Graduate (6 Months) Internship – Thermomagnetic Generators for Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) is the nation's primary laboratory for research, development, and deployment of renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies. The candidate will support research and development conducted at NREL and work with an enthusiastic team developing a novel technology based on thermomagnetic effect for ocean thermal energy conversion.

The researcher has the opportunity to get involved in multifaceted disciplines and in-depth tasks in mechanical, thermal, and ocean engineering. The candidate should demonstrate expertise in the areas of thermal science, energy conversion, finite difference/element modeling, and experimentation. The intern is expected to document work/results in technical reports and presentations.

This will be a 6-month internship working onsite in Golden, CO.

Specific Duties and Responsibilities:

• Perform modeling and simulation on thermomagnetic generators to estimate its performance and optimize the design.
• Fabricate and experimentally characterize a miniature-scale thermomagnetic generator for low-grade thermal to electrical energy conversion.
• Assist in project management, including report writings, paper publications, and presentations in program review or conferences.

We would not expect a candidate holding all the skills listed a but be able to illustrate the opportunity for learning, and with great professional growth potential. We are looking for a motivated, quick learning, and self-starting graduate to join the team.

Basic Qualifications

Must be enrolled as a full-time student in a Bachelor's, Master's or PhD degree program, or graduated in the past 12 months from an accredited institution. Candidates who have earned a degree may work for a period not to exceed 12 months. Must have a minimum of a 3.0 cumulative grade point average. 

Please Note: 
•You will need to upload official or unofficial school transcripts as part of the application process.
•If selected for position, a letter of recommendation will be required as part of the hiring process.

* Must meet educational requirements prior to employment start date.

Additional Required Qualifications

• Candidate should have a strong aptitude to learn and explore the field needed for development, to be motivated and dedicated, and to deliver research results on time and on budget.
• Excellent interpersonal, communication, and documentation skills.

Preferred Qualifications

Desired Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Strong background in thermal science (i.e., thermodynamics, heat and mass transfer) theory, modeling, and experimental validation.
• Knowledge of caloric effects, materials, and components/systems.
• Experience in thermomagnetic devices and energy modeling using MATLAB, COMSOL or any other commercial code.
• Knowledge of programming for data analysis (i.e., MATLAB, Python).
• Demonstrated research capability and creativity to solve challenging problems, as well as the ability to work well in a team.
• Thermal design, heat and mass transfer.
• Finite element modeling.
• Prototype fabrication and experiments.