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Graduate (3-12 month) Intern - Artificial Intelligence for Power System Operations

Join National Laboratory of the Rockies in Golden, US as a Graduate Intern focusing on AI for power system operations. Work on cutting-edge AI projects, collaborate with industry partners, and enjoy flexible remote or onsite options with benefits including medical insurance and a 403(b) savings plan.

Hybrid Internship UTC-06:00 Updated today
Salary
US$51,200–81,900 /year

Applies on nrel.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com

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Posting Title

Graduate (3-12 month) Intern - Artificial Intelligence for Power System Operations.

Location

CO - Golden.

Position Type

Intern (Fixed Term).

Hours Per Week

Job Description

This Grid Automation and Controls group at The National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR) focuses on conducting high-impact projects to enhance power system modernization. We develop cutting edge solutions and work closely with industry and utility partners to enhance grid reliability, resilience, and security. Our team is looking for an intern who has strong technical background in machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI), ideally on large language models, natural language processing, and/or foundation models. This is a 3-month internship opportunity with the potential to extend to 12- months. This internship can be done remotely or onsite.

Job responsibilities will include but are not limited to:

  • Collaborating with internal and external stakeholders to advance research projects
  • Developing innovative AI/LLM solutions to addressing emerging power system needs
  • Contributing and/or leading the writing of research papers
  • The ideal candidate should be able to conduct research work independently

To learn more about the work this group does, check out the following link: https://www.nlr.gov/grid/distributed-energy-resource-management-systems

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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

  • The successful candidate will have completed an undergraduate degree and either be enrolled in or recently graduated from a masters degree in computer science, data science, electrical engineering, or related fields, or be enrolled in a PhD program in these fields
  • Experienced in one of the following: natural language learning, large language models, foundation models, transformer models
  • Have a good fundamental knowledge of neural networks, state-of-the-art learning algorithms, and their applications to complex systems
  • Strong in Python programming and other comparable programming languages
  • Self-motivated and be passionate to learn new things

Preferred Qualifications

  • Experience with other ML/AI techniques, including reinforcement learning and graph neural networks
  • Experience in using high performance computers, Linux systems
  • Experience in JavaScript, SQL, MongoDB, and developing interactive web-based dashboard and tools.
  • Familiar with power systems and know the basics of power flow

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

Job Profile: / Annual Salary Range: $51,200 - $81,900NLR 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$51,200–81,900 /yr
Health insurance Dental insurance Vision insurance Retirement plan

About this role

Posted
28 Oct 2026
Updated
28 Oct 2026
Job type
Internship
Workplace
Hybrid
Sectors
Working hours
UTC-06:00
Experience
Entry level

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 (3-12 month) Intern - Artificial Intelligence for Power System Operations
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