Posting Title

Graduate Intern - Hybrid Environmentally-Extended Input-Output Analysis

Location

CO - Golden

Position Type

Intern (Fixed Term)

Hours Per Week

Working at NREL

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), located at the foothills of the Rocky Mountains in Golden, Colorado is the nation's primary laboratory for research and development of renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies.

From day one at NREL, you’ll connect with coworkers driven by the same mission to save the planet. By joining an organization that values a supportive, inclusive, and flexible work environment, you’ll have the opportunity to engage through our ten employee resource groups, numerous employee-driven clubs, and learning and professional development classes.

NREL supports inclusive, diverse, and unbiased hiring practices that promote creativity and innovation. By collaborating with organizations that focus on diverse talent pools, reaching out to underrepresented demographics, and providing an inclusive application and interview process, our Talent Acquisition team aims to hear all voices equally. We strive to attract a highly diverse workforce and create a culture where every employee feels welcomed and respected and they can be their authentic selves.

Our planet needs us! Learn about NREL’s critical objectives, and see how NREL is focused on saving the planet.

Note: Research suggests that potential job seekers may self-select out of opportunities if they don't meet 100% of the job requirements. We encourage anyone who is interested in this opportunity to apply. We seek dedicated people who believe they have the skills and ambition to succeed at NREL to apply for this role.

Job Description

NREL is seeking a dynamic and self-motivated graduate-level intern focused on environmentally extended input-output (EEIO) analysis for its Circularity Futures (CF) project. The candidate shall contribute to methodology development and data processing to support the build-out of a coded hybrid physical-monetary 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; https://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.

With guidance from management and senior staff, the intern will assist in developing a hybrid EEIO model. 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.

Owing to the short timeline of the CF project, an intern eligible to work full-time from late January 2024 to the summer 2024 would be preferred (but the starting date could be postponed if necessary). Moreover, half-time internships are also possible.

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. Candidates who have earned a degree may work for a period not to exceed 12 months. Must have a 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.

* Must meet educational requirements prior to employment start date.

Additional Required Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree in engineering, physical sciences, operations research, economics, environmental science, or other energy or industrial ecology-related field or equivalent relevant experience. Interns should be undertaking Masters, Doctoral or post-doctoral work in a related field.

Preferred Qualifications

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

Annual Salary Range (based on full-time 40 hours per week)

Job Profile: Graduate II / Annual Salary Range: $41,600 - $66,600

NREL 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. In compliance with the Colorado Equal Pay for Equal Work Act, a potential new employee’s salary history will not be used in compensation decisions.

Benefits Summary

Benefits include medical, dental, and vision insurance; 403(b) Employee Savings Plan with employer match*; and sick leave (where required by law). NREL employees may be eligible for, but are not guaranteed, performance-, merit-, and achievement- based awards that include a monetary component. 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.

* Based on eligibility rules

Drug Free Workplace

NREL is committed to maintaining a drug-free workplace in accordance with the federal Drug-Free Workplace Act and complies with federal laws prohibiting the possession and use of illegal drugs. Under federal law, marijuana remains an illegal drug.

If you are offered employment at NREL, you must pass a pre-employment drug test prior to commencing employment. Unless prohibited by state or local law, the pre-employment drug test will include marijuana. If you test positive on the pre-employment drug test, your offer of employment may be withdrawn.

Submission Guidelines

Please note that in order to be considered an applicant for any position at NREL you must submit an application form for each position for which you believe you are qualified. Applications are not kept on file for future positions. Please include a cover letter and resume with each position application.

EEO Policy

NREL is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard basis of age (40 and over), color, disability, gender identity, genetic information, marital status, domestic partner status, military or veteran status, national origin/ancestry, race, religion, creed, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding), sexual orientation, and any other applicable status protected by federal, state, or local laws.

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