Intern - Information Integrity Unit

Job Posting Organization:
The internship is offered by the United Nations, an international organization founded in 1945, with a mission to promote peace, security" style="border-bottom: 1px dotted #007bff !important;">security, and cooperation among countries. The UN operates in over 190 countries and has a diverse workforce of more than 40,000 employees. The organization is committed to addressing global challenges and fostering international collaboration to achieve sustainable development goals.

Job Overview:
This internship is situated within the Information Integrity Unit of the Policy and Best Practices Service (PBPS), which is part of the Division of Policy, Evaluation and Training (DEPT) in the Department of Peace Operations (DPO). The primary focus of the unit is to support peacekeeping missions in combating harmful speech, including misinformation, disinformation, and hate speech, which can jeopardize the safety of peacekeepers and hinder mission effectiveness. The intern will collaborate with a data team to apply data science techniques to identify and quantify harmful speech in peacekeeping contexts. The role involves reporting to both the scientist" style="border-bottom: 1px dotted #007bff !important;">Data Scientist and the Senior Programme Management Officer, contributing to the development of analytical methods, and supporting the visualization of data findings. This internship is unpaid and is designed to be full-time (35 hours per week) on-site at the United Nations in New York, although it can be adjusted to part-time (20 hours per week) or remote based on the candidate's needs. The internship duration is initially set for two months for full-time or four months for part-time, with the possibility of extension up to a maximum of six months depending on the division's requirements.

Duties and Responsibilities:
The intern will be responsible for a variety of tasks, including: - Assisting in the design, development, implementation, and evaluation of AI, data science, and visual analytics architectures and pipelines to analyze data for decision-making support. - Contributing to the development and application of analytical methods aimed at supporting peacekeeping missions in analyzing misinformation, disinformation, and hate speech. - Exploring the use of AI Agents and Large Language Models (LLMs) for the analysis of harmful speech. - Supporting the monitoring and analysis of country-specific and regional trends related to harmful speech. - Aiding subject matter experts in visualizing and reporting data findings in creative formats, including interactive visualizations and dashboards. - Helping to create efficient data processing pipelines. - Reviewing and documenting scientific background research on relevant topics. - Assisting in drafting training materials, policies, guidelines, and analysis reports. - Performing other related duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications:
Applicants must meet one of the following criteria: (a) be enrolled in or have completed a graduate school program (second university degree or equivalent, or higher); (b) be enrolled in or have completed the final academic year of a first university degree program (bachelor’s degree). Candidates must be students in their final year of a bachelor's, master's, or Ph.D. program, or have completed such programs. While professional work experience is not required for the UN Internship Programme, a field of study closely related to the internship is necessary. Acceptable fields include computer science, physics, mathematics, statistics, computational social science, or related disciplines. Graduates from social sciences, such as international relations, politics, law, or anthropology, who possess computer science skills will also be considered.

Educational Background:
Candidates should be pursuing or have completed a degree in a relevant field, such as computer science, mathematics, statistics, or social sciences with a strong emphasis on data analysis and programming. Proof of enrollment or completion of the degree program must be provided during the application process.

Experience:
While prior professional work experience is not a prerequisite for this internship, candidates should demonstrate familiarity with programming languages such as Python or R, and have experience with AI/ML frameworks or Natural Language Processing techniques. Experience in data visualization techniques is also beneficial and will be considered an asset.

Languages:
Fluency in spoken and written English is mandatory for this internship, as English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. Knowledge of an additional UN language, such as Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian, or Spanish, is considered an asset and may enhance a candidate's application.

Additional Notes:
The internship is designed to promote gender balance and geographical diversity within the United Nations staff, and female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply. The United Nations does not provide financial remuneration for interns, and all costs related to travel, visas, accommodation, and living expenses are the responsibility of the interns or their sponsoring institutions. Interns who are not U.S. citizens or permanent residents will need to obtain a G-4 visa to undertake the internship. Additionally, applicants must ensure they have the necessary work authorization for the country where the internship will be conducted, whether it is remote, hybrid, or on-site. The UN emphasizes that no fees are charged at any stage of the recruitment process, and applicants should be cautious of any requests for personal financial information.