Undergrad Tech Intern - Electrical Engineering - Disruptive Technology

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory • Richland, WA

1d

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 Physical Detection Systems and Deployment Division, part of the National Security Directorate, delivers policy-informed technology solutions by removing barriers to real-world implementation. We strive to understand end-user environments to transition technology from the developmental stage to deployment. Our diverse expertise in operational systems provides tools, technologies, and approaches for combating a range of threats, both at home and in more than 100 countries around the globe.
The Disruptive Technology group develops and transitions sensing technologies that combine electromagnetics, systems design, software, and algorithms in support of national security missions.
This role supports the RF program's continued growth by adding a year-round electrical engineering student who can contribute to RF hardware development, test and evaluation, troubleshooting, and analysis workflows.
The student will work under the guidance of engineers and scientists and contribute to lab execution, hardware bring-up, test data collection, scripting and analysis, and documentation that improves reliability and technical throughput.

Requirements

• Candidates must have a high school diploma /GED or higher.
• Candidates must be degree-seeking undergraduate students enrolled at an accredited college or university.
• Candidates must be taking at least 6 credit hours and have an overall cumulative GPA of 2.5.
• U.S. Citizenship is required.
• This position involves access to sensitive systems and information.
• Pacific Northwest National Laboratory is subject to the Department of Energy Unclassified Foreign Visits & Assignments Program site, information, technologies, and equipment access requirements.

Nice To Haves

• Currently pursuing a degree in Electrical Engineering or a related field.
• Demonstrated interest in electronics, radio‑frequency (RF) systems, and/or computer hardware.
• Curiosity and willingness to learn operation of electrical and RF test and measurement equipment, including oscilloscopes, spectrum analyzers, multimeters, vector network analyzers, and software‑defined radios.
• Experience programming in C++, Python, or MATLAB.
• Familiarity with Windows and/or Linux operating systems.

Responsibilities

• Assist with RF and electronics hardware integration, checkout, and troubleshooting.
• Learn and use test equipment such as oscilloscopes, spectrum analyzers, vector network analyzers, multimeters, and software-defined radios.
• Support collection, reduction, and documentation of test data.
• Write or maintain simple analysis and automation scripts in Python or MATLAB.
• Contribute to prototype improvement, configuration control, and technical documentation.

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.

What This Job Offers

• Career Level: Intern
• Education Level: High school or GED
• Number of Employees: 1,001-5,000 employees