Nuclear Energy Data Analysis Intern - Fall 2026

Idaho National Laboratory•Idaho Falls, ID

6d•Onsite

About The Position

Idaho National Laboratory is seeking a motivated intern to support our Process Modeling & Analysis team. The Light Water Reactor Sustainability (LWRS) program at INL supports the long-term, economic operation of the U.S. nuclear fleet. This role will focus on increasing the output of operating plants through power uprates and other capacity expansion strategies. The intern will help build and test software tools and data resources used to assess uprate opportunities across the U.S. nuclear fleet, working alongside researchers on technical problems with direct relevance to utilities and industry. This position offers hands-on experience with research software development in a national laboratory setting.

Requirements

Enrolled full time in an Undergraduate Degree Program majoring in Mechanical Engineering, Nuclear Engineering, Computer Science, Mathematics, Physics, or a related technical field.
Programming experience in Python or a comparable language.
Coursework or project experience with data analysis.
Strong written and verbal communication skills, and comfort working both independently and as part of a team.
A minimum overall 3.0 GPA
Authorization to work in the U.S. (including CPT and OPT)
Current Resume or CV
Unofficial Transcripts (include current and completed degree programs)
Current class schedule and number of credits

Nice To Haves

Familiarity with software engineering practices such as version control (Git), unit testing, and code review.
Experience with scientific Python libraries (e.g., NumPy, pandas, matplotlib).
Coursework in thermodynamics, heat transfer, power systems, or nuclear reactor fundamentals.
Interest in energy systems, nuclear energy, or techno-economic analysis.
Experience working with messy real-world datasets or extracting data from technical documents.

Responsibilities

Develop, test, and document research software (primarily Python) for modeling and analyzing nuclear power plant uprate and capacity expansion scenarios.
Write and maintain automated tests, and help verify that analysis tools produce correct, reproducible results.
Collect, organize, and clean plant data from public and industry sources such as regulatory filings, technical reports, and operating data.
Perform data analysis and visualization to support technical and economic assessments.
Contribute to technical documentation and summarize findings for the research team.