Graduate Intern – Focused Ion Beam, Electron Microscopy, and Autonomous Characterization
About The Position
The MICRO Research Group at the National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR) has an opening for a B.S. - graduate intern to support cutting-edge work in focused ion beam (FIB) and plasma FIB (PFIB) instrumentation, with particular emphasis on our one-of-a-kind autonomous laser-integrated PFIB platform. This instrument represents a unique national capability — combining laser-assisted sample preparation with AI-driven automation in a configuration unavailable elsewhere in the U.S. research community. The intern will contribute to both the operation and advancement of this platform, assisting with instrument maintenance, calibration, and scripting workflows that extend its autonomous capabilities. Work will draw on principles from materials science, physics, and chemistry to support a range of characterization and sample preparation tasks — including time-sensitive customer assignments requiring clear documentation and short-turnaround reporting. Working alongside staff scientists and engineers in a multidisciplinary national laboratory environment, the intern will develop and validate computer vision pipelines — including semantic segmentation models — for automated site identification, sample quality assessment, and adaptive ion beam milling strategies. Integration of foundation models and large language models (LLMs) to interpret instrument feedback and guide autonomous decision-making is an area of active development and a valued area of expertise.
Requirements
- Minimum of a 3.0 cumulative grade point average.
- Must be enrolled as a full-time student in a master’s degree program from an accredited institution.
- Earned a master’s degree within the past 12 months. Eligible for an internship period of up to one year.
- Completed master’s degree and enrolled as PhD student from an accredited institution.
- Strong background in materials science, physics, chemistry, engineering, or a closely related discipline at the master’s level.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills; demonstrated ability to produce clear technical documentation and meet reporting deadlines.
- Ability to work effectively in diverse, multidisciplinary research teams.
Nice To Haves
- Prior experience with FIB, PFIB, SEM, TEM, or related electron/ion beam instrumentation, including operation, maintenance, or scripting.
- Proficiency in Python, including scripting for instrument control, data acquisition, or image processing.
- Experience with computer vision methods applied to scientific or engineering image data (e.g., segmentation, object detection, feature extraction).
- Familiarity with Thermo Fisher Scientific (or FEI) instruments (e.g., Helios platform) or equivalent Tescan, JEOL systems.
- Prior experience in a national laboratory, industrial R&D, or similarly structured research environment.
- Exposure to foundation models or large language models (LLMs) in a research or applied automation context.
- Experience with semantic segmentation frameworks (e.g., Segment Anything Model, U-Net, Mask R-CNN) or related deep learning tools applied to scientific imaging.
Responsibilities
- Assist with maintenance, calibration, and performance validation of FIB, PFIB, and laser PFIB instruments, following established procedures and safety protocols.
- Develop and test Python-based instrument scripting and automation routines for ion beam control, image acquisition, and adaptive workflow execution.
- Build and validate computer vision pipelines — including semantic segmentation models — for real-time site identification, feature detection, and sample quality assessment during FIB/PFIB operations.
- Support time-sensitive customer characterization assignments, including sample preparation, data collection, and preparation of concise technical reports on short turnaround.
- Explore integration of foundation models and large language models (LLMs) for natural language instrument interfacing, automated reporting, and AI-guided experimental decision-making.
- Collaborate with multidisciplinary staff across materials science, physics, chemistry, and engineering; document methods and contribute to internal reports and peer-reviewed publications as appropriate.
Benefits
- medical, dental, and vision insurance
- 403(b) Employee Savings Plan with employer match
- sick leave (where required by law)
- performance-, merit-, and achievement- based awards that include a monetary component
- relocation expense reimbursement
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Intern
