Praktikant (m/w/d), Optimierung des Strommarkts & Preisprognosen

Energy Vault is looking for a motivated and analytically rigorous Summer Intern to join our Data Science team and support our electricity market optimization and price forecasting work. You will work directly alongside our Principal Market Optimization Engineer, contributing to real, production-relevant research and model development that shapes how utility-scale energy storage assets are dispatched and traded in competitive electricity markets.

Whether your strength lies in stochastic and mixed-integer optimization applied to CAISO/ERCOT market problems, or in time-series forecasting for electricity prices and load, you will find meaningful, challenging work here. If you are excited by the intersection of energy systems, applied data science, and real-world impact, this role is for you.

This role is estimated to be 2 maybe 3 months in duration with 40 hours per week.

Your Mission

• Assist in the development and refinement of optimization models for energy storage dispatch and trading, incorporating electricity market rules and operational constraints from CAISO and/or ERCOT.
• Support formulation of stochastic, robust, or mixed-integer programming models to optimize physical and financial trading positions across market products (energy, ancillary services, capacity).
• Assist in developing or enhancing time-series forecasting models for electricity prices leveraging modern ML/statistical approaches.
• Help implement and backtest alternative dispatch and trading strategies using historical market data and simulation frameworks.
• Document model assumptions, methodologies, and results clearly to support knowledge transfer and team review.
• Participate in team discussions and contribute analytical insights in an agile work environment.

Your Background

• Pursuing a MS or PhD program in Electrical Engineering, Operations Research, Computer Science, Applied Mathematics, or a closely related field.
• BS in Applied Mathematics, Engineering (Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, Computer Engineering), or similar field is required.
• Strong background in at least one of the following:
  • Optimization methods (mixed-integer, stochastic, robust, or convex optimization) with applications to electricity market problems such as SCED, battery dispatch, or energy trading; or
  • Time-series forecasting applied to energy systems (electricity price, load, or renewable generation forecasting).
• Proficiency in Python is required
• Familiarity with at least one commercial or open-source optimization solver (Gurobi, CPLEX, CBC, etc.) or modern ML/forecasting frameworks (XGBoost, scikit-learn, PyTorch, etc.), depending on your area of focus.
• Solid understanding of electricity market fundamentals (energy markets, ancillary services, LMPs, settlement).
• No Travel is required
• Comfortable thriving in fast-paced, rapid growth environments.
• A passion for sustainability, our mission, and our vision is a bonus!
• Must successfully pass a pre-employment background check.
• Energy Vault participates in E-Verify.

$30 - $35 an hour

The salary range, $30.00 to $35.00, reflects the target new hire hourly rate for the position across all U.S. locations.

$30 per hour, enrolled in a Master's program.

$35 per hour, enrolled in a PhD program.

At Energy Vault we are committed to providing an environment of mutual respect where equal employment opportunities are available to all applicants. We believe inclusion creates opportunity for collaborative excellence through diversity of thought. We invite individuals of all genders, races, identities, ethnicities, sexual orientations, national origins, abilities, protected veteran status, religions, educational and socioeconomic backgrounds to explore employment with our organization.

Apply now and become a catalyst for change at Energy Vault!