EEIP PhD Intern - Summer 2025 – Nuclear Sciences

Overview

At a time when complex environmental problems are emerging on every front, the Nuclear Sciences Division's staff, capabilities, and facilities are delivering science and technology innovations for the environment, as well as for energy and national security needs. Our diverse work addresses a wide range of national and international challenges, from providing solutions that protect the health of people who must work in hazardous environments, to developing durable new materials, streamlining industrial processes for improved productivity and effectiveness, and delivering new approaches for environmental cleanup. Nuclear Sciences Division capabilities and efforts are focused in three key areas including Environmental Health and Remediation, Nuclear Regulatory, and Nuclear Energy.

Responsibilities

Are you interested in making the world a better place while gaining valuable research experience to launch your career? Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) is seeking PhD students passionate about creating a sustainable energy future through science and engineering to join us for a 10–12-week paid summer internship as part of the Energy and Environment Internship Program (EEIP).

Nuclear Sciences Division staff work to advance our nation’s energy independence, remediate legacy nuclear waste, and prevent acts of terrorism by applying experimentation and modeling of nuclear materials behavior and processing providing innovative solutions to the US government, and industry.  Are you interested in chemistry, material science, nuclear engineering, chemical engineering, mechanical engineering, or computer science?

If you answered yes, please join us as an intern in the Nuclear Sciences Division.  Your internship will land you in one of the following focus areas. 

• Experimental and Computational Engineering: multi-phase fluid dynamics, structural and safety analysis, heat transport, nuclear radiation modeling, reactive transport, and nuclear material storage and transportation
• Irradiation Sciences: irradiated materials characterization, dosimetry and radiation effects
• Nuclear Chemistry and Engineering: radiochemical process engineering, and radiochemical separations and conversions
• Radiological Materials: waste-form development, waste vitrification and immobilization, glass and materials science and fabrication, cementitious material development and characterization, process engineering and development, and off-gas capture and immobilization
• Reactor Materials and Mechanical Design: stress corrosion cracking, post-irradiation examination, non-destructive examination, materials characterization through electron microscopy, computational materials science and data analytics, and design of electro-mechanical hardware

The Gold Experience

Interns at PNNL benefit from The Gold Experience, which provides networking opportunities, mentorship, and professional development throughout the summer. This program introduces interns to the breadth of research at PNNL and helps prepare them for future careers.

Why Apply?

• Gain hands-on research experience in a national laboratory setting.
• Collaborate with top scientists and engineers in cutting-edge research fields.
• Build professional connections that can support future career opportunities.

If you’re eager to make an impact and take the next step in your career, we encourage you to apply!
 

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications:

• Candidates must be currently enrolled/matriculated in a PhD program at an accredited college.
• Minimum GPA of 3.0 is required.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Disciplines of interest: additive manufacturing, chemical engineering, chemistry, computational modeling, computer science, material science, mechanical engineering, nuclear engineering, software engineering, and systems engineering