The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) is an independent, nonpartisan agency that works for Congress. We accomplish our mission by providing objective and reliable information and analysis to the Congress, to federal agencies, and to the public, and recommending improvements, when appropriate, on a wide variety of issues to make government work better. This vacancy is for Summer positions in GAO's Innovation Lab with the anticipated start dates beginning in May 2026.
All qualification requirements must be met by the start of the internship. To qualify for the GS-7 level you MUST be enrolled in a graduate or equivalent degree seeking program majoring in: Mathematics, Statistics, Computer Science, Data Science or another field directly related to the position; AND meet one of the following criteria: You must have completed between 18 to 35 semester hours or 27 to 53 quarter hours of graduate level education; OR You must possess a Bachelor's degree with Superior Academic Achievement (defined below). Superior Academic Achievement: Superior academic achievement (SAA) recognizes individuals who have achieved superior academic standing. S.A.A. is based on (1) class standing, (2) grade-point average, or (3) honor society membership. Class standing -- Applicants must be in the upper third of the graduating class in the college, university, or major subdivision, such as the College of Liberal Arts or the School of Business Administration, based on completed courses. Grade-point average (G.P.A.) - Applicants must have a grade-point average of: a 3.0 or higher out of a possible 4.0 ("B" or better) as recorded on their official transcript, or as computed based on 4 years of education, or as computed based on courses completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum; or 3.5 or higher out of a possible 4.0 ("B+" or better) based on the average of the required courses completed in the major field or the required courses in the major field completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum. To qualify for the GS-9 level you MUST be enrolled in a graduate or equivalent degree seeking program majoring in: Mathematics, Statistics, Computer Science, Data Science or field directly related to the position; AND meet one of the following criteria: You must have completed 36 or more semester hours or 54 or more quarter hours of graduate level education; OR You must possess a Master's Degree or equivalent Graduate Degree. NOTE: You must be a current student enrolled in a graduate program seeking a degree from an accredited educational institution on a full or half-time basis. If at any point during the internship (and for any reason) your status as a student changes to that of a non-student, your internship will be terminated.
GAO's Innovation Lab uses data science and technology to enhance GAO's oversight capabilities and internal operations. The Innovation Lab is a part of GAO's Science Technology Assessment and Analytics (STAA) mission team. The Lab offers GAO a way to navigate through complex, ambiguous, and unprecedented challenges. It is deliberately de-coupled from GAO's on-going audit work in order to create an experimentation and exploration-focused atmosphere. As a GAO intern, you will assist Innovation Lab teams in developing tools related to oversight of federal programs or enhancement of GAO internal operations; in planning and scoping the development of these tools; in collecting and analyzing appropriate data; and in presenting information (including developmental prototypes) both orally and in writing to diverse audiences. Specific duties includes: - Completes well-defined assignments spanning functional areas designed to provide a broad experience in mathematics, data science, computer science, or statistics. - Coordinates with higher-level professional staff, and receives on-the- job instruction/training. Participates in well-defined portions of the lifecycle of a data science prototype or analysis. - Present information and prototypes in meetings with GAO and agency officials, as part of the team working on the project. - Learn and use appropriate tools for assignments. Potential tools could include R, python, or cloud-based commercial services. -Performs other duties as assigned.