Job Description

NREL is seeking a dynamic and self-motivated graduate-level intern focused on environmentally extended input-output (EEIO) analysis. The candidate shall contribute to methodology development and data processing to support the build-out of a coded and technology-specific EEIO model to address questions about the resource, economic, and environmental impacts of a growing circular carbon economy. Among the primary responsibilities are independent, self-guided compilations of life cycle inventory and techno-economic data for EEIO analyses and model development. The successful candidate will present and discuss data and model extensions with a project team and support the write-up of modeling results. The candidate is expected to work with the team to illustrate the developed methods in applied studies and manuscripts for submission to peer-review journals.

The successful candidate will join a team of researchers in NREL’s Strategic Energy Analysis Center (SEAC; www.nrel.gov/analysis) who perform environmental sustainability assessments of energy technologies. With objective, technology-neutral analysis, SEAC aims to increase understanding of energy policies, markets, resources, technologies, and infrastructure to address U.S. economic, security, and environmental priorities.

Additional general responsibilities include:

  • Conduct objective research that generates independent, high quality, and reproducible results.
  • Assist senior researchers in the design, implementation, and reporting of the research project.
  • Contribute to technical reports, journal articles and presentations. It is expected that the delivered work will be of superior quality and will sometimes need to be delivered under aggressive timelines.
  • Communicate effectively and succinctly both in writing and in speaking.
  • Exhibit significant working knowledge of clean energy technology pathways, costs, policies, and markets.

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Basic Qualifications

Must be enrolled as a full-time student in a Bachelor’s, Master’s or PhD degree program, or graduated in the past 12 months from an accredited institution. Internship period cannot exceed 12 months past graduation. Minimum of a 3.0 cumulative grade point average.

Please Note:
•You will need to upload 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.

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Additional Required Qualifications

Preferred qualifications you’d like the candidate to have:

  • Pursuing a PhD or Master in EEIO modeling or a related field.
  • Bachelor or Master’s degree in either Civil and Environmental Engineering, Engineering & Public Policy, Economics, Sustainability Science and Engineering, Process Systems Engineering, or related subjects.
  • Experience in one or more of the following areas: clean energy technologies, transportation energy systems, biomass feedstock production, conversion processes for production of fuels or products from biomass or waste feedstock (recycled plastics, sludge, CO2, etc.), or petroleum refining.
  • Experience in environmental and energy life cycle assessment, (environmentally extended) input-output modeling, material flow and balance analysis, or energy scenario modeling.
  • Techno-economic analysis (TEA), economics and/or engineering coursework/experience.
  • Coding experience (e.g., R, Python, Julia).
  • Systems-thinker, ability to contextualize analysis and specific work tasks into wider project context.
  • Prior work experience (at minimum internship) in industry, research institutions, or state- or federal-level agencies.
  • Cumulative undergraduate/graduate GPA over 3.5 on a 4.0 scale.