Intern, R&D Graduate Year Round - Concentrating Solar Technologies - PARTNERS, Hybrid

We are seeking a Year Round - R&D Graduate Intern from one of the university partners in the Partnership and Training for NNSA Engineering and Relevant Sciences (PARTNERS) consortium (University of Central Florida, Florida A&M University, University of California Irvine) to join our Concentrating Solar Technologies department. This initiative is sponsored and funded by the NNSA Minority Serving Institutions Partnership Program (MSIPP) for Sustainable STEM Workforce.

In this role, you will work collaboratively with Sandia National Laboratories R&D staff to perform cutting-edge research, analyze experimental data, develop models, and run simulations.

On any given day, you ma be called on to:

• Design and implement hardware and components for experimental thermofluid test systems including supercritical CO2 and molten salt fluid flow loops.
• Employ CFD packages and high-fidelity research codes to simulate and analyze these processes system components, such as heat exchangers, piping, and manifolds, to predict outlet conditions and ensure safe loop operation.
• Assist in the fabrication, assembly, and installation of hardware into operational test loops.
• Compare and validate CFD simulation results against experimental data, and troubleshoot discrepancies between predicted and observed system behavior.
• Participate in the design, planning, and execution of thermofluid experiments and conduct experiments to characterize thermodynamic properties, heat transfer behavior, and particle physics phenomena in molten salt.
• Collaborate with the engineering team to refine models, improve hardware designs, and enhance system performance.

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.

You bring the confidence and skills to be eligible for the job by meeting these minimum requirements:

• 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
• Ability to secure and maintain a U.S. security clearance which requires U.S. citizenship

• Currently attending and enrolled full time (or scheduled to graduate in the spring) in an accredited science, engineering, or math graduate program at one of the following PARTNERS universities: University of Central Florida, Florida A&M University, University of California Irvine
• Pursuing a graduate degree in Mechanical Engineering, Nuclear Engineering, Chemical Engineering, or a closely related field.
• Strong background in thermofluids, heat transfer, and energy systems.
• Experience with computational fluid dynamics modeling.
• Proficiency with relevant software such as ANSYS Fluent, COMSOL, MATLAB, and Python.
• Demonstrated experience working with molten salt systems, including thermophysical properties, system behavior, and operational considerations.
• Familiarity with supercritical CO (sCO) systems, including compressor/heat-exchanger behavior and loop dynamics.
• Experience with experimental thermal-fluid systems or test loops.
• Experience designing or analyzing heat exchangers, pumps, or thermal-fluid test loops.
• Ability to set up, run, and validate numerical simulations against experimental data
• Excellent technical writing and documentation skills.
• Ability to work independently in a research environment and contribute to multi-disciplinary engineering team.

This posting will be open for application submissions for a minimum of seven (7) calendar days, including the 'posting date'. Sandia reserves the right to extend the posting date at any time.

The Partnership and Training for NNSA Engineering and Relevant Sciences (PARTNERS) team is a consortium of national laboratories (Sandia National Laboratories, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Los Alamos National Laboratory) and universities (University of Central Florida, Florida A&M University, University of California Irvine) working together to increase the number of students that can obtain NNSA-relevant engineering degrees, enhancing the candidate pool for future DOE/NNSA and industry hires.

The MSI Partnership Program (MSIPP) is designed to advance the Department of Energy's (DOE) National Nuclear Security Administration's (NNSA) workforce development and research priorities by building strong collaborations with Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs). The program focuses on strengthening institutional capacity, advancing research capacity, and enhancing pathways for students in STEM disciplines to pursue careers in the nuclear security enterprise. Since its inception, MSIPP has focused on building institutional capacity at MSIs and creating robust career pathways to DOE laboratories, plants, and sites. Together, these programs foster excellence in STEM education and advance the mission of supporting the Nation's nuclear security needs.

At Sandia you will work with an interdisciplinary team of researchers in engineering, physics, chemistry, geoscience, computer science and applied mathematics united by anticipating and delivering technical solutions to emergent challenges impacting the United States global security posture. We work closely with research centers across the lab and academia to cultivate broad and agile team of subject matter experts to accelerate the path to innovation while delivering impactful technical solutions to our partners in National Nuclear Security Administration, Department of Energy.

Sandia National Laboratories is a world leader in the development of renewable energy systems. Our Concentrated Solar Technologies Department located in Albuquerque, New Mexico, develops Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) systems in partnership with DOE, industry partners, and other national laboratories to facilitate the successful development and market deployment of utility scale solar heat and electricity, sustainable solar fuels, and industrially relevant solar thermal chemistry.

Sandia National Laboratories is the nation's premier science and engineering lab for national security and technology innovation, with teams of specialists focused on cutting-edge work in a broad array of areas. Some of the main reasons we love our jobs:

• Challenging work with amazing impact that contributes to security, peace, and freedom worldwide
• Extraordinary co-workers
• Some of the best tools, equipment, and research facilities in the world
• Career advancement and enrichment opportunities
• Flexible work arrangements for many positions include 9/80 (work 80 hours every two weeks, with every other Friday off) and 4/10 (work 4 ten-hour days each week) compressed workweeks, part-time work, and telecommuting (a mix of onsite work and working from home)
• Generous vacation, strong medical and other benefits, competitive 401k, learning opportunities, relocation assistance and amenities aimed at creating a solid work/life balance*

World-changing technologies. Life-changing careers. Learn more about Sandia at: http://www.sandia.gov

*These benefits vary by job classification.

Sandia is required by DOE to conduct a pre-employment drug test and background review that includes checks of personal references, credit, law enforcement records, and employment/education verifications. Applicants for employment need to be able to obtain and maintain a DOE L-level security clearance, which requires U.S. citizenship. If you hold more than one citizenship (i.e., of the U.S. and another country), your ability to obtain a security clearance may be impacted.

Applicants offered employment with Sandia are subject to a federal background investigation to meet the requirements for access to classified information or matter if the duties of the position require a DOE security clearance. Substance abuse or illegal drug use, falsification of information, criminal activity, serious misconduct or other indicators of untrustworthiness can cause a clearance to be denied or terminated by the DOE, resulting in the inability to perform the duties assigned and subsequent termination of employment.

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.

If you have a Medical Portable Electronic Device (MedPED), such as a pacemaker, defibrillator, drug-releasing pump, hearing aids, or diagnostic equipment and other equipment for measuring, monitoring, and recording body functions such as heartbeat and brain waves, if employed by Sandia National Laboratories you may be required to comply with NNSA security requirements for MedPEDs.

If you have a MedPED and you are selected for an on-site interview at Sandia National Laboratories, there may be additional steps necessary to ensure compliance with NNSA security requirements prior to the interview date.