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Graduate Intern - Connected Vehicle (V2X) Communications Modeling and Traffic Simulation

Join National Laboratory of the Rockies in Golden, US, as a Graduate Intern focusing on connected vehicle (V2X) communications and traffic simulation. This role involves data analysis, machine learning, and developing simulation models. Benefit from working with advanced computing resources and a collaborative research environment.

On-site Internship UTC-06:00 Updated today
Salary
US$44,500–71,200 /year

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Graduate Intern - Connected Vehicle (V2X) Communications Modeling and Traffic Simulation.

CO - Golden.

Intern (Fixed Term).

Job Description

The Advanced Computing Solutions Group in the Computational Science Center at the National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR) has an opening for a graduate student researcher in connected and automated vehicle communications modeling, with an emphasis on data analysis and machine learning.

Vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication lets vehicles talk to each other and to roadside infrastructure, and it is the backbone of cooperative driving automation. Field-testing V2X at the scale needed to see its effect on traffic would take hundreds of roadside units and thousands of equipped vehicles, which is cost-prohibitive, so simulation is the practical path.

The intern will work with NLR colleagues to analyze field V2X data and develop new V2X models for simulation.

We are looking for a motivated researcher with strong data and programming skills and an interest in the mission of NLR. The successful candidate will collaborate with NLR researchers.

Responsibilities include

  • Clean, process, and analyze large-scale V2X field-test logs to characterize communication performance (e.g., packet delivery ratio, latency, and range) as a function of distance, device density, and environmental conditions.
  • Help calibrate and validate microscopic LTE-V2X communication models against the field-test data.
  • Develop and train machine-learning surrogate (approximate macroscopic) models of V2X behavior from large sets of simulation data, and evaluate their accuracy and computational efficiency.
  • Write well-documented Python code and run workflows on NLR's high-performance computing systems.
  • Document results and contribute to technical reports, presentations, and publications.

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Basic Qualifications

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.

Please Note

* 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.* Must meet educational requirements prior to employment start date.

Additional Required Qualifications

  • Proficiency in Python for data analysis (e.g., pandas, NumPy, Matplotlib).
  • Experience applying machine learning to scientific or engineering data (e.g., scikit-learn, PyTorch, or TensorFlow).
  • Coursework or project experience in at least one of: wireless communications or networking, transportation or traffic engineering, or data science.
  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills and the ability to work on a multi-laboratory team.

Preferred Qualifications

  • Familiarity with V2X technologies (C-V2X/LTE-V2X, 5G NR sidelink, or DSRC), SAE J2735 messages, or wireless channel modeling.
  • Experience with traffic simulation (Aimsun, SUMO, or VISSIM) or connected and automated vehicle modeling (e.g., car-following or cooperative adaptive cruise control).
  • Experience with co-simulation frameworks (e.g., HELICS) or network simulators (e.g., ns-3, OMNeT++/Veins).
  • Experience with surrogate modeling or reduced-order modeling of simulation output.
  • Experience running code on HPC systems and using Git.

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

Job Profile: / Annual Salary Range: $44,500 - $71,200NLR 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). NLR 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

Badging Requirement

NLR is subject to Department of Energy (DOE) access restrictions. All employees must also 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.# Drug Free Workplace

NLR 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 NLR, 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 NLR 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.

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Equal Opportunity 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.

Reasonable Accommodations

E**-Verify [www.dhs.gov/E-Verify**](http://www.dhs.gov/E-Verify) For information about right to work, click here for English or here for Spanish.

E-Verify is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. This business uses E-Verify in its hiring practices to achieve a lawful workforce.

Pay & benefits

US$44,500–71,200 /yr
Health insurance Dental insurance Vision insurance Retirement plan Paid time off

About this role

Posted
28 Oct 2026
Updated
28 Oct 2026
Job type
Internship
Workplace
On-site
Sectors
Working hours
UTC-06:00
Experience
Graduate

About National Laboratory of the Rockies

Company Overview

Name

National Laboratory of the Rockies, a U.S. Department of Energy national laboratory

Headquarters

Golden, CO, United States

Founded

1977

Size

Approximately 3,700 employees including staff, postdoctoral researchers, interns, visiting professionals, and subcontractors (source: wikipedia.org)

What They Do

The National Laboratory of the Rockies is a federally funded research institution focused on applied energy research and development across the entire energy system, including generation, distribution, and end use (source: nlr.gov). Its work spans a broad range of energy technologies such as solar, wind, renewable fuels, vehicle systems, buildings, geothermal, energy sciences, computational sciences, and energy analysis (source: nationallabs.org). The laboratory also hosts specialized centers including the National Center for Photovoltaics, the National Bioenergy Center, and the National Wind Technology Center, which support focused research and innovation in their respective fields (source: wikipedia.org). As a Department of Energy national laboratory, it operates under a federal contract and serves public-sector and industry partners by developing technology and de-risking emerging energy systems (source: nlr.gov).

Projects & Track Record

The laboratory has a rich history of impactful projects, including the development of SEA-Stack, a wave-energy technology screening and design tool that helps companies rapidly evaluate concepts to reduce time and cost in marine energy innovation (source: nlr.gov). It also supports the BOTTLE Consortium's chemical oxidation recycling platform, which aims to enable scalable processing of contaminated, mixed, and multilayer plastic waste, addressing critical challenges in sustainable materials management (source: nlr.gov). The National Laboratory of the Rockies operates the National Wind Technology Center in Colorado, a key facility for advancing wind energy technologies, and maintains a presence in Washington, D.C. to support policy and stakeholder engagement (source: nlr.gov). These projects demonstrate the lab's leadership in renewable energy research and its commitment to accelerating clean energy solutions nationwide.

Recent Developments

In December 2025, the Department of Energy officially renamed the National Renewable Energy Laboratory to the National Laboratory of the Rockies, reflecting its evolving mission and regional identity (source: nlr.gov). Throughout 2025 and 2026, the laboratory remained active in advanced energy research, with announcements highlighting progress in marine and wave energy technologies, plastic recycling innovations, and quantum-related materials research (source: nlr.gov). However, the lab also underwent workforce reductions, laying off 134 employees in February 2026 following earlier cuts of at least 114 employees in May 2025, reflecting organizational adjustments amid evolving funding and program priorities (source: cpr.org).

Working There

The National Laboratory of the Rockies offers a diverse range of roles spanning research, software and computational science, lab operations, engineering, project management, communications, and administrative support, all within a federally funded R&D environment (source: techjobsforgood.com). Employees benefit from comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage, 403(b) retirement savings plans with employer match, pension eligibility, disability coverage, tuition reimbursement, and professional development opportunities (source: nlr.gov). The campus in Golden, Colorado, provides on-site wellness resources, including a fitness center, cafeteria, coffee shop, meeting spaces, and open-space trails, fostering a collaborative and flexible workplace culture that supports early-career development and work-life balance (source: nlr.gov).

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Graduate Intern - Connected Vehicle (V2X) Communications Modeling and Traffic Simulation
National Laboratory of the Rockies · US$44,500–71,200/yr