Post-Undergraduate Intern (Year-Round) - Separations Engineering

NLR is located at the foothills of the Rocky Mountains in Golden, Colorado and is the nation's primary laboratory for energy systems research and development. Join the National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR), where world-class scientists, engineers, and experts are accelerating energy innovation through breakthrough research and systems integration. From our mission to our collaborative culture, NLR stands out in the research community for its commitment to an affordable and secure energy future. Spanning foundational science to applied systems engineering and analysis, we focus on solving complex challenges to deliver advanced, secure, reliable, and cost-effective energy solutions. Our work helps strengthen U.S. industries, support job creation, and promote national economic growth. At NLR, you'll find a mission-driven environment supported by state-of-the-art facilities, multidisciplinary research teams, and strong collaborations with industry, academia, and other national laboratories.

About the role

The Bioenergy Science and Technology (BEST) directorate within the National Renewable Energy Lab (NLR) performs a full range of research from exploring biomass at the molecular level through biorefinery process optimization to bring biofuels and bio-products to market. The directorate’s research encompasses multiple areas including biochemical processes, synthesis, processing, separations, analysis, and characterization.

The Separations Science and Engineering Group focuses on developing and scaling separation technologies for a wide range of molecules, from bio-derived and chemically synthesized products, through to critical minerals including rare-earth elements from domestic waste feedstocks. Our goal is to improve process efficiency, selectivity, and techno-economic viability and our work is conducted in close collaboration with fermentation, catalysis, polymer synthesis, and techno-economic analysis teams. The group emphasizes translating fundamental separation science into practical, scalable solutions.

This internship position is full-time, on-site with NLR’s Separations Science and Engineering Group. The successful candidate will support research efforts by contributing to laboratory-based separation experiments and custom separation equipment development.

Responsibilities

• Benchtop wet chemistry and sample preparation
• Chemical and/or protein purification
• Multi-scale chromatography
• Electrochemical separations
• Assembly and modification of separation systems
• Exposure to programming (e.g., Python or Rust) and support automation of custom separation systems

The ability to conduct laboratory experiments with minimal supervision, with the utmost regard to safety, is required. Adaptability and an aptitude for learning are critical in this role. This is an excellent opportunity for a student invested in the NLR mission who desires relevant laboratory experience in preparation for graduate school or a career in the chemical industry.

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. Eligible for an internship period of up to one year.
• 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. Eligible for an internship period of up to one year.
• Graduate + PhD: Completed master’s degree and enrolled as PhD student from an accredited institution.

Applicants are responsible for uploading official or unofficial school transcripts as part of the application process. If selected for position, a letter of recommendation will be required as part of the hiring process. Must meet educational requirements prior to employment start date.

Qualifications

Additional Required Qualifications

• Demonstrated general laboratory experience and exposure to analytical chemistry, organic chemistry, and/or biochemistry
• Attention to detail, a fast learner, and excellent time management skills
• Ability to work well with a variety of personality types with various levels of technical backgrounds
• Demonstrated experience following Standard Lab Safety Procedures and setting a safe example
• Willingness to take direction and work independently to support team goals

Preferred Qualifications

• Familiarity with general separations techniques, TLC, flash chromatography, distillation, liquid-liquid extraction, analytical methods (GC and HPLC), and chemical synthesis techniques
• Experience with modeling in Aspen Plus or any programming language

Pay

Annual Salary Range: $39,600 - $63,400 (based on full-time 40 hours per week). NLR takes into consideration a candidate’s education, training, and experience, expected quality and quantity of work, required travel (if any), external market and internal value, including seniority and merit systems, and internal pay alignment when determining the salary level for potential new employees.

Benefits

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance
• 403(b) Employee Savings Plan with employer match*
• Sick leave (where required by law)
• Eligibility for performance-, merit-, and achievement-based awards that include a monetary component (not guaranteed)
• Some positions may be eligible for relocation expense reimbursement

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

Schedule

Full-time, 40 hours per week.

NLR is subject to Department of Energy (DOE) access restrictions. All employees must be able to obtain and maintain a federal Personal Identity Verification (PIV) card as required by Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12 (HSPD-12), which includes a favorable background investigation. Intern assignments extending beyond six months will be subject to this requirement.