Summer Internships

Timing

The internship program spans 9 weeks in the summer. It is important that our interns are available through the entire internship. The 2026 internship:

• starts June 1st, 2026
• ends July 31st, 2026

Where you’ll work

Our office is located here in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, just outside of Gatlinburg, Tennessee. The park comprises over 500,000 acres across Tennessee and North Carolina in the Southern Appalachian Mountains. The Smokies are designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site and an International Biosphere Reserve, and much of the park is considered a temperate rainforest.

Responsibilities

• Work in coordination with DLiA staff, fellow interns, NPS staff, and others
• Help organize and carry out field- and lab-based biological research
• Assist park staff and visiting scientists with ongoing research projects
• Collect biological specimens and data in the field
• Capture georeferenced biological records through iNaturalist (see Smokies Most Wanted)
• Curate biological specimens (e.g., pinning, labeling and sorting insects, pressing plant specimens)
• Take diagnostic macro photos of specimens
• Collect and manage specimen images and metadata
• Learn about and use DNA barcoding to identify arthropod specimens
• Learn and apply basic arthropod taxonomy
• Help us with educational and fundraising events, including BioBlitzes and our Fireflies Event at Norton Creek
• Give a short presentation about your summer experience to the DLiA Board of Directors at our July Board Retreat
• Obey all laws and policies, including those laid out in our NPS Research Permit, and practice the Leave No Trace principles while in GSMNP

Additional responsibilities may include

• Photograph flora and fauna in the field and in a lab setting, including through macro- and scientific photography
• Document our outreach and fundraising events through photograph and videography
• Develop stories to promote DLiA projects through video
• Conduct, film, edit and archive interviews with DLiA folks and affiliates
• Keep your photo and video media logically organized and well-labeled
• Create videos for use on DLiA’s website, YouTube channel, and social media

Perks

We provide

• $1,500 stipend
• Local housing
• Reimbursement for work-related mileage
• Parking tag for GSMNP

As a DLiA intern, you will

• Learn about and contribute to the Smokies ATBI, the largest and longest running biodiversity census in America
• Become familiar with flora and fauna of the Southern Appalachians
• Go “behind the scenes” of Great Smoky Mountains National Park
• Work in a friendly, supportive, LGBTQ+ affirming environment
• See the inner workings of a small 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization
• Work alongside National Park Service staff

Qualifications

Internship applicants must:

• Be at least 18 years old
• Be a current or recently graduated undergraduate student in a field related to the internship track to which you are applying (see below)
• Be reliable, honest, and hardworking, but also flexible and easygoing
• Have a keen interest in nature and the outdoors
• Be okay with touching bugs and other creepy crawlies
• Work well independently or in a small group
• Be okay with working a few late nights, early mornings, and weekends (which we will compensate with time off, as appropriate) and also a few remote-work days
• Be able to occasionally hike up to 12 miles in a day carrying a light daypack
• Be able to occasionally carry a 25-pound backpack for up to 8 miles
• Be able to spend time outdoors in heat, rain, and humidity (we’re in a temperate rainforest)

Ideal applicants may also:

• Have a keen interest in organismal biology
• Be familiar with some group of organisms living in the Smokies (e.g., wildflowers, birds, beetles, mosses, salamanders) OR have a group in mind that you’d like to get to know over the summer (this list might be helpful)
• Have some experience in the arts of photography and/or videography
• Have your own digital camera and equipment capable of producing professional quality photographs and/or video
• Be able to use Adobe Photoshop Suite (or similar program) to edit photos and videos, and creative platforms such as Canva to create attractive promotional materials
• Demonstrate keen attention to detail when editing and fact checking

How to apply

The application for our summer internship opens from January 2-31, annually. We typically begin contacting applicants by mid-February and typically make a final decision by the end of February.

Applicants will need to:

1. Fill out the online application linked below
2. Submit their resume or CV, and include 1-3 references that we may contact (as part of the application)

Check back here for application link!