Below is a list of all current opportunities. Those interested in other areas IIHS is engaged with are also encouraged to apply. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis:
IIHS School of Environment & Sustainability (SES) – Tree Identification and Growth Analysis
This internship will include: identifying trees for dendrometer installation; monitoring tree growth through measurement; documenting different plant species and creating a herbarium of these plants on the IIHS Kengeri campus; maintaining the herbarium; documenting and writing about plant species for IIHS reports and articles.
Applicants should hold a master’s degree in a relevant discipline such as Botany, Environmental Science, etc. The applicant should have prior knowledge of plant identification (trees, herbs, medicinal plants, and invasive plants). They must be proficient in MS Office. Experience in herbarium making will be an advantage. This internship is based at the IIHS Kengeri campus.
Tamil Nadu Urban Sanitation Support Programme (TNUSSP) – Production Process
The Tamil Nadu Urban Sanitation Support Programme (TNUSSP), supported by the Indian Institute for Human Settlements (IIHS), focuses on developing income-generating opportunities for sanitation workers in various sectors beyond sanitation, helping them earn additional income. The initiative seeks to empower marginalized communities by enhancing their economic opportunities. As part of the project, initial efforts have been made to develop a product portfolio and train women from Self-Help Groups (SHGs) in the production process. The project has successfully identified products such as sanitary napkin disposal pouches, home cleaning agents (including floor and toilet cleaners), recycled wastepaper items, and compost made from municipal solid waste. TNUSSP is currently focused on generating ongoing demand for these products while supporting SHGs in meeting market expectations.
To support this initiative, we are looking for a dynamic and self-motivated individual who can collaborate closely with Self-Help Groups (SHGs) to enhance their product portfolios, ensuring the production of high-quality goods that align with urban market needs. The role will involve working with marketing teams to understand market demands and communicate these effectively to SHG members. Key responsibilities include managing production schedules, enforcing quality control standards, sourcing raw materials, and improving production efficiency.
Ideal applicants should have a degree in social, rural, or urban development. Candidates should have a passion for working with the urban poor, particularly sanitation workers, and must be fluent in both Tamil and English. This position is based in Trichy and requires a minimum commitment of six months.
For more information on TNUSSP, please see https://tnussp.co.in/
Tamil Nadu Urban Sanitation Support Programme (TNUSSP) – Marketing
The Tamil Nadu Urban Sanitation Support Programme (TNUSSP), supported by the Indian Institute for Human Settlements (IIHS), focuses on developing income-generating opportunities for sanitation workers in various sectors beyond sanitation, helping them earn additional income. The initiative seeks to empower marginalized communities by enhancing their economic opportunities. As part of the project, initial efforts have been made to develop a product portfolio and train women from Self-Help Groups (SHGs) in the production process. The project has successfully identified products such as sanitary napkin disposal pouches, home cleaning agents (including floor and toilet cleaners), recycled wastepaper items, and compost made from municipal solid waste. TNUSSP is currently focused on generating ongoing demand for these products while supporting SHGs in meeting market expectations.
To advance this initiative, we are seeking a dynamic and self-motivated individual to join us. The role involves conducting market research, identifying prospective market players, and developing marketing strategies to promote SHG products. The selected candidate will closely collaborate with Self-Help Groups (SHGs) and various stakeholders, including retailers, wholesalers, and other urban market participants, to generate demand for SHG-manufactured products. Key responsibilities include analyzing market trends, building relationships with potential buyers, developing sales channels, and designing effective marketing campaigns.
Applicants should preferably have a BBA or an MBA degree. They should have a passion for marketing roles and be fluent in Tamil. This position is based in Trichy and requires a minimum commitment of six months.
For more information on TNUSSP, please see https://tnussp.co.in/
People Function – Recruitment
The intern will assist with the following: recruitment-related administrative activities such as documentation, communication, and reporting; screening, scheduling, and organizing interviews with suitable candidates; maintaining candidates’ interview records, CVs, and other documents; and providing other HR administrative support as required.
A Bachelor’s / Master’s degree in HR or related field, with intermediate-level proficiency in MS Office skills, is essential for this position. Applicants need to have strong communication skills, both written and spoken; and must be well-organized, detail-oriented, and good at teamwork.
Urban Practitioners’ Programme – Capacity Building
The intern will collaborate with members of the Urban Practitioners’ Programme at IIHS, assisting in literature review, stakeholder interviews, and development of training materials. Additionally, the intern will support the team’s teaching and capacity-building activities.
The ideal candidate will have the skills to review and compile research in disciplines of urban planning, public policy or transportation planning. S/he must be proficient in MS Office. Familiarity with design tools for graphic production and presentation skills is desirable. Excellent writing skills in English and a working knowledge of Kannada will be an advantage.
Minimum eligibility will be a bachelor’s degree in urban planning/ development or allied disciplines. Candidates from diverse backgrounds with overlapping interests in urban mobility and public policy are encouraged to apply. The position is available at the earliest. This is a full-time internship based in Bengaluru and requires a minimum commitment of three months.
Media Lab
The intern’s responsibilities will include, but not limited to: understanding and interpreting the stakeholder’s brief to plan and schedule video shoots; preparing the studio or location for shoots, ensuring proper setup of lighting, cameras, teleprompters, microphones, and other necessary equipment; participating in all stages of video production, including pre-production planning, on-site production, and post-production editing; editing video content using Adobe Suite or DaVinci Resolve to create polished and professional videos; organizing and archiving media assets, including videos, photos, and other digital files, and ensuring they are easily accessible for future use; working effectively with internal teams and external partners to ensure smooth project execution and high-quality outputs.
This internship will provide on-the-job training, mentorship and networking opportunities. The intern will gain exposure to high-impact projects that contribute to social change. The ideal intern should have at least a three-year degree in film production, media studies, communication or a related field. They should have knowledge and hands-on experience in video shooting and editing, and should be proficient in using Adobe Suite or DaVinci Resolve for video editing. Animation skills would be an advantage. Excellent interpersonal and communication skills to effectively collaborate with team members and stakeholders, and strong organizational skills and attention to detail are required for the role. In addition, the intern should be proactive and self-driven, with the ability to work effectively in a diverse and dynamic environment.
IoT (Internet of Things) Lab
The internship will involve: collaborating with our experienced IoT Development team to design, develop, test, and deploy high-quality IoT Applications; gaining hands-on experience in ESP32 and Raspberry Pi platforms; writing clean, efficient, and maintainable code and assisting in debugging and troubleshooting to optimize application performance; working closely with cross-functional teams, including designers and product managers, to understand project requirements and deliver exceptional user experiences; documenting code and development processes and contributing to the creation of technical documentation; assisting in creating and executing comprehensive test plans to ensure the functionality, usability, and performance of applications; keeping up-to-date with the latest trends and technologies in IOT and sharing insights and best practices with the team.
Applicants should have a graduate degree in computer science, software engineering, or a related field. They should be proficient in programming languages like Python, C, and C++, and familiar with hardware communication protocols (I2C, SPI, UART, RS485, RS232). Knowledge of wireless communication technologies (Wi-Fi, LoRa) and an ability to write clean, efficient, and well-documented code is required for the role. Experience with version control systems like Git will be a plus. The ideal Intern will have a passion for technology and innovation, with a strong ability to think non-linearly and approach problems from first principles. This internship is based in Bengaluru.
Geospatial Lab (GSL)
Spatial Analysis: The intern will contribute to spatial analysis of ongoing studies in various thematic areas, such as mapping and quantifying ecosystem changes and urban development patterns. Additionally, the intern will support the GSL’s teaching and capacity-building activities.
Applicants should be enrolled in or hold a master’s degree in Geoinformatics or related fields. They should be proficient in spatial data analysis using Google Earth Engine and Python, and familiar with QGIS. This position is based in Bengaluru and requires a minimum commitment of three months.
Machine Learning: The intern will work on developing machine learning methods for automated urban land cover classification pipelines using remote sensing data. Additionally, the intern will support the GSL’s teaching and capacity-building activities.
Applicants should be enrolled in or hold a master’s degree in Geoinformatics or related fields. They should be proficient in the application of machine learning tools and methods for remote sensing analysis, and competent in spatial data analysis using Google Earth Engine. This position is based in Bengaluru and requires a minimum commitment of three months.
School of Environment and Sustainability (SES) – Tree Identification and Growth Analysis
This internship will include: identifying trees for dendrometer installation; monitoring tree growth through measurement; documenting different plant species and creating a herbarium of these plants on the IIHS Kengeri campus; maintaining the herbarium; documenting and writing about plant species for IIHS reports and articles.
Applicants should hold a master’s degree in a relevant discipline such as Botany, Environmental Science, etc. The applicant should have prior knowledge of plant identification (trees, herbs, medicinal plants, and invasive plants). They must be proficient in MS Office. Experience in herbarium making will be an advantage. This internship is based at the IIHS Kengeri campus.
Research Office
Research Operations and General Administration: The Research Office at IIHS is looking to hire an intern to support the general administration and processes of the Research Programme. This intern will assist with: maintaining and expanding the funding landscape tracker and funding landscape report; the operations of the ethics review process between different stakeholders; setting up or updating of key SOPs (standard operating procedures); other responsibilities including day-to-day administration, internal coordination, desk research, data mining etc.
Applicants should preferably have a graduate or postgraduate degree, with a keen interest in programme management. This position is based in Bengaluru and requires a minimum commitment of three months.
Research Communications: The intern will provide research communications support to the IIHS Research Office. The intern will assist with: developing and producing engaging content for channels such as social media, newsletters, the IIHS research Twitter handle, and the IIHS website, from IIHS academic/research publications; developing and implementing project-related communication strategies; other duties, including day-to-day operations, internal coordination, secondary research, data mining, etc.
Applicants should preferably have a graduate or a post-graduate degree in Mass Communication/Literature. Good content writing skills and familiarity with the use of digital media are a priority. This position is based in Bengaluru, for a minimum of three months.
Digital Blended Learning (DBL) – Market Research Data Collection
The intern will gather data from diverse secondary sources for a research project, verify the authenticity of the data, store the data (and the data sources) in a systematic manner, structure the data, and analyse the data to extract findings, inferences, and insights. The ability to explore multiple sources of data is important, as all the required data may not be available in a single source, and triangulation may be required to validate the data collected.
While a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree from any discipline is sufficient, a high degree of proficiency in using Microsoft Excel and related data processing applications is very important for this role, along with the ability to make simple logical inferences from the data. Experience with gathering and analysing quantitive data will be an advantage.
Since this is a research project, the accuracy of the data collected is of paramount importance. This means that the intern should have the capability to identify reliable and authentic sources of data, capture data systematically so that the chain of evidence is maintained, and, most importantly, have high personal ethical and moral standards in data collection. Attention to detail is essential.
Urban Informatics Lab (UIL) – Estimating Urban Housing Stock using Remote Sensing
This internship is aimed at using remote sensing data to identify housing typologies and spatialize the housing stock in Indian cities. The intern will work with the team to build model pipelines that extract information from high-resolution satellite imagery and other geospatial datasets.
In addition to a solid conceptual understanding of machine learning, the ability to code in Python or a similar language is essential. The intern is also expected to have basic familiarity with deep learning frameworks such as Keras and Tensorflow . Experience in working with remote sensing data will be a plus.
Applicants with a demonstrated interest in applying statistics/machine learning to urban issues will be preferred. Applicants must have completed at least three years of undergraduate education.
This is a full-time in-person paid internship in Bengaluru, with an ideal duration of 3 to 6 months.
Sustainable Energy Lab (SEL)
The Sustainable Energy Lab at IIHS focuses on the integration of design approaches, technologies, and operation techniques towards the net-zero-energy performance of buildings and communities. We investigate and implement integrated low-energy approaches for IIHS’ new near-carbon-neutral campus. We combine passive design approaches with IoT-based monitoring of performance and control of systems.
The intern will have the opportunity to work as part of the SEL on the new IIHS campus at Kengeri, near Bangalore. The work will involve a mix of activities related to monitoring, analyzing, detailing, and documenting buildings on the campus, such as: Monitoring and analysis of performance data and post-occupancy evaluation of the Experimental Building; Modeling the next set of buildings coming up on the campus such as the Library, Academic block, Maker Centre, etc; Thermal comfort and visual comfort assessments; Assisting with developing controls for thermal comfort or lighting; Embodied carbon analysis and development of low carbon building system options; Documentation of building design, construction details, and performance; Renewable energy system design; Conducting building energy audits and measurement of energy consumption; Developing and reviewing learning content/resources offered to Solar Decathlon India participants.
Eligible candidates may be enrolled in (the final year) or have a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Architecture, Engineering (civil, mechanical, electrical), Building Science, Building Services, or Data Analytics. A strong foundation in at least some of the areas of building science, building construction detailing, and data analysis is required. Knowledge of energy and thermal simulation of buildings will be considered a plus. Good documentation skills for graphics and writing are a must.
Candidates are required to have experience with MS Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Other desirable skills include: Design Builder/ Energy Plus/ Open Studio/ eQuest; Python; SketchUp / Rhino 3D / 3DS MAX.
Communications – TNUSSP (Tamil Nadu Urban Sanitation Support Programme)
This internship will involve supporting project communications on the TNUSSP and City Wide Inclusive Sanitation (CWIS) projects. It includes, but is not limited to assisting in the development of a communications calendar and execution of the project communication plan, content development, and editing assistance across all communication material. It also includes providing support to all media related activities including building and maintaining all such relationships, documenting and archiving all project communication output. The intern is also expected to proactively support the updating and monitoring of social media and other academic profiles.
Candidates must have a Bachelor’s / Master’s in journalism, media, development studies, public policy, or any related disciplines. The internship will be based in Chennai.
This internship will involve assisting Library operations, mainly user and research services, instruction and outreach, acquisition, and technical processing of the learning resources being acquired for the IIHS Library. Coordinating with the Library team at the IIHS Bengaluru City Campus, this position requires a working knowledge of Machine-Readable Cataloging (MARC) standard, Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC), and exposure to open source or proprietary integrated library systems (preferably Koha and Digital Library Solutions, though not mandatory).
A Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Library and Information Science is mandatory. Some work experience (1-2 years) will be preferred. This position will be based in Bangalore.
School of Systems and Infrastructure (SSI)
The intern will be expected to support School-building activities and research at the SSI. S/he will assist with: the development of the SSI strategy document; building a comprehensive data repository of projects aligned to SSI; a market landscape research study on various SSI theme-aligned offerings (courses, capacity-building offerings, blended learning programs); various other SSI-centric research activities; initiating a dialogue with other Schools at IIHS, identifying key synergies and supporting the development of a strategic engagement and coordination plan.
Applicants should have a master’s or a bachelor’s degree in urban planning/ development/ architecture or allied disciplines. An Ideal candidate will have some knowledge of urban systems and the ability to engage with policy-facing questions. Interest in Institution-building in the urban domain will be an added advantage. They must be proficient in MS Office; have experience in secondary research and analytical writing; and have strong verbal and written communication skills. The internship will be based in Bengaluru.
Practice (Public/Municipal Finance)
The intern will assist in the ongoing research on municipal finance at IIHS. This includes contributing to annual publications on municipal finance as well as working on state budgets. Key responsibilities include supporting data collection, analysis, presentation, and reporting. The role will build a strong foundation for engaging with public finance data and understanding municipal finances.
Minimum eligibility will be a bachelor’s degree in economics/finance/management. Those from other academic backgrounds with a keen interest in public/ municipal finance will also be considered. The internship requires sound knowledge of MS Office, particularly Excel, Powerpoint, and Word, good data mining and analytical skills, and proficiency in English and any other Indian language. The internship will be based in Bengaluru and will not be remote.
Legal & Regulation
The intern will assist the Legal & Regulation team at IIHS on tasks such as research and drafting in relation to institutional contracts, legal opinions and compliance matters. The intern will also be responsible for providing legal support and assistance on various kinds of legal work, including IPR and relevant matters.
An ideal candidate will be someone who is committed, willing to learn, and able to work both independently and as part of a team. They will possess outstanding communication and interpersonal skills, and demonstrate a willingness to learn while carrying out a variety of activities as needed.
Practice (Land and Real estate)
This internship will cover various aspects of urban and peri-urban land registration systems, real estate, and real estate regulation. The intern will participate in data collection and analysis on the: status of the real estate sector in various states, including the functioning of real estate regulatory authorities, based on primary and secondary data sources; participate in documenting best practices in real estate regulation at the state level; evaluate RERA websites in terms of accessibility and availability of information; gain an understanding of urban and peri-urban land record systems in various Indian states, and assess best practices adopted by different states.
A Bachelor’s/Master’s degree in a relevant discipline (such as Planning, Law, Public Policy, Architecture, Geography, or Economics), with advanced-level proficiency in MS Excel, is essential for this position. Applicants need to have strong analytical skills; and must be well organized, detail-oriented and possess the ability to take initiative and work in a team. The internship is based in Delhi or Bengaluru.
Communications & Design
Design Intern: The Intern will help with daily graphic design tasks, formatting, page layouts and typesetting. Minimum eligibility will be a bachelor’s degree. The Intern must have a good eye for design, be current in their understanding of design trends and tools, and proactive.
Social Media Intern: The Intern will be involved in monitoring IIHS’ social media handles on an everyday basis. The Intern will also help with social media postings, both from an ideation perspective as well as execution. A proactive attitude to look at other, similar organisations and institutions will be appreciated. Minimum eligibility will be a bachelor’s degree. Content writing skills and familiarity with the use of social media tools are a must. Design experience or a desire to learn design tools will be an added advantage.
Intern for Content Writing: The Intern will help with collating information for institutional newsletters and assist with other content writing requirements including writing for social media posts. The Intern must have an eye for detail and the ability to coordinate with multiple teams. Minimum eligibility will be a bachelor’s degree. Previous experience with writing in any form, across any platform is a must.
Intern for Website/Wordpress: The Intern will help with updating the existing digital assets including the IIHS website and other microsites. Previous experience with working on WordPress is a must. Understanding of and/or experience with back-end development is an added plus.
Practice – TNUSSP (Tamil Nadu Urban Sanitation Support Programme)
This internship is with the Tamil Nadu Urban Sanitation Support Programme (TNUSSP). The candidate will primarily work with the governance team on a range of themes including implementation of governance mechanisms, sanitation planning, water-sanitation policy analysis, etc. The intern is also expected to support other work areas of the Programme as required.
The internship will involve undertaking secondary research (may need to be supported with field visits and/or telephonic interviews) and providing support in data collection and interpretation (including map generation) and developing and updating reports (including writing excerpts and coordinating with team members to collate information from government officers). Additionally, they may need to accompany TNUSSP team members on select field visits to collect and collate information. To know more about TNUSSP, visit: https://muzhusugadharam.co.in/
The ideal candidate will have a background in research, data analysis and be related to the planning/ development sector through either education or experience. They must be familiar with MS-Office and be fairly proficient in English writing and presentation skills. Knowledge of Arc-GIS/ Q-GIS and Tamil language will be an advantage.
Candidates with a bachelor’s or master’s degree (including final year students) in public policy, governance, development studies, urban/ environmental planning and other related fields may apply. The position is available at the earliest. The intern will need to be physically present in Chennai during the internship period.
These are paid internships located in Bangalore. Some internships may be available in Delhi.
