PhD Intern - Radiochemistry

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory•Richland, WA

5h•Onsite

About The Position

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 National Security Directorate (NSD) drives science-based, mission-focused solutions to take on complex, real-world threats to our nation and the world. The Nuclear, Chemical, and Biological Technologies Division, within the National Security Directorate, works across fundamental science, research and development, and operations to counter emerging national security threats. We focus on discovering signatures and understanding threats by creating materials, methods, and technologies to detect and analyze them. Our researchers deliver the solutions necessary for addressing complex mission challenges, such as explosives detection, biological threat detection, chemical and nuclear forensics, and special nuclear materials. The primary tasks will focus on exploring, characterizing, and understanding the separations of complicated mixtures of elements using extraction chromatographic materials. These separations will involve both novel and established methods, the intern will grow a strong foundation in separations chemistry from complicated mixtures of analytes. The intern will have opportunities to develop novel separation methods, as well as explore the fundamental chemistry at the root of these separations materials. Work will be conducted with direct supervision from a diverse team of scientists with numerous individual expertise but experts in separation chemistry. This will provide the intern with a unique opportunity for significant growth, the ability to publish, and potentially support multiple operational nuclear forensics campaigns.

Requirements

Currently enrolled/matriculated in a PhD program at an accredited college.
Minimum GPA of 3.0 is required.

Nice To Haves

Currently seeking PhD degree in chemistry, chemical engineering, radiochemistry, geochemistry, or related field.
Significant hands-on experience working in an analytical chemistry laboratory is desired.
Highly motivated, detail-oriented, technically capable, and interpersonal skills to work in a team environment, as well as work independently.
Excellent laboratory and problem-solving skills, along with the ability to perform routine tasks while also understanding the bigger picture that drives measurement needs.
Familiar with good laboratory practices, while gaining additional knowledge of more detailed and project specific techniques.
Demonstrate the discipline to closely follow and document established procedures to perform routine and complicated analyses.
Capable of following procedures accurately and consistently and the ability to make recommendations to assist in improving and troubleshooting procedures.
The ability to document analytical data into an organized and easily reviewed report.

Responsibilities

Explore, characterize, and understand the separations of complicated mixtures of elements using extraction chromatographic materials.
Develop novel separation methods.
Explore the fundamental chemistry at the root of these separations materials.
Support multiple operational nuclear forensics campaigns.