PhD Intern – Wasteform Development

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory • Richland, WA

3d • 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 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 to maintain a reliable, affordable, secure, and resilient electricity delivery infrastructure; research, development, validation, and effective utilization of renewable energy and efficiency technologies that improve the affordability, reliability, resiliency, and security of the American energy system; 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. At a time when complex challenges are emerging on many fronts, we address some of the most challenging national and international nuclear issues. This includes providing technological solutions that protect the public health and safety around nuclear facilities, developing durable new materials for extreme nuclear environments, innovating new nuclear processes for the safety and security of the nation, and delivering new approaches for accelerating environmental cleanup of nuclear sites. The division’s capabilities and efforts are focused on environmental management of nuclear sites, nuclear regulatory processes, national nuclear security, and advancing nuclear energy.
The Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) is a multi-program laboratory operated by Battelle for the US DOE. The Nuclear Sciences Division within the Energy & Environment Directorate at PNNL is currently seeking a PhD intern who possesses an understanding of nuclear waste glass properties, formulation, and processing to join its Radiological Materials group. The Radiological Materials (RM) group at PNNL is a world leader in development and testing of materials for immobilization of nuclear and hazardous wastes. Specific areas of noted expertise are in formulation, synthesis, and characterization of vitreous and ceramic materials. The successful candidate will be an integral member of an inter-disciplinary team of scientists, engineers, and technicians to plan, execute scope, evaluate data, and document/publish results. An emphasis will be placed on developing stable waste forms and their physical and chemical properties to develop advanced glass, glass ceramic waste forms capable of immobilizing nuclear wastes.
The PhD intern will work with close supervision by senior engineers and scientists. The position requires the ability to apply a strong disciplined approach to task planning, execution, and reporting. The candidate will participate in preparation of high quality technical reports and presentations that communicate the objective, process, results, and conclusions in a traceable, defensible manner.
The successful candidate will:
Adhere to strict quality, security, and safety requirements
This position will be expected to work with non-sensitive and sensitive information as appropriate for individual projects and the incumbent should demonstrate an ability to manage sensitive business situations

Requirements

• Candidates must be currently enrolled/matriculated in a PhD program at an accredited college.
• Minimum GPA of 3.0 is required.

Nice To Haves

• Current PhD student in Materials Science/Engineering. Undergraduate degree in materials science/engineering, chemistry, chemical engineering, or similar field.
• Coursework in ceramics/glasses, and materials characterization (SEM, EDS, XRD).
• At least one peer-reviewed journal article as lead author or co-author.
• Demonstrated experience in a field relevant to nuclear waste glass properties, formulation, and processing.
• Member in a professional society/community.

Benefits

• Employees are offered an employee assistance program and business travel insurance.
• Employees are eligible for the company funded pension plan and 401k savings plan, once eligibility requirements are met.
• Employees are offered an employee assistance program and business travel insurance.

What This Job Offers

• Career Level: Intern
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree
• Number of Employees: 1,001-5,000 employees