PhD Intern - Computer Science

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?Electricity Infrastructure and Buildings Division, part of the Energy and Environment Directorate, is accelerating the transition to an efficient, resilient, and secure energy system through basic and applied research. We leverage a strong technical foundation in power and energy systems and advanced data analytics to drive innovation, transform markets, and shape energy policy.

Responsibilities

The Electricity Infrastructure and Buildings Division of PNNL is accelerating the transition to a decarbonized, efficient, resilient, and secure energy system through basic and applied research. We leverage a strong technical foundation in power and energy systems and advanced data analytics to drive innovation, transform markets, and shape energy policy.

The Optimization and Control Group and the Energy Systems and Resilience Group are looking for a Summer Intern to contribute to innovative research on foundational models and cybersecurity. The intern will play a key role in leveraging foundational models to streamline user interactions and provide targeted insights for an existing multi-criteria decision-making platform used in large-scale infrastructure planning. Additionally, the position will also focus on the application of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to develop a set of supplementary tools to enhance the Cybersecurity Capability Maturity Model (C2M2).

The intern will work with PNNL staff to design, implement, and test an AI agent for two specific tasks: (1) simplify user interactions and answer complex infrastructure planning queries for multi-criteria decision making in large-scale infrastructure planning, and (2) enable users of the C2M2 to advance the maturity of their cybersecurity program. The work will require an understanding of AI training, testing, and validation. Furthermore, the intern may be required to work with PNNL staff in the deployment of the tool.

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:

• Currently enrolled in PhD program Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Data Science, Cybersecurity, or a closely related field.

• Preferred coursework or project experience in: machine learning/NLP, information retrieval, software engineering, and/or cybersecurity.

• Nice-to-have (not required): relevant certifications or training such as Azure/AWS fundamentals, Security+ (or equivalent), or prior research/industry experience with applied AI.

• Intermediate programming ability in Python; familiarity with software engineering basics (Git, code reviews, unit testing, packaging).

• Some working knowledge of LLMs and agent frameworks (e.g., OpenAI/Anthropic APIs, Azure OpenAI; LangChain and/or LlamaIndex) including prompt design, tool/function calling, retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), and basic agent orchestration.

• Experience with data preparation and knowledge management: cleaning/structuring text, document ingestion, metadata/tagging, embeddings, and working with vector databases (e.g., FAISS, Chroma, Pinecone, Azure AI Search, Elasticsearch).

• Understanding of AI evaluation, testing, and validation: creating test sets, measuring response quality/accuracy, hallucination and bias considerations, regression testing for prompts/agents, and documenting limitations.

• Familiarity with cybersecurity concepts sufficient to work with C2M2 content (e.g., governance, risk management, asset management, incident response); ability to learn the C2M2 model quickly and translate it into user workflows.

• Basic experience or understanding building web apps or APIs for deployment/integration (e.g., Flask/FastAPI, Streamlit, or similar), plus containerization fundamentals (Docker) and cloud/service deployment awareness.

• Strong written communication and documentation skills (requirements capture, design notes, user guidance), ability to collaborate with researchers/engineers, and comfort working with sensitive information under defined controls.

Hazardous Working Conditions/Environment

Not Applicable

Testing Designated Position

This is not a Testing Designated Position (TDP).

About PNNL

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) is a world-class research institution powered by a highly educated, diverse workforce committed to the values of Integrity, Creativity, Collaboration, Impact, and Courage. Every year, scores of dynamic, driven people come to PNNL to work with renowned researchers on meaningful science, innovations and outcomes for the U.S. Department of Energy and other sponsors; here is your chance to be one of them!

At PNNL, you will find an exciting research environment and excellent benefits including health insurance, and flexible work schedules. PNNL is located in eastern Washington State-the dry side of Washington known for its stellar outdoor recreation and affordable cost of living. The Lab's campus is only a 45-minute flight (or ~3 hour drive) from Seattle or Portland, and is serviced by the convenient PSC airport, connected to 8 major hubs.

Commitment to Excellence and Equal Employment Opportunity

Our laboratory is committed to fostering a work environment where all individuals are treated with fairness and respect while solving critical challenges in fundamental sciences, national security, and energy resiliency. We are an Equal Employment Opportunity employer.

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) is an Equal Opportunity Employer. PNNL considers all applicants for employment without regard to race, religion, color, sex, national origin, age, disability, genetic information (including family medical history), protected veteran status, and any other status or characteristic protected by federal, state, and/or local laws.

We are committed to providing reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities and disabled veterans in our job application procedures and in employment. If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, contact us at [email protected] .

Drug Free Workplace

PNNL is committed to a drug-free workplace supported by Workplace Substance Abuse Program (WSAP) and complies with federal laws prohibiting the possession and use of illegal drugs.

Security, Credentialing, and Eligibility Requirements

As a national laboratory, PNNL is responsible for adhering to the Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12 (HSPD-12) and Department of Energy (DOE) Order 473.1A, which require new employees to obtain and maintain a HSPD-12 Personal Identify Verification (PIV) Credential. To obtain this credential, new employees must successfully complete the applicable tier of federal background investigation post hire and receive a favorable federal adjudication. The tier of federal background investigation will be determined by job duties and national security or public trust responsibilities associated with the job. All tiers of investigation include a declaration of illegal drug activities, including use, supply, possession, or manufacture within the last 1 to 7 years (depending on the applicable tier of investigation). Illegal drug activities include marijuana and cannabis derivatives, which are still considered illegal under federal law, regardless of state laws.

For foreign national candidates:

If you have not resided in the U.S. for three consecutive years, you are not eligible for the PIV credential and instead will need to obtain a favorable Local Site Specific Only (LSSO) Federal risk determination to maintain employment. Once you meet the three-year residency requirement thereafter, you will be required to obtain a PIV credential to maintain employment. The tier of federal background investigation required to obtain the PIV credential will be determined by job duties at the time you become eligible for the PIV credential.

Mandatory Requirements

Please be aware that the Department of Energy (DOE) prohibits DOE employees and contractors from having any affiliation with the foreign government of a country DOE has identified as a "country of risk" without explicit approval by DOE and Battelle. If you are offered a position at PNNL and currently have any affiliation with the government of one of these countries, you will be required to disclose this information and recuse yourself of that affiliation or receive approval from DOE and Battelle prior to your first day of employment.

Rockstar Rewards

Regular Hourly:

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.

Temporary Hourly:

Employees are offered an employee assistance program and business travel insurance.

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Notice to Applicants

PNNL lists the full pay range for the position in the job posting. Starting pay is calculated from the minimum of the pay range and actual placement in the range is determined based on an individual's relevant job-related skills, qualifications, and experience. This approach is applicable to all positions, with the exception of positions governed by collective bargaining agreements and certain limited-term positions which have specific pay rules.

As part of our commitment to fair compensation practices, we do not ask for or consider current or past salaries in making compensation offers at hire. Instead, our compensation offers are determined by the specific requirements of the position, prevailing market trends, applicable collective bargaining agreements, pay equity for the position type, and individual qualifications and skills relevant to the performance of the position.

Minimum Salary

USD $24.04/Hr.

Maximum Salary

USD $36.06/Hr.