Data Science Intern

Westat • Bethesda, MD

10d • Hybrid

About The Position

Westat is a leader in research, data collection and analysis, technical assistance, evaluation, and communications. Our evidence-based findings help clients in government and the private sector accelerate advancements in health, education, transportation, and social and economic policy. Our dedication to improving lives through research and our approach to projects grounded in investigative curiosity, statistical and data rigor, adaptive methods, and advanced technology are why clients find exceptional value in our work. Westat is seeking a Data Science Intern to join our Statistics and Data Center from hire through December 2026. The position requires a commitment of 20 hours per week, on average, and involves programming in R, Python, and SQL; applying data science and artificial intelligence (AI) methods (e.g., natural language processing, machine learning, and large language models) to structured and unstructured data; data analytics and visualization. This role is based out of Bethesda, Maryland and requires 2 days per week on site.

Requirements

• Must be enrolled in a master’s degree program in math, statistics, data science or related field.
• Experience working in data science related projects.
• Proficiency in R, Python, SQL.
• Demonstrated experience developing machine learning and natural language processing methods.
• Developed, queried, and managed large data files in databases.
• Proven experience using Git as version control system.
• Candidates must be authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis.

Nice To Haves

• Experience working in a professional services research environment.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills for presenting technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Develop and test R and Python to collect, process, link, and analyze data in various formats.
• Develop SQL code to query, process, and manage large data files in databases.
• Apply supervised and unsupervised machine learning frameworks to data collected from a variety of sources.
• Use natural language processing methods and large language models to clean, parse, link, summarize and analyze large and unstructured data.
• Develop data visualizations using open-source libraries in R and Python and proprietary software such as Tableau and PowerBI.
• Develop and maintain code documentation using Git, implement coding standards, and apply best practices.
• Present to internal and external clients.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Part-time
• Career Level: Intern