The Fraunhofer Center for Sustainable Energy Systems (CSE) is looking for an intern to join its Building Energy Efficiency Group. This is an opportunity to carry out R&D in a new Fraunhofer center on a combination of external and internal projects. You’ll be a key part of a dynamic team based in Cambridge, Massachusetts working on sustainable energy technology development.  Internship positions typically last for 6 months, but longer internships can also be accommodated. 

Specifically, we are looking for an intern to work with our Behavioral Scientist on issues related to home occupants’ interaction with energy-saving technology.

Principal Responsibilities: 

• Work with the experimental psychologist and engineers on projects investigating how peoples’ behaviors affect home energy consumption and ways to modify their behaviors.
• Help design surveys, as well as laboratory and field tests to evaluate the effectiveness of different types of energy-use feedback devices from a human factors perspective.
• Assist in data collection and data analysis, as well preparing the results for publication or client reports.

 Required Experience and Education:

• An excellent academic record in a relevant discipline (e.g., experimental psychology, market research, human factors engineering).
• Experience in behavioral or market research, behavioral research methods and statistical data analysis.
• Experience in survey design.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Ability to accept a high degree of responsibility in a team-based organization, combined with ability to work independently.
• Going the extra mile to support the team’s research projects. 

About Fraunhofer CSE:

The Fraunhofer Center for Sustainable Energy Systems (CSE) is a contract R&D organization based in Cambridge, MA.  CSE, created as a partnership of the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (ISE), the State of Massachusetts and MIT, is dedicated to serving the applied research needs of the sustainable energy industry, helping established industry players and newcomers alike develop clean energy technologies from the laboratory to the production line. The Center focuses on two key areas: building energy efficiency and next generation photovoltaic modules development.