Student Internships

Explore high energy density science (HEDS) through paid internships at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL).

Undergraduate and graduate students work alongside scientists and engineers on experiments, simulations, and diagnostics development to study matter under extreme conditions.

All HEDS-related internship programs at LLNL offer:

Seminars and other learning opportunities
Engagement with other student interns and researchers in the field
Chances for students to present their research
Access to world-class research capabilities.

Through HEDS internships, students have opportunities to build skills such as:

Experimental diagnostic development and data analysis
Experiment design and data analysis
Scientific communication
Scientific computing and software development
Simulation workflows
Understanding of material properties in extreme environments

How to apply

Step 1: Explore our website

Explore HEDS research areas and decide which subfields interest you. Reach out to one or two contacts to learn more about opportunities in your subfield of interest.

Step 2: Select an internship program

For undergraduate and graduate students, LLNL offers several related programs:

Through the Physics Division Internship, students study matter at extreme conditions. Research topics include astrophysics, planetary science, plasma science, fusion energy, optical science, and quantum science.
Students participating in the Defense Science and Technology Internship conduct experimental, theoretical, and computational research in disciplines such as astrophysics, hydrodynamics, turbulence, plasma physics, inertial confinement physics, and radiation/particle transport.
The National Ignition Facility and Photon Science (NIF&PS) Summer Scholar Internship offers students opportunities to engage in research and development on laser, plasma physics, electro-optics, software development, optics development, and materials science topics.

For graduate students only:

The National Nuclear Security Administration Fellowship in HED Physics provides support for students who conduct research in areas related to NNSA’s mission, such as hydrodynamics, plasma physics, properties of materials under high energy density conditions, inertial fusion, atomic physics, radiation generation, the interaction of radiation with matter, and the physics of turbulence and fluid interfaces.

Step 3: Prepare application materials

Find the associated job posting through the LLNL Students website. Postings will specify any additional requirements, such as US citizenship, which application materials should be submitted (e.g., resume/CV, transcript, references, cover letter), and how to apply.

Step 4: Submit materials by deadline

Application components and deadlines vary by internship program. Learn more about the general internship hiring process and note program-specific deadlines in the posting.

Previous student project examples

High-pressure materials and equation of state

James Brague (graduate student, Engineering Physics, Colorado School of Mines): Shock equation of state measurements of LiF in the terapascal regime
Jeevan Dalip (graduate student, Materials Science and Engineering, Johns Hopkins University): Reshock behavior of an aluminum-1100 alloy
Mercedes Vasquez (graduate student, Earth and Planetary Science, UC Berkeley): Pressure dependence of thermal conductivity using measurements on lithium fluoride
Nathan Pulver (graduate student, Geochemistry, UCLA): Diamond formation in shocked Kapton ablators

Inertial confinement fusion, implosions, and capsule/ablation characterization

Audrey Devault (graduate student, Nuclear Engineering, MIT): Imaging velocimetry for characterization of ICF ablators
Ava Staas (undergraduate student, Physics and Astronomy, UC Davis): Inferring density profiles from refraction enhanced radiography signals in imploded capsules

Laser–plasma interactions, particle acceleration, and fast ignition

Jhonnatan Gama Vazquez (graduate student, Physics, Stanford University): Micro-physics of laser-driven particle acceleration using simulations
Alex Pietrow (graduate student, Engineering Physics, UC San Diego): Enhanced short pulse laser-driven ion sources
Emmanuel Rabago (graduate student, Mechanical Engineering, UC Merced): Density effects on opacity of hydrogen at white dwarf atmospheric conditions (relevant to hot dense plasma conditions)
Sameen Yunus (graduate student, Physics, UC Merced): Electron collimation studies for fast ignition
Jaya Sicard (graduate student, Nuclear Engineering, UC Berkeley): Activation-based diagnostic for measurement of laser-driven ion sources supporting ion fast ignition

Diagnostics, instruments, and experimental measurement techniques

Robert Morgan (undergraduate student, Physics, Caltech): Oxygen emission measurements using a double crystal von Hámos spectrometer for EFI collimation experiments
Akhilesh Tiwari (graduate student, Aerospace Engineering, UT Austin): Analysis of DANTE data to improve hydrodynamic simulations of laser-driven flyer plate impacts

Computational physics and simulation methods

Niels Vanderloo (graduate student, Physics, MIT): Particle-in-cell simulations of laser-driven experiments
Alexis Diaz (undergraduate student, Applied Mathematics, UC Berkeley): Effects of dynamic screening on deuterium and tritium ions

Astrophysics, planetary science, and HED phenomena in nature

Brighten Jiang (undergraduate student, Astrophysics and Math, University of Florida): Heavy element nucleosynthesis from hyper-accreting neutron stars
Levi Webb (graduate student, Physics, Illinois State University): Microscopic electric fields of hot, dense plasmas
Emmanuel Rabago (graduate student, Mechanical Engineering, UC Merced): Opacity of hydrogen at white dwarf atmospheric conditions

Magnetized plasma waves and field generation

Jeremy La-Porte (graduate student, Plasma Physics and Fusion, Sorbonne Université): Magnetic fields from helical plasma waves driven by spatio-temporal light springs

Visit the Livermore Lab Foundation website for more details about these students’ projects.

Are international students eligible to apply?

We have some positions that do not require US citizenship. The requirements are indicated on each job posting in the header.

May I apply to multiple programs?

Absolutely! Since there are many separate groups across the Laboratory, often hiring for similar skill sets, please feel free to apply to each position you are qualified for.

I have my own funding from a fellowship or my home institution. Does this help me get a position at LLNL?

Yes, students with their own funding will be given priority. Please reach out to the student coordinator, Paul Grabowski (grabowski5 [at] llnl.gov (grabowski5[at]llnl[dot]gov)).

How do I get fellowship funding?

We encourage all students to apply to external fellowships. A good listing can be found here: externally sponsored internships.

What is the hiring timeline?

While it varies by program, here is a typical timeline:

Fall–Early Winter: Prospective students reach out to points of contact and apply to postings.
January–February: Mentors interview and select students to work on their projects.
March: Offers sent out.

Can I work remotely?

Working remotely one to two times per week has become fairly common. However, to fully benefit from the internship experience, we expect students to be onsite most of the time. Exceptions are made on a case-by-case basis and require that the student is within the country.