Post Bachelor Research Associate: Separation Science

Overview

At PNNL, our core capabilities are divided among major departments referred to as Directorates within the Lab, focused on a specific area of scientific research or other function, each 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, research and development of renewable energy and efficiency technologies, 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. We address challenging national and international nuclear issues, providing technological solutions that protect public health and safety around nuclear facilities, developing new materials for extreme nuclear environments, innovating nuclear processes for safety and security, and delivering new approaches to accelerate environmental cleanup of nuclear sites.

Our team is seeking recent graduates or soon-to-be graduates to support our Separation Science capability. As a Post-Bachelor Research Associate in Separation Science, you will play a hands‑on role in advancing nuclear chemistry and engineering solutions. Working closely with senior scientists, you will:

• Conduct wet chemistry experiments, including liquid‑liquid solvent extraction, ion exchange, and sorption processes.
• Synthesize and characterize inorganic materials to separate critical metals (such as rare earth elements) and remove radioactive or hazardous contaminants from aqueous solutions.
• Support the development of multi‑step radio chemical processing flow sheets and operate automated fluidic test platforms.
• Explore innovative applications of radionuclides for heat and power generation.
• Accurately document experimental protocols, organize data in spreadsheets, and communicate results to the research team.
• Learn to independently execute experimental testing and prioritize tasks in a dynamic research environment.

This role offers an opportunity to contribute to impactful projects in critical materials and isotopic separation while gaining valuable experience in advanced separation chemistry techniques.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Candidates must have received a Bachelor’s degree within the past 24 months or within the next 8 months from an accredited college or university.

Preferred Qualifications:

• BS degree in chemistry, chemical engineering, or related disciplines.
• Highly motivated to learn fundamentals of separation chemistry and acquire new experimental skills.
• Experience working in a chemistry lab is beneficial.
• Experience operating analytical instrumentation is beneficial.
• Functional knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite tools.
• Familiarity with other data processing platforms and Python coding is a plus.

• The group and team reside in the Radiochemical Processing Laboratory (RPL). The RPL is a Hazard Category II Nuclear Facility with capability for performing work on high‑level radioactive and hazardous materials.
• The candidate must be able to achieve DOE Radiological Worker II qualification.
• The candidate must be able to access the Personnel Contamination Monitors (PCMs) when exiting Radiological Buffer Areas and must be able to expeditiously exit the facility in the event of a criticality alarm or other alarm in the facility.

This position is a Testing Designated Position (TDP). The candidate selected for this position will be subject to pre‑employment and random drug testing for illegal drugs,…