Internships at NOAA's Weather Program Office

We prioritize developing the next generation workforce

WPO hosts students through internships and fellowships to teach them about NOAA, and our role within it.

Students can gain valuable experience at the Weather Program Office and have the opportunity to work on a variety of projects that cover a diverse range of weather-related topics. 

Avenues for Career Advancement at NOAA

Fellowships & Internships

AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellowships (STPF) provide opportunities to outstanding scientists and engineers to learn first-hand about policymaking while contributing their knowledge and analytical skills to the federal policymaking process. Fellows serve yearlong assignments in the executive, legislative and judicial branches of the federal government in Washington. Each year, the program adds to a growing corps over 3,400 strong of policy-savvy leaders working across academia, government, nonprofits and industry to serve the nation and the world.

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John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship Program is designed to provide students enrolled in a wide variety of educational institutions, from high school to graduate level, with opportunities to work in Federal agencies and explore Public Service careers, while still in school and while getting paid for the work they are performing. Students who successfully complete the program may be eligible for conversion to a permanent job in the civil service.

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The NOAA Pathways Internship Program is designed to provide students enrolled in a wide variety of educational institutions, from high school to graduate level, with opportunities to work in Federal agencies and explore Public Service careers, while still in school and while getting paid for the work they are performing. Students who successfully complete their internships may be eligible for conversion to a permanent job in the civil service.

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The William M. LaPenta NOAA Student Internship Program 

NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) is “Where America’s Climate and Weather Services Begin.” NCEP is offering up to 20 paid summer internships targeted towards current 2nd and 3rd year undergraduate and enrolled graduate students to work in areas that will meet the future needs of the ever-broadening user community and address the strategic climate-water-weather issues. Each student will collaborate with one or more scientists at our five centers located in College Park, Maryland.

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WINGS Student Fellowship

 NOAA’s WPO and UCAR’s Cooperative Programs for the Advancement of Earth System Science (CPAESS) have established the WINGS Dissertation Fellowship for Ph.D. candidates to focus their dissertation research on an area of scientific importance for the broader Weather Enterprise. The first year of the program will be piloted by the Earth Prediction Innovation Center (EPIC).

This fellowship will provide two years of funding to Ph.D. candidates in support of innovative weather and climate research and engineering projects. WINGS fellows will be UCAR employees and will receive funding for 0.5 FTE for 9 months and 1.0 FTE for 3 months including benefits (1,320 hours per year at an hourly salary range of  $25.50-26.52). WINGS fellows will also receive an annual travel allowance of $5,000*.

*If the student utilizes the maximum number of hours in the fellowship, the total salary will amount to at least $33,660.

The WINGS Fellowship is designed for Ph.D. candidates who have completed their required coursework, and in the beginning stages of writing a dissertation. Fellows will work with their academic advisor and a mentor recommended by WPO and CPAESS, to provide guidance  during the dissertation process. 

The WINGS Fellowship will enable fellows to gain insights into their respective fields of study, support the fellows’ integration into the workforce, and offer a unique opportunity to contribute to forecast model development.

The application period for the WINGS Dissertation Fellowship is now open. Applications are due no later than January 27, 2023

WINGS Fellowship

WPO & UCAR Launch Brand-New Fellowship Program

NOAA’s WPO and UCAR’s Cooperative Programs for the Advancement of Earth System Science (CPAESS) have established the WINGS Dissertation Fellowship for Ph.D. candidates to focus their dissertation research on an area of scientific importance for the broader Weather Enterprise. The first year of the program will be piloted by the Earth Prediction Innovation Center (EPIC).

This fellowship will provide two years of funding to Ph.D. candidates in support of innovative weather and climate research and engineering projects. WINGS fellows will be UCAR employees and will receive funding for 0.5 FTE for 9 months and 1.0 FTE for 3 months including benefits (1,320 hours per year at an hourly salary range of  $25.50-26.52). WINGS fellows will also receive an annual travel allowance of $5,000*.

*If the student utilizes the maximum number of hours in the fellowship, the total salary will amount to at least $33,660.

Learn MoreApply Now

The WINGS Fellowship is designed for Ph.D. candidates who have completed their required coursework, and in the beginning stages of writing a dissertation. Fellows will work with their academic advisor and a mentor recommended by WPO and CPAESS, to provide guidance  during the dissertation process. 

The WINGS Fellowship will enable fellows to gain insights into their respective fields of study, support the fellows’ integration into the workforce, and offer a unique opportunity to contribute to forecast model development.

  • Data Assimilation
  • Atmospheric Physics
  • Verification and Validation – Post-Processing
  • Machine Learning/Artificial Intelligence
  • Software Engineering to advance numerical weather prediction

Q&A with our Students

Experience Stories

Renee Richardson

Renee Richardson

Internship season  February 2021 – January 2022 Internship Affiliation  Sea Grant Knauss Fellowship University Affiliation  Florida State University  Major  Postdoc: Sociology of Science PhD: Meteorology Flashback to 2019… a few friends of mine had either just finished the Knauss Fellowship, were in the middle of their fellowship, or were busy…

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Steve Elliot WPO

Your ‘Tern to Shine: Steve Elliot

Internship season  Summer 2021-2022  Internship Affiliation  AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellow University Affiliation  Arizona State University  Major  Postdoc: Sociology of Science PhD: Biology Tell us about your fellowship responsibilities. I work on topics related to data governance, portfolio analysis, and building computational capacity for social science within OAR. For these…

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Stephen Wegmenn

Your ‘Tern to Shine: Stephen Wegmann

Internship season  Summer 2022  Internship Affiliation  2022 William M. LaPenta Intern  University Affiliation  Georgia State University Major  Geosciences Tell us about your internship responsibilities.  My main task is the digital storytelling of findings from four major social and behavioral science projects researching tropical cyclone communication and the public, local, and…

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