Summer High School Research Intern - Multiscale Materials Research

Overview

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

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) is seeking a high school student for the Summer High School Research Internship (HSRI). This internship provides an opportunity for students interested in preparing for careers in Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics (STEM) to work during the Summer with a scientist/mentor in a specified research area. HSRI is a 10-week program, estimated based on start date;

the anticipated start date for summer cohort will be June 16, 2026.

Due to the nature of this program, applicants must be currently enrolled in a local Tri-Cities, WA area high school. This internship is designed to be onsite and requires interns to work in person at our Richland, WA location to support hands-on learning and collaboration.

The student will work in a team using advanced materials characterization to understand how materials perform, degrade, and fail in harsh environments of advanced energy systems. The intern will collaborate with scientists to organize and analyze data from microscopy, mechanical testing, and simulations for reports and research papers. The ideal candidate has strong organizational skills and is interested in applying math, computer programming, or machine learning to scientific problems.

HOW TO APPLY

To have a complete application package, the (2) listed items below are required and must be uploaded correctly per the steps below for consideration:

Step 1:
Upload Resume or CV in "Resume" section only (note:
If applying to multiple positions, the most recent resume uploaded will be used for all positions an applicant applies to).

Step 2:
Upload a Cover Letter separately in "Additional Documents" section of the application. Please name the file of the Cover Letter - HSRI

If any of the components (resume and cover letter) are not uploaded per the instructions above, applications will be rejected and will no longer be considered. Electronic applications will be accepted until 3:59 p.m. (PST) on the posting close date

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications:

* Applicants must be currently…