ATF offers unpaid, competitive summer internship opportunities in various areas of forensic science for eligible college students studying forensics and other related sciences. Interns will conduct research, contribute to research papers and develop scientific conference presentations. The internships are available at ATF’s laboratories in Atlanta, Georgia and Beltsville, Maryland.
ATF’s Forensic Science Laboratories conduct examinations in the following four major areas:
- Forensic biology (DNA)
- Forensic chemistry (explosives, fire debris, and trace evidence)
- Latent prints (fingerprint or other friction ridge development and comparison)
- Firearms and toolmarks (serial number restoration, characterization and comparison of fired ammunition, characterization and comparison of tools and toolmarks)
During the internships, student will receive coaching and guidance from expert mentors who will also guide them through the competitive process of publishing scientific results in peer-reviewed scientific journals or presentations at a professional conference.
Students may earn academic credit for these volunteer positions. Interested candidates are encouraged to verify program requirements and policies with their university.
Application Process
Requests for applications are accepted between September 1 and November 1, with completed applications due by November 15 for the following summer.
All forensic science internship applicants are required to complete a background investigation as part of the application process.
Contact Us
Contact forensicinterns@atf.gov for an application and information on the ATF forensic internship program.
