Masters Intern - Electrical Engineer

PNNL's Earth System Science Division enables energy independence and national security through leadership in earth systems science, engineering, and decision analytics. Our work focuses on solving complex problems in the dynamic Earth system. Our interdisciplinary scientists steward a breadth of efforts that encompass research on plants to groundwater science and coastal zones, to storm prediction.

Our research focuses on understanding and mitigating operational risks at the interface of human and natural environments. This includes predicting the impacts of natural hazards and extreme climate events on Earth and human systems, along with the impacts of wildfire, flooding, sea level rise and storm surges. We focus on understanding and mitigating environmental contamination and increasing the resiliency, security and sustainability of water resources. We provide geointelligence through advanced sensing and data analytics to forecast complex system behaviors and operational performance to understand human-natural systems. This includes informed decision making and enhanced community resilience, advanced monitoring, and remote sensing of environmental systems for energy and national security. It also includes developing energy systems, including geothermal energy, sustainable oil and gas production, storage and utilization, along with carbon sequestration.

Driven by a “science-to-solutions” philosophy, we provide scientific leadership and technology to enhance national security, mitigate natural hazards and optimize disaster response. In the critical areas of energy, environment, intelligence, and defense, we deliver insights and decision support through the development of tools and solutions.

The candidate for this position will actively participate in interdisciplinary projects to study the environmental impact of renewable energy systems such as conventional hydropower, marine and hydrokinetic energy, and wind power. Job responsibility include autonomous sensor design, autonomous sensor plan platform design, energy harvesting devices for sensor platforms, self-powered sensor design, experimental design, digital signal acquisition in laboratory and field settings, data processing and analysis, and assisting with journal article and report writing.

If you’re interested in making the world a better place, and gaining valuable research experience to launch your career, consider applying below. Many students return for multiple internships and successfully apply for full time positions following graduation. 

Projects include:

1. Experience in designing and integrating mechanical components, sensors, and electronics for remotely operated vehicles (ROVs).
2. Studying and mitigating the environmental impact of wind energy by detecting and tracking bats and birds using radio telemetry.
3. Development of energy harvesting solutions for sensing systems in remote environments (e.g., ocean, arctic).

The primary scope of this position includes advanced sensor design and testing, digital signal acquisition in laboratory settings, data processing and analysis, and assisting with report writing.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Candidates must be matriculated/enrolled in a Master's program at an accredited college or university.
• Minimum GPA of 3.0 is required.

Preferred Qualifications:

• The candidate must be able to work well independently and in a multi-disciplinary team setting.
• The candidate must exhibit a strong work ethic, be self-motivated, and place a high value on data quality and accuracy.
• The preferred candidate will have demonstrated one or more of the following: 
  
  • Experience with programming microcontrollers using microcontroller manufacturers’ dedicated development environments.
  • Experience using oscilloscopes, spectrum analyzers, and other general electrical test equipment.
  • Experience with C/C++, MATLAB, Python, and assembly programming languages.
  • Experience with programming microcontrollers using microcontroller manufacturers’ dedicated development environments.
  • Candidate must be currently accepted in a Master degree program in Electrical engineering or related field at an accredited college or university.