What are the responsibilities and job description for the Sea Jelly Intern - Fall/Winter 2026 position at Wildlife Conservation Society?
Sea Jelly Intern - Fall/Winter 2026
Location: New York Aquarium
Department: Animal
Duration: Fall/Winter 2026 (October - March)
Schedule: 2 days per week for 20 weeks, with both days falling between Tuesday and Saturday. Please note: we are unable to schedule interns on Sundays or Mondays.
Stipend: $1,325 total stipend to be paid as one lump sum upon successful completion of the position less applicable taxes.
Application Deadline: Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis but must be received by September 24, 2026. The position may be filled before the deadline. Candidates are encouraged to apply early.
Overview:
This internship offers hands-on training in sea jelly husbandry and aquatic systems management. Interns will build core technical skills in live culture, animal care, and applied research, gaining a well-rounded foundation in aquarium science. Interns will be trained in the fundamentals of artemia culturing, routine tank maintenance, and safe jelly transfer techniques. As skills progress, interns will take on an independent, data-driven research project, design and maintain a mini jelly tank (Kritter Keeper), and gain experience culturing polyps through IVF.
Learning Outcomes:
- Interns will learn the role and importance of artemia culture in jelly husbandry, building the foundational live-culture skills needed to support a healthy jelly system.
- Interns will learn how to balance and maintain a jelly system, applying hands-on tank maintenance skills gained throughout the internship.
- Interns will learn basic principles of fluid and flow dynamics as applied to aquatic environments, a core piece of understanding how jelly systems function.
- Interns will learn techniques for culturing jellies from polyp to adult stage, including hands-on experience culturing polyps through IVF and maintaining a mini jelly tank
- Interns will learn how to assess jelly health and identify signs of stress or illness, developing the animal care skills central to safe jelly transfer and handling.
- Interns will learn the purpose and function of filtration in aquatic systems, a key component of aquatic systems management.
- Interns will learn how water quality affects jelly health and system stability, tying together tank maintenance, filtration, and overall system