Student Job Opportunities

(Last Updated: April 15, 2026)

Student workers play a vital role in supporting the mission of YCGS by providing essential assistance to our staff. YCGS positions are open to current Yale University students, both undergraduate and graduate. We offer a range of student roles to support our diverse program needs. A list of available positions is provided below, and current openings can be found on Yale Student Employment. 

If you’d like to hear about other on-campus geospatial jobs, we encourage you to join our LinkedIn Group, where we share both on- and off-campus geospatial opportunities.

Geospatial Research Assistant

• Hours: 5 to 10 hours / week
• Openings: 1
• Supervisor: Jennifer Marlon

The Geospatial Research Assistant will provide broad support to the Center across research, writing, and data analysis, helping faculty and students from diverse disciplines engage with geospatial tools and technologies. Coding skills are welcome, but the role spans a wide range of tasks beyond programming.
Responsibilities include:

• Developing introductory guides and on-ramp materials on geospatial data, software, and methodologies for non-experts via the YCGS website
• Conducting geospatial research and writing, including literature reviews on emerging topics
• Researching applications of AI in geospatial work
• Testing interactive dashboards and mapping tools
• Researching maps, cartographic resources, and datasets
• Supporting faculty research and data analysis projects
• Recruiting speakers and helping organize workshops, seminars, and outreach events
• Contributing to general Center operations and campus-wide geospatial collaboration

We’re looking for a curious, versatile assistant who can contribute across the Center’s activities and help make geospatial research more approachable.

Remote Sensing / Lidar Data Analyst

• Hours: 5 to 10 hours / week
• Openings: 2
• Supervisor: Austin Madson

In our group, we look for people who are curious, rigorous, and adaptable. We value:

• Curiosity and Initiative – asking bold questions, exploring new ideas, and connecting across disciplines.
• Scientific Rigor – grounding insights in data, methods, and evidence.
• Technical Competence – strong skills in statistics, coding, geospatial analysis, and the ability to learn new tools quickly.
• Efficiency and Pragmatism – getting things done within real-world constraints while knowing when to refine and polish.
• Interdisciplinary Thinking – bridging natural sciences, social sciences, the humanities, and applied systems to generate useful insights.
• Communication – making complex results accessible through clear writing, data visualization, mapping, and storytelling.
• Resilience – staying forward-looking and problem-solving even when projects get messy.

We work on projects that connect data science with pressing challenges at the intersection of environment and society. If you’re motivated to learn, collaborate, and create impact, you’ll thrive here.