APPLY NOW: 12 Amazing PAID Summer Internship Opportunities with the Bren Environmental Leadership (BEL) Program
Eric Zimmerman
ATTENTION UCSB AND ES
UNDERGRADS!
Amazing Internship Opportunity this summer to work side-by-side
with environmental
professionals and PhD students gaining hands-on experience in
project
management experience and research skills in a number of
different environmental
disciplines (see below for a list of 10 positions). And, earn a
$6,500 stipend!
Applications are now being accepted for the Summer 2026 cohort of the Bren Environmental Leadership (BEL) Program. This is a graduate-led fellowship designed to provide student support, networking, and training opportunities through connection with learning communities, career skills workshops, and paired internships. By offering paid summer internships, BEL removes financial barriers while advancing hands-on, applied environmental problem-solving.
Bren graduate students are
paired with
undergraduate fellows to collaborate with external partners on
real-world
sustainability challenges or advance academic research.
Through structured
one-on-one mentorship, weekly career skills workshops, and
inclusive
community-building events, BEL bridges academic training and
professional
practice. The program equips students with leadership skills and
professional
networks while delivering meaningful value to mission-driven
organizations.
Program Details
- Undergraduate students receive direct support from a Bren graduate student mentor, and graduate students gain valuable mentoring and project management experience
- Summer program includes weekly professional development workshops and community building events during summer quarter
- Project teams prepare short, flash-talk style presentations to the BEL community at the end of the summer and are invited to participate in the Mantell Symposium in Environmental Justice and Conservation Innovation in Fall
Most of these positions are hybrid, require 10 weeks, 35 hours per week, with exact dates flexible between mid-June to mid-September. The student will receive a $6500 stipend. The student will participate in professional development training during the summer and a poster session at the Mantell Symposium on Environmental Justice and Conservation Innovation on November 6th, 2026.
Applicants must be full-time UCSB continuing undergraduate students (not graduating within the 2026 calendar year).
Here’s the Summer 2026
Opportunities (Undergraduate) descriptions!
- TWO MORE OPPORTUNITIES WILL BE ADDED NEXT WEEK to the BEL
Website!
1. Addressing plastic use and management across the US — The Nature Conservancy (TNC)
2. Assessing Wastewater Contributions to Ocean Acidification & Hypoxia — The Nature Conservancy (TNC)
3. Inequality in Exposure to Early-Life Air Pollution — Research Fellowship
4. From Policy to Pasture in the Brazilian Amazon — Research Fellowship
5. Modeling Outcomes of Community Forestry in India — Research Fellowship
6. Coast Live Oak Ecology: Understanding Plant Water Use — Research Fellowship
7. Mapping Agroforestry Systems Across Sub-Saharan Africa — Research Fellowship
8. Animals in the Urban Matrix — Research Fellowship
9. Wildfire Ecology in the Sierra Nevada — Research Fellowship
10. Guided interactive learning with Future Mountain — Research Fellowship
How to Apply:
Application Deadline for the 10 positions listed above
is Wednesday, March 18th.
Applications should include:
- A brief statement (2-3 paragraphs) describing your interest in this project and how your experience and qualifications make you a good fit. We welcome insights into how your experiences or perspectives might shape your contribution to the BEL community.
- A resume or CV, including any relevant coursework and previous experience.
You can apply directly to the projects that interest you. Applicants must be full-time continuing UCSB undergraduate students with at least 2 quarters remaining before graduation at the time of application. The BEL program is open to students from all majors and backgrounds. Check back here for available positions, or keep an eye out on Handshake and campus listservs.
To apply click here!
To see what past BEL Fellows
have done and are saying about
their experience, visit the BEL
Website and scroll down towards the bottom of the page. Many of
these students are Environmental Studies and HYDO majors!
For questions, please contact gstep...@ucsb.edu
-- Eric D. Zimmerman (he/him) Student Services Manager, Lecturer Environmental Studies, UC Santa Barbara To schedule a Zoom advising appointment visit: https://tinyurl.com/8nrcckds "Work Hard ~ Play Harder!"