INTERNSHIP IN APPLIED RESEARCH FOR ENS MASTERS’ STUDENTS IN GENEVA, SWITZERLAND (HQ)

IN MEMORY OF ANTONIN GIRARDI

INTERNSHIP OVERVIEW

The Antonin Girardi Research Internship was established in 2021 as a partnership between IMPACT Initiatives and the École Normale Supérieure (Paris), in memory of Antonin Girardi and of all humanitarian workers who have been victims of violence perpetrated against them. On 9th August 2020, Antonin Girardi and 6 other colleagues lost their lives when they were targeted by an attack in Kouré, Niger. Antonin and his colleagues were in Niger as humanitarians, putting their skills and capacity to the service of some of the most vulnerable communities in the world. Specifically, Antonin’s work revolved around applied research. Through his research, Antonin shed light on the situation and the needs of populations displaced and affected by conflict. By doing so, Antonin’s work was used by aid actors to target the most in need, with the right help, at the right time.

The Antonin Girardi Research Internship will provide opportunities to other ENS students to put their skills and capacity to the service of some of the world’s most vulnerable populations. The selected intern will join a leading humanitarian research organisation, and will spend 6-12 months in its Geneva headquarters supporting research being conducted in various contexts of crisis. The internship will provide a unique opportunity to be exposed to, and apply, quantitative research and analysis skills in an international working environment, centred around humanitarian action.

Overview

The Programmes, Communications and Research (PCR) Division at IMPACT HQ was created in 2025, following a restructuring process and subsequent merger of three previous HQ departments: Global Programmes, Research, and Communications & Advocacy. The PCR Division was created to ensure the organisation continues to deliver high-impact, high-quality research programmes through user-centered design, establishing core standards, supporting country implementation, and amplifying impact through effective communications and advocacy.

Within this set-up, the Research Quality Assurance (RQA) Unit acts as a “guardian” of research quality, ethics, and compliance within IMPACT. This means:

1) Ensuring that all IMPACT teams (global and country) have the knowledge, tools and capacities for the consistent production of rigorous, credible, and responsible evidence across different contexts; and
2) Continuously strengthening research methods, tools and processes through a learning-based approach.

Through these functions, the RQA Unit will contribute towards achieving Objective 2 - Pioneering Research Excellence - within IMPACT’s Strategic Plan for 2025-2030, and specifically Sub-objective 2.1 focused on Research Quality.

After a period of onboarding and training, the Research Intern is expected to play a central role in ensuring research cycles meet or exceed IMPACT’s quality standards, with a specific focus on quantitative research. They provide technical review and backstopping on quantitative design, data processing, analysis, and reporting while contributing to the continuous improvement of research standards. Ideally, by the end of the internship, the Research Intern would have developed knowledge and skills to move to a field-based research or analysis position within the humanitarian sector. In addition, the Research Intern will have time to work on a research and learning exercise that matches their interests and also contributes to IMPACT research priorities.

Position: Research Intern

Duration: 6-12 months (depending on candidate availability and agreement with ENS Paris)

Remuneration: 1'450 CHF gross per month (961 CHF basic salary + 489 CHF contribution towards medical insurance)

Start date: May 2026

Location: Geneva, Switzerland