Intern, R&D Undergraduate Year Round - Materials Characterization & Performance, Remote

Are you a student who enjoys building reliable software that touches real hardware and real data and want to apply those skills to materials science problems? Join Sandia National Laboratories Materials Characterization and Performance team as a year-round intern supporting automation and advanced characterization.

You will help modernize experimental data collection and processing by integrating sensors and detectors, orchestrating instruments, and building robust data pipelines for multimodal experimental streams (temporal signals, spatial data, and instrument state/metadata). The ideal candidate is Python-forward, but comfortable bridging to performance and vendor ecosystems by wrapping C/C++ (and/or Rust) into Python.

On any given day, you may be called on to:

• Develop Python-based acquisition/control software that interfaces with characterization tools and laboratory sensors
• Integrate OEM SDKs and DLLs (often C/C++) into Python workflows
• Build and maintain APIs/services for experiment orchestration, instrument control, and automated data collection
• Synchronize and fuse multimodal data streams (time-aligned signals, images, scan coordinates, and instrument state) with strong metadata/provenance practices
• Implement data validation, error handling, logging, and health monitoring to improve reliability and repeatability of experiments
• Create reusable utilities for ingest, transformation, and organization of large experimental datasets for downstream analysis and modeling
• Document software, interfaces, and workflows; communicate results through internal reports and presentations

The selected applicant can be a remote worker located in any U.S. State or District of Columbia. Regular or periodic travel to your assigned work location may be required

At Sandia, we value the important work done by our interns and its contribution to National Security. Because of this, our interns earn competitive pay rates. Our pay structure is based on earned credit hours, classification, and degree level. Your pay rate will be determined during the hire process and included in your offer package. You can view the Intern Pay Rate chart here.

You bring the confidence and skills to be eligible for the job by meeting these minimum requirements:

• Currently attending and enrolled full time in an accredited undergraduate program
• Pursuing a science, engineering, or math major
• Minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0/4.0
• Ability to work up to 25 hours per week during the academic year, and up to 40 hours per week during the summer
• Ability to secure and maintain a U.S. security clearance which requires U.S. citizenship

Note: If you have not earned a HS diploma or equivalent, please apply to a high school intern position.

• Desired Majors: Mechanical Engineering, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering and Materials Science
• Experience wrapping native code for Python and/or building Python extensions backed by C/C++ or Rust
• Experience with real-time / near-real-time data acquisition and streaming (buffering, timestamping, synchronization)
• Strong programming experience in Python for building maintainable research software (modules/packages, testing, debugging)
• Experience integrating multimodal experimental datasets (images + signals + metadata), including data schemas and provenance/versioning concepts
• Familiarity with device communications (serial, USB, Ethernet/TCP, OPC-UA, vendor APIs), DAQ systems, or motion/control hardware
• Experience with scientific Python (NumPy/SciPy/Pandas), image processing (OpenCV/scikit-image), and/or visualization tools
• Interest in materials science or experimental research workflows (microscopy, XCT, diffraction, advanced manufacturing monitoring), even if not your primary background
• Strong written/oral communication and demonstrated ability to collaborate across disciplines
• Experience interfacing with external systems (hardware, SDKs, drivers, network services, or instrument control libraries)
• Familiarity with software engineering fundamentals (version control, code review, unit testing, CI or reproducible environments)

This posting will be open for application submissions for a minimum of three (3) calendar days, including the 'posting date'. Sandia reserves the right to extend the posting date at any time.

The Materials Characterization & Performance Department supports Sandia by developing and applying a breadth of analytical techniques to assess the structure, composition, and properties of materials. We serve our customers by helping them understand material behavior and performance, develop improved materials for specific components and applications, as well as develop lifetime performance predictions for materials. By applying a breadth of techniques, including spectroscopic and diffraction techniques, light and electron microscopy, metallography, surface analysis, chemical analysis, and contaminant analysis, we provide materials understanding and solutions for: engineering components and structures, failure analysis of all types of materials, and research projects across a wide customer base. We serve the entire corporation in their material analysis needs and frequently other federal agencies and industry. We also act as a gateway to materials characterization capabilities within and outside of Sandia. We take pride in owning, maintaining, and utilizing to the fullest extent the best instrumentation available anywhere.

Sandia National Laboratories is the nation's premier science and engineering lab for national security and technology innovation, with teams of specialists focused on cutting-edge work in a broad array of areas. Some of the main reasons we love our jobs:

• Challenging work with amazing impact that contributes to security, peace, and freedom worldwide
• Extraordinary co-workers
• Some of the best tools, equipment, and research facilities in the world
• Career advancement and enrichment opportunities
• Flexible work arrangements for many positions include 9/80 (work 80 hours every two weeks, with every other Friday off) and 4/10 (work 4 ten-hour days each week) compressed workweeks, part-time work, and telecommuting (a mix of onsite work and working from home)
• Generous vacation, strong medical and other benefits, competitive 401k, learning opportunities, relocation assistance and amenities aimed at creating a solid work/life balance*

World-changing technologies. Life-changing careers. Learn more about Sandia at: http://www.sandia.gov

*These benefits vary by job classification.

Sandia is required by DOE to conduct a pre-employment drug test and background review that includes checks of personal references, credit, law enforcement records, and employment/education verifications. Applicants for employment need to be able to obtain and maintain a DOE Q-level security clearance, which requires U.S. citizenship. If you hold more than one citizenship (i.e., of the U.S. and another country), your ability to obtain a security clearance may be impacted.

Applicants offered employment with Sandia are subject to a federal background investigation to meet the requirements for access to classified information or matter if the duties of the position require a DOE security clearance. Substance abuse or illegal drug use, falsification of information, criminal activity, serious misconduct or other indicators of untrustworthiness can cause a clearance to be denied or terminated by DOE, resulting in the inability to perform the duties assigned and subsequent termination of employment.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, or veteran status and any other protected class under state or federal law.

If you have a Medical Portable Electronic Device (MedPED), such as a pacemaker, defibrillator, drug-releasing pump, hearing aids, or diagnostic equipment and other equipment for measuring, monitoring, and recording body functions such as heartbeat and brain waves, if employed by Sandia National Laboratories you may be required to comply with NNSA security requirements for MedPEDs.

If you have a MedPED and you are selected for an on-site interview at Sandia National Laboratories, there may be additional steps necessary to ensure compliance with NNSA security requirements prior to the interview date.