🇮🇹 Internship in Italy 🛰️ Cyber and New Technologies Research at UNICRI 💻

Are you fascinated by how emerging technologies are used and misused? The United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI) is offering a remote research internship on cyber and new technologies, contributing to its research initiatives under its Programme Development Funds.

About the Role

This internship sits within UNICRI's research activities related to cyber and new technologies, specifically the malicious uses of emerging technologies such as satellite-enabled technologies as part of a broader system of digital critical infrastructure. The intern supports ongoing analytical and policy-oriented research examining the evolving links between cyber-enabled crime, organized criminal networks and terrorist use of digital and satellite communications.

What You'll Do

🔎 Conduct desk research on the malicious use of emerging technologies by criminal and terrorist actors, with a focus on cyber-enabled threats, digital communications and evolving technological misuse.

🛰️ Conduct research on the criminal and terrorist misuse of satellite-enabled technologies, including satellite communication devices, satellite internet services, geospatial technologies and related digital infrastructure.

🧩 Support analytical and policy-oriented research on the role of satellite-enabled and other emerging technologies as components of broader digital critical infrastructure ecosystems.

📚 Assist in collecting, organizing and analysing open-source information, academic literature, technical reporting and policy materials.

📝 Support the drafting of background papers, briefing notes, concept notes, presentations and analytical reports on cyber and new technologies, emerging threat landscapes and responsible technology governance.

📈 Provide research support to identify emerging trends, risks and future areas of interest, support communication and outreach for research dissemination where relevant, and assist with other research and programme support tasks.

Who Can Apply

🎓 Be enrolled in, or have recently completed, a graduate school programme (second university degree or equivalent, or higher).

📘 Be enrolled in, or have completed, the final academic year of a first university degree programme (minimum bachelor's degree or equivalent).

A closely related field of study is required, with proof. Good knowledge of standard software applications, especially MS Word, MS PowerPoint and MS Teams, is expected. The ability to draft news articles or social media posts, and to design surveys and polls, is desirable.

Languages

Fluency in spoken and written English is required. Knowledge of another official UN language is desirable.

The Details

📍 Location: Remote, full time (host institute UNICRI, Turin, Italy).

🗓️ Expected duration: 2 months.

💼 Interns are not financially remunerated by the United Nations. Travel, visas, accommodation and living costs are the responsibility of interns or their sponsoring institutions.