(Year-Round) Graduate Intern - Marine Hydrokinetic Data Curation

National Laboratory of the Rockies • Golden, CO

1d • Onsite

About The Position

The NLR Data Engineering Group is seeking a graduate intern to curate the Marine & Hydrokinetic Data Repository (MHKDR) and support related domain-specific data repositories. These repositories provide public access to outcomes of official Department of Energy-funded research in geothermal, marine and hydrokinetic, water purification, the energy-water nexus, renewable energy systems, and other alternative energy technologies.

The intern will curate individual data submissions and advise researchers and scientists on organizing project data for submission. Curation involves reviewing metadata for accuracy, completeness, and relevance to submitted files; organizing disparate submissions; standardizing metadata fields; implementing emerging data standards and requirements; and adding information that may help the DOE categorize submissions. The intern may contact submitters to resolve omissions or discrepancies. This work can involve open-ended organizational challenges, so the intern should be comfortable evaluating datasets critically and proposing practical data organization and metadata solutions. The role may also support other energy research projects through data organization, analysis support, or dataset documentation.

The expected commitment is an average of 20 hours per week during semesters and 40 hours per week during breaks, including summer. The intern will join a multidisciplinary Data Engineering group that develops data and software solutions for strategic energy analysis and works to make energy data and software more accessible, usable, and actionable.

Requirements

• Minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0.
• Currently enrolled in, or within one year after completing, a graduate program in engineering, marine science, data science, or a related field.
• For enrolled graduate students, full-time enrollment in a master's degree program at an accredited institution; the posting also allows graduate students who have completed a master's degree and are enrolled in a PhD program at an accredited institution.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Demonstrated attention to detail and organizational ability.
• Ability to work independently and manage open-ended tasks.
• Interest in data management, curation, or scientific data workflows.
• Meet educational requirements before the employment start date.
• Provide official or unofficial school transcripts with the application; a letter of recommendation is required if selected.

Nice To Haves

• Experience with datasets related to marine energy systems, including computational fluid dynamics, mechanical engineering, wave and current monitoring, structural testing, or MHK energy converters.
• Experience with geothermal datasets, including geophysical, geological, geochemical, or geospatial data.
• Experience with datasets related to other renewable or alternative energy systems, such as solar power, biofuel, hydrogen, building science, chemistry, grid modernization, or wind power.
• Python coding experience.
• Customer service experience.
• Critical-thinking and problem-solving skills.

Responsibilities

• Curate marine and hydrokinetic datasets for metadata completeness, accuracy, and alignment with repository standards.
• Apply data standards and identify gaps or inconsistencies in submissions.
• Coordinate with data submitters to resolve issues and improve data quality and usability.
• Organize disparate submissions and create consistency among metadata fields.
• Adopt and implement emerging data standards and requirements, and add supplemental information that may assist DOE categorization.
• Advise researchers and scientists on organizing project data for submission.
• Occasionally support energy research through data management, analysis support, literature review, or dataset documentation.

Benefits

• Medical insurance, subject to eligibility rules.
• Dental insurance, subject to eligibility rules.
• Vision insurance, subject to eligibility rules.
• 403(b) Employee Savings Plan with employer match.
• Sick leave where required by law.
• Potential eligibility for performance-, merit-, and achievement-based awards with a monetary component; awards are not guaranteed.
• Some positions may be eligible for relocation expense reimbursement.

What This Job Offers

• Career Level: Intern