Intern, R&D Graduate Year Round - of Research Secure Energy and Earth Systems; FORSE

What Your Job Will Be Like

We are seeking motivated graduate students in STEM interested in pursuing their passion by working side‑by‑side with world experts at Sandia's Future of Research for Secure Energy and Earth Systems (FORCEES) Intern Institute. The Institute offers highly motivated students the opportunity to pursue their passion for earth sciences, infrastructure modernization, and energy security and technology while working side‑by‑side with world experts at the DOE's leading engineering R&D laboratory.

These real‑world experiences are supplemented with technical seminars and facility tours which give our students unique insight into the broad range of engineering and scientific disciplines represented at Sandia.

Students will be called upon to apply their skills in electrical engineering, computer programming, machine learning, hands‑on data collection and reduction, and integrated multi‑physics simulation environments. Students will work collaboratively over the course of the internship with a mentor and affiliated team members to deliver high‑impact results ultimately suitable for publication in leading technical journals and conferences. In addition to nurturing the development of analytical acumen, the FORCEES intern institute also emphasizes students’ growth in communication and teamwork through their work in cross‑disciplinary teams in support of Sandia's overarching mission of delivering exceptional service in the national interest.

On any given day you might be called on to support Research and Development for:

• Grid integration of energy storage
• Battery management system design
• Cybersecurity analysis of grid energy storage systems
• Hardware‑in‑the‑loop experiments for grid protection devices
• Grid stability analysis with large loads (e.g., data centers)
• Design and analysis of power electronics for a solid‑state transformer and energy storage applications
• Grid resilience analysis and optimal design

Due to the nature of the work, the selected applicant must be able to work onsite.

At Sandia, we value the important work done by our interns and its contribution to National Security. Because of this, our interns earn competitive pay rates. Our pay structure is based on earned credit hours, classification, and degree level. Your pay rate will be determined during the hire process and included in your offer package. You can view the Intern Pay Rate chart here.

• Earned bachelor's degree
• Currently attending and enrolled full time in an accredited science, engineering, or math graduate program
• Minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0/4.0
• Ability to work up to 30 hours per week during the academic year, and up to 40 hours per week during the summer
• U.S. citizens, legal permanent residents, asylees or refugees in the U.S.

• Pursuing a M.S. or Ph.D in electrical engineering or related field
• Exceptional written, oral, and visual communication skills
• Electric power system course work or experience
• Optimization course work or experience
• Proficiency with modern computer programming/scripting languages (e.g., Python, R, MATLAB, C/C++)
• Experience with machine learning and data analysis
• Experience using grid simulation tools, either at the transmission or distribution level

This position does not currently require a Department of Energy (DOE) security clearance.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, or veteran status and any other protected class under state or federal law.