Work with us

Overview of student intern / guest researcher position

International students and guests are welcome!

The Distributed Energy Resources (DER) group of the Environmental Energy Technologies Division (EETD) of the Ernest Orlando Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBL) welcomes self motivated interns on a rolling basis. If you are a junior/senior or graduate student majoring in economics, engineering, architecture, or any related science fields and have an interest in distributed energy generation, energy modeling, energy efficiency, and/or renewable energy technologies, you are encouraged to apply.

If you have a DER or microgrid research topic you would like to explore while here, we will work with you to help make your internship productive.

Tasks may include

  • gather data for simulations and analyses (web search, literature review, etc)
  • under direction of science and staff members, perform technical, economic, or environmental analysis for projects and help with reports writing or project presentations as needed
  • help with maintaining websites (Drupal, data entry, handcoding, etc)
  • other tasks as needed, and/or
  • your own research topics

Desired student intern / guest researcher traits

  • knowledge of renewable energy and distributed energy resource technologies
  • strong quantitative skills (e.g., solving optimization problems, manipulating large spreadsheets, and some basic programming experience)
  • ability to work independently and as part of a team, not afraid to ask questions when stuck
  • experience running computer simulations, creating websites, etc.
  • high proficiency with Microsoft Word and Excel
  • comfortable working with SI units
  • strong verbal and written communication skills (this rule is relaxed for non-native English speakers)

Internship details

  • A typical stay is 3 to 6 months; a minimum of 6 weeks commitment is requested and stays of longer than 6 months can be arranged.
  • Work hours are flexible but generally full time.
  • Casual work environment (suits and ties not required; jeans allowed).
  • A small stipend or living allowance may be available on a case by case basis but is not guaranteed.

If interested, please email a letter of interest and CV or resume to both Michael Stadler and Judy Lai.
Additionally, if the internship needs to meet certain academic requirements, please let us know when you contact us.