Graduate Intern – Focused Ion Beam, Electron Microscopy, and Autonomous Characterization

About the role

The MICRO Research Group at the National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR) has an opening for a B.S. - graduate intern to support cutting-edge work in focused ion beam (FIB) and plasma FIB (PFIB) instrumentation, with particular emphasis on our one-of-a-kind autonomous laser-integrated PFIB platform.

Responsibilities

• Aid in the maintenance, calibration, and performance validation of FIB, PFIB, and laser PFIB instruments, following established procedures and safety protocols.
• Develop and test Python-based instrument scripting and automation routines for ion beam control, image acquisition, and adaptive workflow execution.
• Build and validate computer vision pipelines — including semantic segmentation models — for real-time site identification, feature detection, and sample quality assessment during FIB/PFIB operations.
• Support time-sensitive customer characterization assignments, including sample preparation, data collection, and preparation of concise technical reports on short turnaround.
• Explore integration of foundation models and large language models (LLMs) for natural language instrument interfacing, automated reporting, and AI-guided experimental decision-making.
• Collaborate with multidisciplinary staff across materials science, physics, chemistry, and engineering; document methods and contribute to internal reports and peer-reviewed publications as appropriate.

Requirements

• Minimum of a 3.0 cumulative grade point average.
• Undergraduate: Must be enrolled as a full-time student in a bachelor’s degree program from an accredited institution.
• Post Undergraduate: Earned a bachelor’s degree within the past 12 months.
• Graduate: Must be enrolled as a full-time student in a master’s degree program from an accredited institution.
• Post Graduate: Earned a master’s degree within the past 12 months.
• Graduate + PhD: Completed master’s degree and enrolled as PhD student from an accredited institution.

Qualifications

• Strong background in materials science, physics, chemistry, engineering, or a closely related discipline at the master’s level.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills; demonstrated ability to produce clear technical documentation and meet reporting deadlines.
• Ability to work effectively in diverse, multidisciplinary research teams.

Skills

• Prior experience with FIB, PFIB, SEM, TEM, or related electron/ion beam instrumentation, including operation, maintenance, or scripting.
• Proficiency in Python, including scripting for instrument control, data acquisition, or image processing.
• Experience with computer vision methods applied to scientific or engineering image data (e.g., segmentation, object detection, feature extraction).
• Familiarity with Thermo Fisher Scientific (or FEI) instruments (e.g., Helios platform) or equivalent Tescan, JEOL systems.
• Prior experience in a national laboratory, industrial R&D, or similarly structured research environment.
• Exposure to foundation models or large language models (LLMs) in a research or applied automation context.
• Experience with semantic segmentation frameworks (e.g., Segment Anything Model, U-Net, Mask R-CNN) or related deep learning tools applied to scientific imaging.

Benefits

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance.
• 403(b) Employee Savings Plan with employer match*.
• Sick leave (where required by law).

Pay

Annual Salary Range (based on full-time 40 hours per week): $44,500 - $71,200

Schedule

Internships projected to be less than 20 hours per week are not eligible for medical, dental, or vision benefits.