Description

What Your Job Will Be Like

Sandia National Laboratories is seeking highly motivated technical undergraduate students enrolled at Florida A&M and Prairie View A&M University for a 2026 undergraduate summer internship, as part of the Materials At The Extreme (MATE) Consortium. This initiative is sponsored and funded by the NNSA Minority Serving Institutions Partnership Program (MSIPP) for Sustainable STEM Workforce.

Students will get the opportunity to develop skills and gain experience at Sandia National Laboratories in roles that may include chemical synthesis, materials characterization and test, systems engineering, nuclear engineering and forensics, tech maturation, commercialization, IP, business planning, and more.

As an intern at Sandia, you will be guided by a technical mentor and work closely with a team of researchers and Sandians on issues of national significance.

On any given day, you may be called on to:

• Collaborate with a technical mentor to plan, design, set-up, and perform experiments/projects
• Record experimental procedures and collect data in notebooks
• Interpret data using spreadsheets, graphs and statistical analysis
• Document and present results to mentor and peers.
• Responsible for various activities associated with maintaining a laboratory and follow safety procedures
• Conduct surveys and market analysis
• Through your internship, you will learn engineering and scientific skills and join a high-performing team. Students will be expected to demonstrate increasing levels of independence and responsibility and must show a commitment to operate in and contribute to a safe operating environment.

Students will be expected to work full time onsite for the duration of their internship.

Salary Range

At Sandia, we value the important work done by our interns and its contribution to National Security. Because of this, our interns earn competitive pay rates. Our pay structure is based on earned credit hours, classification, and degree level. Your pay rate will be determined during the hire process and included in your offer package. You can view the Intern Pay Rate chart here.

Qualifications We Require

You bring the confidence and skills to be eligible for the job by meeting these minimum requirements:

• Currently attending and enrolled full time in the spring term immediately preceding the internship (or scheduled to graduate in the spring) in an accredited related undergraduate program
• Minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0/4.0
• Ability to work up to 40 hours per week during the summer
• Ability to secure and maintain a U.S. security clearance which requires U.S. citizenship

Note: If you have not earned a HS diploma or equivalent, please apply to a high school intern position.

Qualifications We Desire

• Students must be part of the MSIPP/MATE program, and therefore a student at Florida A&M University, or Prairie View A&M University.
• Strong knowledge of fundamentals and technical principles in physical sciences or related fields (including chemistry, physics, mathematics, materials science, or engineering)
• Good oral and written communication skills
• Ability to contribute to a team environment

Posting Duration

This posting will be open for application submissions for a minimum of seven (7) calendar days, including the 'posting date'. Sandia reserves the right to extend the posting date at any time.

About Our Team

The Securing Top Academic Research & Talent with Historically Black Colleges and Universities (START HBCU) Program and the NNSA Minority Serving Institute Partnership Program (MSIPP) work to increase research collaborations with universities, facilitating research opportunities for qualified students, who are pursuing advanced degrees in STEM.

The MSI Partnership Program (MSIPP) is designed to advance the Department of Energy (DOE) National Nuclear Security Administrations (NNSA) workforce development and research priorities by building strong collaborations with Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs). The program focuses on strengthening institutional capacity, advancing research capacity, and enhancing pathways for students in STEM disciplines to pursue careers in the nuclear security enterprise. Since its inception, MSIPP has focused on building institutional capacity at MSIs and creating robust career pathways to DOE laboratories, plants, and sites. Together, these programs foster excellence in STEM education and advance the mission of supporting the Nation's nuclear security needs.

About Sandia

Sandia National Laboratories is the nation's premier science and engineering lab for national security and technology innovation, with teams of specialists focused on cutting-edge work in a broad array of areas. Some of the main reasons we love our jobs:

• Challenging work with amazing impact that contributes to security, peace, and freedom worldwide
• Extraordinary co-workers
• Some of the best tools, equipment, and research facilities in the world
• Career advancement and enrichment opportunities
• Flexible work arrangements for many positions include 9/80 (work 80 hours every two weeks, with every other Friday off) and 4/10 (work 4 ten-hour days each week) compressed workweeks, part-time work, and telecommuting (a mix of onsite work and working from home)
• Generous vacation, strong medical and other benefits, competitive 401k, learning opportunities, relocation assistance and amenities aimed at creating a solid work/life balance*

World-changing technologies. Life-changing careers. Learn more about Sandia at: http://www.sandia.gov

*These benefits vary by job classification.

Security Clearance

Sandia is required by DOE to conduct a pre-employment drug test and background review that includes checks of personal references, credit, law enforcement records, and employment/education verifications. Applicants for employment need to be able to obtain and maintain a DOE L-level security clearance, which requires U.S. citizenship. If you hold more than one citizenship (i.e., of the U.S. and another country), your ability to obtain a security clearance may be impacted.

Applicants offered employment with Sandia are subject to a federal background investigation to meet the requirements for access to classified information or matter if the duties of the position require a DOE security clearance. Substance abuse or illegal drug use, falsification of information, criminal activity, serious misconduct or other indicators of untrustworthiness can cause a clearance to be denied or terminated by the DOE, resulting in the inability to perform the duties assigned and subsequent termination of employment.

EEO

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, or veteran status and any other protected class under state or federal law.

NNSA Requirements for MedPEDs

If you have a Medical Portable Electronic Device (MedPED), such as a pacemaker, defibrillator, drug-releasing pump, hearing aids, or diagnostic equipment and other equipment for measuring, monitoring, and recording body functions such as heartbeat and brain waves, if employed by Sandia National Laboratories you may be required to comply with NNSA security requirements for MedPEDs.

If you have a MedPED and you are selected for an on-site interview at Sandia National Laboratories, there may be additional steps necessary to ensure compliance with NNSA security requirements prior to the interview date.