Explorer-in-Training Program

NOAA Ocean Exploration is dedicated to exploring the unknown ocean, unlocking its potential through scientific discovery, technological advancements, and data delivery. By working closely with partners across public, private, and academic sectors, we are filling gaps in our basic understanding of the marine environment and providing critical data, information, and awareness needed to protect American livelihoods, strengthen national security, and promote a vibrant U.S. economy.

With priority placed on exploration of deep waters and the waters of the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone, NOAA Ocean Exploration executes its mission to explore the ocean for national benefit by using the latest tools and technologies to explore previously unknown areas of the ocean, making discoveries of scientific and economic value. By making collected data publicly available in increasingly innovative and accessible ways, we provide a unique and centralized national resource of critical ocean information needed to inform decision-makers on policy issues. And, through live exploration video, online resources, training and educational opportunities, and public events, we share the excitement of ocean exploration with people around the world and inspire and engage the next generation of ocean scientists, engineers, and leaders.

A core part of the NOAA Ocean Exploration mission is to train the next generation of ocean explorers through internship and fellowship opportunities for students and early career professionals. One of the many ways that the office addresses this goal is through the Explorer-in-Training program, administered in partnership with the Cooperative Program for the Advancement of Earth System Science (CPAESS), a community program of the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR), to coordinate opportunities to gain valuable experience in ocean exploration.

Since 2009, NOAA Ocean Exploration and UCAR CPAESS have hosted over 170 explorers-in-training. These interns gain valuable, interdisciplinary experience in ocean exploration while collaborating on office projects and expeditions. The program equips participants with skills to meet the current and future demands of the ocean exploration workforce by providing meaningful experiential learning opportunities that support NOAA Ocean Exploration’s mission, inspire ocean literacy for the next generation, and enable students to increase their competitiveness for educational and career opportunities in ocean-related fields.

The program features two internship options: (a) 10-week, summertime opportunities and (b) expedition-based opportunities. The 10-week internships provide students an opportunity to develop their skills and knowledge through long-term projects supported by NOAA Ocean Exploration mentors. The 2 to 4-week expedition-based internships involve participation in NOAA Ocean Exploration-supported expeditions aboard NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer supporting seafloor mapping operations, giving participants the chance to contribute to mission efforts while gaining tangible skills that can benefit their future pursuits. Examples of past internship themes and projects are listed in the Internship Themes section below.

In addition to working on projects and supporting expedition objectives, explorers-in-training participate in professional development workshops, conferences, and networking opportunities designed to teach key skills and expose students to career paths in ocean exploration. As part of the program requirements, explorers-in-training also produce a report detailing their project outcomes, and present their findings to office staff and collaborators at a virtual NOAA Ocean Exploration Internship Symposium at the end of their internship period. Together, the components of this internship program give students an opportunity to learn, explore, and contribute to the office in meaningful ways while sharpening their professional skills to ready them for their future pursuits in the ocean workforce.

The Explorer-in-Training program offers multiple 10-week, shore-based summer internships and expedition-based opportunities, designed to reflect NOAA Ocean Exploration’s diverse and interdisciplinary expertise, work products, and services, and provide training in critical ocean exploration mission fields. Internship themes and projects may vary year-to-year depending on office priorities, mentor availability, and expedition schedules. 10-week, shore-based internships may be remote/virtual or in-person. All Explorer-in-Training internship opportunities are paid, with additional funding for housing, relocation, and travel as required by the specific project. See below for examples of past internship themes and projects.

• Midwater ROV Annotations & Acoustics (10-Week): Interns contribute to NOAA Ocean Exploration’s water column exploration activities by working with midwater remotely operated vehicle (ROV) video collected aboard NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer. Projects focus on annotating ROV video data and supporting the synthesis of water column exploration results. This includes conducting quality assessment and quality control, performing data analyses, and developing visualizations that integrate ROV annotations, water column acoustics, and environmental datasets.
• Emerging Technologies in the Deep Sea: Environmental DNA (10-Week): Environmental DNA (eDNA) samples are routinely collected aboard NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer and processed for sequencing at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Natural History (NMNH). Interns learn and contribute to NOAA Ocean Exploration’s ‘Omics priorities by assisting with genetic sample processing through eDNA extraction and amplicon sequencing preparation to create metabarcode profiles for biodiversity analyses.
• Maritime Heritage (10-Week): Interns collaborate with NOAA Ocean Exploration archaeologists to better understand significant historical sites from past and current maritime-heritage focused expeditions supported or conducted by the office. Projects have focused on development of public-facing content for the NOAA Ocean Exploration website, annotation of shipwreck ROV video data, photogrammetry data processing of historic shipwreck sites, and supporting eligibility determinations for the National Register of Historic Places.
• Education, Media, and Science Communication (10-Week): Interns contribute to NOAA Ocean Exploration’s outreach and education priorities through development of web and social media content, education materials, supporting expedition communications, and communicating about the value and importance of the deep sea and exploration work being conducted by NOAA Ocean Exploration and partners. Specific deliverables may focus on writing, art, video production, and more, depending on NOAA needs and the interns’ interests and skills.
• Ocean Mapping (Expedition-Based): Contributing to seafloor mapping efforts is an integral part of NOAA Ocean Exploration’s mission, providing critical bathymetric data needed to achieve a baseline understanding of previously unexplored areas. As part of the team conducting mapping operations onboard NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer, interns are directly responsible for monitoring data acquisition, defining instrument and sound speed processing settings, and cleaning raw data to ensure that incoming data accurately represents the true seafloor. Explorers-in-training also gain tangible skills in data management and geographic information system (GIS) software, and experience what it’s like to live aboard a research vessel for multiple weeks at sea 200–700 nautical miles from shore. Availability of positions, expedition dates, and locations vary each year.

Eligibility

• U.S. citizenship
• Must be at least 18 years of age by internship or expedition start date
• Undergraduate and graduate students that are currently enrolled or recently graduated (within one year of graduation date) from an accredited academic institution. Undergraduates must be rising juniors or seniors who have completed at least two years of coursework
• Degree, major, or intent to major in a field relevant to NOAA Ocean Exploration’s mission, including but not limited to: STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) fields, social sciences, communications, education, business operations/administration, and ocean policy/management
• Willingness to learn and follow office policies and/or shipboard standard operating procedures
• Clearance of a Special Agreement Check (SAC) upon acceptance into the program (*additional clearances may be required for certain positions)
• Valid U.S. Passport (2-4 week, expedition-based seafloor mapping internship only)

Visit the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) section to learn more about the Explorer-in-Training program eligibility requirements, including U.S. citizenship, who qualifies as “recently graduated”, and Special Agreement Check (SAC clearances).

Application Requirements

• Submit online application form, including the following:
  • Current resume or curriculum vitae (CV). (Maximum 2 pages).
    • Note: If you have never created a resume or CV before, see resources and guidance from the Purdue Online Writing Lab.
  • Required short answer response to each of the following prompts:
    • Tell us where you are in your academic/professional path, and how ocean exploration fits with your long-term career and educational goals. (Maximum 250 words)
    • The Explorer-in-Training program is intended to be an experiential learning opportunity. For the internship theme you are applying for, what specifically interests you in the opportunity and what skills and/or experiences are you hoping to gain? (Maximum 250 words)
    • Describe a situation when you had to overcome a challenge or step outside of your comfort zone. How did you get through it and what did you learn? (Maximum 250 words)

• • Contact information for at least one professional reference (professor, advisor, work supervisor, mentor, etc.).
    • Note: Professional references should be able to speak to your character and your professional and/or academic background. Professional references will only be contacted for finalists during the final phase of candidate selection (i.e., those invited to interview with the selection team). Please ask your references for permission to include their information before final submission of your application. If necessary, references will be contacted by email and asked to complete a short questionnaire.

Important Dates

Announcement: Explorer-in-Training program not offering internships for 2026.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

I am not a U.S. citizen. Am I eligible to apply?

The Explorer-in-Training program is only available to U.S. citizens. If you are interested in at-sea internship opportunities and are not a U.S. citizen, we recommend looking into the programs and resources listed in the Other Student Opportunities & Resources section below, including those through Ocean Exploration Trust, Schmidt Ocean Institute, and OceanX, which have less restrictions regarding citizenship. If you are interested in opportunities with NOAA, please visit NOAA’s Student Opportunities Database, which includes opportunities with a variety of citizenship eligibility requirements.

What is a Special Agreement Check (SAC) clearance?

A Special Agreement Check (SAC) clearance is a streamlined background check process conducted by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM). SAC checks are often used for initial screenings, particularly for temporary, volunteer, or intern positions within federal agencies with a term of less than 180 days. The SAC process requires fingerprinting and typically includes identity verification, criminal record check, terrorist watchlist check, public records review, and residency and employment verification.

What qualifies as “recently graduated”?

We define “gap year students and/or recent graduates” as students who graduated within a year of the start date of the internship period to which they are applying. For example, applicants that have graduated or plan to graduate in May 2025 or later are eligible to apply for the 2026 Explorer-in-Training program, while those who graduated in or before December 2024 are not eligible to apply.

How can I make my application stand out?