Join Us

The High Energy Density Science (HEDS) Center at LLNL supports science engagement at multiple career stages, from student internships and postdoctoral fellowships to faculty collaborations and career positions.

These opportunities advance research, education, and workforce development in the study of matter and energy under extreme conditions.

A central goal of the center is to help build the next generation of HEDS researchers, but the opportunities described here extend beyond early-career training. LLNL provides an exceptional setting for HEDS research and collaboration, with world-class facilities, deep technical expertise, and opportunities to engage with a broad multidisciplinary community.

Student Internships

Student interns can gain hands-on experience in HEDS through paid internship opportunities at LLNL. Working alongside scientists and engineers, they contribute to experiments, simulations, diagnostics, and computing projects focused on matter under extreme conditions. These internships give students access to unique research capabilities, opportunities to present their work, and exposure to a wide range of HEDS-related career paths. Opportunities span topics such as fusion, plasma physics, astrophysics, planetary science, and advanced diagnostics.

Visit our HEDS Center student page for more details.

Postdoctoral Researcher Roles

The center offers a highly competitive, two-year postdoctoral position at LLNL. The fellowship is open to researchers working in all HEDS-related disciplines. Fellows are free to pursue their own research agenda with guidance from a senior staff scientist mentor, while working in a collaborative, multidisciplinary environment with other LLNL researchers. Typically, one new fellowship is awarded each year.

Find out more about this opportunity to pursue a postdoctoral fellowship in HED science by visiting our postdoctoral fellowship information page.

Faculty Research and Teaching Opportunities

The center collaborates with experts from academia and other research institutions to expand access to educational opportunities in HEDS, for instance, by collaborating on the development or instruction of a short course. We offer paid mini-sabbaticals, lasting between one and three months, enabling HEDS experts to come on site to LLNL and teach a course.

If you are interested in developing or teaching a short course, please email our center administrator, Jessica Karlton, at karlton1 [at] llnl.gov (karlton1[at]llnl[dot]gov), with a description of your idea. To learn more about short courses delivered by the center and its collaborators, visit our education page. LLNL also offers collaborative research opportunities through a mini-sabbatical program offered by LLNL’s Academic Engagement Office. Faculty from U.S. universities join us for 1‒3 months for a paid sabbatical.

Career Positions

We are always looking for talented scientists who want to work in our exciting, multidisciplinary research environment. We invite you to search current job postings on the LLNL careers page. Or feel free to contact the HEDS Center leadership team to discuss career options.

Please explore here for other opportunities.