Computing & IT Intern

Job Description

About the Company

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) is a world-class research institution powered by a highly educated and diverse workforce. Its core capabilities are structured into major departments called Directorates, each focused on specific areas of scientific research or functional support, with dedicated leadership and budgets.

PNNL’s mission is to tackle some of the world’s toughest challenges in science, energy, and national security, for the U.S. Department of Energy and other sponsors. The Lab emphasizes values such as Integrity, Creativity, Collaboration, Impact, and Courage.

The Computing and Information Technology organization at PNNL is actively redefining the digital workplace to empower research and streamline operations, making them faster, smarter, and more efficient. This organization includes experts in AI, cybersecurity, design, and engineering who collaborate using real-time insights and human-centered design.

Research Computing within PNNL specifically focuses on removing technical barriers to discovery for researchers. It provides access to cutting-edge resources, including high-performance computing (HPC), GPU-accelerated compute, scientific software, research data management (including the PNNL Research Library), and cloud computing. PNNL fosters a vibrant culture of computing and interdisciplinary collaboration through events like TechFest.

PNNL offers an exciting research environment and excellent benefits, including health insurance, flexible work schedules, a company-funded pension plan, and a 401k savings plan for eligible employees. The laboratory is located in eastern Washington State, known for its stellar outdoor recreation and affordable cost of living, with convenient access to Seattle or Portland.

PNNL is committed to fostering a work environment where all individuals are treated with fairness and respect. It is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer, committed to providing reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities. PNNL also maintains a drug-free workplace and adheres to stringent security, credentialing, and eligibility requirements, including U.S. Citizenship for this position, successful completion of a Federal Tier 1 background check, and restrictions on affiliations with foreign governments of “countries of risk.”

About the Job: Intern Projects

This opportunity is for an intern position within PNNL’s Computing and Information Technology organization. Interns will engage with multidisciplinary groups across the Lab and explore various computing career options.

Responsibilities and Program Structure:

• Duration: Assignments are flexible, typically ranging from 10-12 weeks, with the possibility of extension.
• Project Focus: Interns will tackle challenging projects, working in teams with fellow interns and paired with mentors and project stewards.
• Contribution: Interns are expected to be active contributors, playing a central role in the design and development of critical solutions.
• Program Inclusions:
• Engagement in strategically important and challenging projects within a team environment.
• Opportunities for briefings and final presentations with the CIO and weekly meetings with senior leadership.
• Numerous personal and career development opportunities, including a full-time mentor, coaching sessions, workshops, lab tours, and collaboration with a diverse range of PNNL staff, from senior leadership to research scientists and junior engineers.
• Active social events to enhance the intern experience.

Previous Project Examples:

The program highlights a range of impactful projects previously undertaken by interns, demonstrating the breadth of work:

• Implementing an open-source ML workflow tool to enable research projects to leverage ML platforms and automate workflows.
• Implementing a private Generative AI environment to prototype examples of how these technologies can transform research processes.
• Accelerating science by optimizing scientific codes and parallelizing them for supercomputers, including a high-performance coding bootcamp.
• Implementing pre-defined cloud ‘blueprint’ templates to facilitate scientists and engineers leveraging cloud services on AWS, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud Platform.
• Building CI/CD pipelines and working with software engineering teams to migrate applications.

Who They Are Looking For:

PNNL seeks individuals who are software developers, User Experience (UX), data, cyber, or IT engineers driven by a passion for continuous learning and growth.

• For Developers or Data Engineers: Experience in C#, C, JavaScript, SQL, JSON, React, R, or Python is desired.
• For UX/Human Centered Design Engineers: Strong and demonstrable visual, interaction, and graphic design skills with a design portfolio are required. Candidates should thrive in ambiguity and be able to design solutions and overcome constraints for the best user experience.
• For Cyber or IT Engineers: Knowledge of Cloud migrations, cybersecurity practices, and computing infrastructure management is essential, along with foundational knowledge of configuration management and testing tools.

Teams are given project ownership, and creativity is encouraged. Interns will work with many people across the Lab, including executive management.

Qualifications:

• Minimum Qualifications:
• Candidates must be matriculated/enrolled in a Master’s program at an accredited college or university.
• A minimum GPA of 3.0 is required.
• Preferred Qualifications:
• A degree in Computer Science, Human Centered Design, Data Science, Cyber Security, Information Technology, Electrical and Electronic Engineering, or a related field.
• A GPA of 3.25 or higher is preferred.

Additional Information:

• This position involves access to sensitive systems and information, requiring U.S. Citizenship.
• The pay range for this regular hourly position is USD $20.38/Hr. (Minimum) to USD $30.57/Hr. (Maximum). Starting pay is determined by relevant job-related skills, qualifications, and experience, not by past salaries.