PhD Intern - Refill Friction Stir Welding - Materials Manufacturing

** Overview*
* 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 Energy Processes and Materials Division, part of the Energy and Environment Directorate, creates and delivers real world solutions that support the Department of Energy's goals for national energy security. We deliver new technologies that connect fundamental science to applications in areas such as energy storage, advanced materials manufacturing, applied catalysis, advanced separations, biomass conversions, carbon capture and utilization, and hydrogen production and storage.

We employ a systems perspective that includes discovery, technology development, and scale-up as well as economic, regulatory, and market acceptance issues necessary for successful technology commercialization.

** Responsibilities*
* Are you interested in developing advanced solid-state joining processes for difficult-to-join materials? The Applied Materials and Manufacturing Group at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory is seeking a graduate student intern to support hands-on research and process development in refill friction stir welding.

The selected candidate will work with PNNL researchers to develop similar and dissimilar refill friction stir welding joints, operate and support refill FSW machine activities, and help advance understanding of material flow, joint formation, and process-structure-property relationships in challenging material systems. This position is well suited for a student interested in hands-on experimental research, advanced manufacturing, solid-state joining, and materials characterization.

The intern will support experimental research and development activities related to refill friction stir welding of similar and dissimilar materials. Responsibilities may include hands-on operation and setup of refill FSW equipment, preparation of welding trials, fixture setup, process parameter development, documentation of experimental conditions, and evaluation of weld quality.

The intern will work with engineers and scientists to develop process windows for refill FSW joints, including hard-to-join material combinations. The position holder will also contribute to understanding material flow during refill FSW through experimental observations, sectioning, metallography, microscopy, mechanical testing, and interpretation of weld features.

Additional responsibilities may include preparing samples, safe laboratory practices, analyzing experimental data, summarizing results, and communicating findings in technical meetings, reports, and presentations. The candidate will be expected to work both independently and collaboratively with a multidisciplinary research team.

** Qualifications*
* Minimum Qualifications:

+ Candidates must be currently enrolled/matriculated in a PhD program at an accredited college.

+ Minimum GPA of 3.0 is required.

Preferred Qualifications:

+ Current enrollment in a PhD program in materials science and engineering, mechanical engineering, welding engineering,…