, running through August 2022
For more information, please contact workforce@citris-uc.org.
Info session
Did you miss the CITRIS Workforce Innovation Program info session on March 4? The video is now available: