2027 Summer Associate Program

Overview

The Institute for Defense Analyses (IDA) is now accepting applications for our 2027 Summer Associate Program. This Program provides students with a unique opportunity to use their quantitative and analytic skills to work on challenging real-world national security issues. The Institute for Defense Analyses (IDA) is a not-for-profit corporation that operates Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs). Two of these FFRDCs are accepting Summer Associates. Staff at the IDA Systems and Analyses Center (SAC) provide objective analyses of national security issues, particularly those requiring scientific and technical expertise, and conduct related research on other national challenges. The Systems and Analyses Center, located in Alexandria, Virginia, is comprised of seven research divisions:

• Cost Analysis and Research Division
• Information Technology and Systems Division
• Global Dynamics and Intelligence Division
• Joint Advanced Warfighting Division
• Operational Evaluation Division
• Strategy, Forces and Resources Division
• Science, Systems and Sustainment Division

Staff at the IDA Science and Technology Policy Institute (STPI), assist the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and other executive branch agencies in formulating federal S&T policy by providing high-quality, objective, analytical support to inform policymakers. Each year, IDA hires paid student associates at its Virginia facility to work for a minimum of 10 weeks during the summer months. Associates will work with their supervisor to identify their start and end dates. If their academic calendar permits, associates must be present during the 8-week core period, which runs from the beginning of June to the end of July. However, we offer flexibility for associates to start sooner or later depending on their availability. An additional 2 weeks (or more) either before or after the core period is required for a complete 10-week internship. In some cases opportunities