DOE Environmental Management (EMGFP) Post Masters Fellow - Cementitious Waste Form Characterization

At PNNL, our core capabilities are divided among major departments that we refer to as Directorates within the Lab, focused on a specific area of scientific research or other function, with its own leadership team and dedicated budget.  

Our Science & Technology directorates include National Security, Earth and Biological Sciences, Physical and Computational Sciences, and Energy and Environment. In addition, we have an Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory, a Department of Energy, Office of Science user facility housed on the PNNL campus. 

The Energy and Environment Directorate delivers science and technology solutions for the nation’s biggest energy and environmental challenges. Our more than 1,700 staff support the Department of Energy (DOE), delivering on key DOE mission areas including: modernizing our nation’s power grid to maintain a reliable, affordable, secure, and resilient electricity delivery infrastructure; research, development, validation, and effective utilization of renewable energy and efficiency technologies that improve the affordability, reliability, resiliency, and security of the American energy system; and resolving complex issues in nuclear science, energy, and environmental management.  

The Nuclear Sciences Division, part of the Energy and Environment Directorate, delivers science and technology innovations for the environment, energy, and national security. At a time when complex challenges are emerging on many fronts, we address some of the most challenging national and international nuclear issues. This includes providing technological solutions that protect the public health and safety around nuclear facilities, developing durable new materials for extreme nuclear environments, innovating new nuclear processes for the safety and security of the nation, and delivering new approaches for accelerating environmental cleanup of nuclear sites. The division’s capabilities and efforts are focused on environmental management of nuclear sites, nuclear regulatory processes, national nuclear security, and advancing nuclear energy. 

Responsibilities
 

DOE’s Office of Environmental Management Graduate Fellowship Program is seeking graduate fellows to work on some of the nation’s greatest cleanup efforts. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) is a world-class research institution powered by a highly educated, diverse workforce committed to collaboration and work–life balance. Every year, scores of dynamic, driven interns come to PNNL to work with renowned researchers on meaningful science, innovations and outcomes for the U.S. Department of Energy and other sponsors; here is your chance to be one of them!

The successful candidate will join other postmasters and graduate fellows as part of the Minority Serving Institutions Partnership Program (MSIPP). MSIPP is funded by the Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management (DOE-EM). DOE-EM is working to cleanup legacy radioactive waste found in soil, groundwater, and underground storage tanks. All research aligns with DOE-EM’s mission to safely immobilize and cleanup environmental legacy waste, focusing on cleanup of the Hanford Site which is one of the most complex DOE sites due to hazardous comingled contaminates. For more information, go to https://www.pnnl.gov/environmental-management-internship. To qualify you must attend a Minority Serving Institution (MSI) (for your undergraduate or graduate degree). MSIs are institutions of higher education enrolling populations with significant percentages of undergraduate minority students. Don’t know if your school qualifies? Ask us! Please email em.internships@pnnl.gov to find out more.

Work will involve:

• Preparing and curing cementitious waste form specimens
  • Conducting solid-phase characterization using:
    • X-ray Diffraction (XRD) for mineralogical assessment
    • X-ray Fluorescence (XRF) for chemical analysis
    • Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) with Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS) for cross-section mapping

Analyzing and interpreting experimental data to support development and refinement of predictive performance models. The long-term environmental performance of these materials in disposal facilities is critical to the safe management of radioactive and hazardous waste, and this fellowship provides a unique opportunity to make a meaningful contribution to that mission while advancing your professional development.
 

Due to sponsor funding requirements outlined in the MSIPP-EM SOW, eligibility for this position is limited to candidates who graduated with their undergrad or masters at a Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs).

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications:

• Candidates must have received a Master’s degree within the past 24 months or within the next 8 months from an accredited college or university.  
• Minimum GPA of 3.0 is required.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in STEM field.
• Laboratory experience.