2027 Winter Student Program - Chemical Research Student

Canadian Nuclear Laboratories; Chalk River; Hybrid; CAD 30,000 - 39,000; Part time

Job summary

Canadian Nuclear Laboratories (CNL) is seeking a Chemical Research Student for a 4-month Winter program at Chalk River, ON. You will gain hands-on experience in waste process chemistry, engineering-scale testing, catalyst development, and laboratory research while contributing to clean environmental technologies.

Requirements include enrollment in post-secondary education in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, or Materials Science and Engineering, and strong laboratory experience.

Qualifications

• Applicants should be enrolled in post-secondary education in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, or Materials Science and Engineering.
• Excellent laboratory-scale experiment experience.
• Strong MS Office skills and ability to document work clearly.

Responsibilities

• Collaborating with support scientists in the development of experimental procedures.
• Conducting experiments and setting up experimental facilities.
• Working with and supporting scientists and technical officers for drafting reports in a team environment.
• Working with support scientists for drafting and publishing research articles.
• Operating and calibrating analytical equipment.
• Other duties as assigned by your manager.

Skills

Microsoft Office

Experiment setup

Education

Post-Secondary Education in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, or Materials Science and Engineering

Job description

2027 Winter Student Program - Chemical Research Student Position Number 1343 Classification Term # of openings 1

Are you looking for an opportunity to apply your scientific knowledge to innovative technologies that support environmental sustainability and the nuclear industry? Can you see yourself conducting laboratory experiments, testing emerging waste processing technologies, and contributing to research with real-world impact? If you answered yes, this may be the opportunity for you. Our Chalk River Laboratories location is looking for a Chemical Research Student to join the Nuclear Waste Processing Technology Laboratories. In this role, you will gain hands‑on experience in waste process chemistry, engineering-scale testing, catalyst development, and laboratory research while contributing to projects that support clean environment technologies.

Department:0501 Environment & Waste Technologies
Number of Positions:1
Duration: 4 Months (January - April)
Field of Study: Chemistry and Chemical Engineering
Year of study: 3rd year or higher

What you will be doing!

• Collaborating with support scientists in the development of experimental procedures.
• Conducting experiments and setting up experimental facilities.
• Working with and supporting scientists and technical officers for drafting reports in a team environment.
• Working with support scientists for drafting and publishing research articles.
• Operating and calibrating analytical equipment.
• Other duties as assigned by your manager.

What we are looking for:

• Education
  • Applicants should be enrolled in Post-Secondary Education in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, or Materials Science and Engineering.
• Experience
  • Excellent laboratory-scale experiment experience.
• Knowledge, Skills & Abilities
  • Excellent Microsoft Office skills.
  • Demonstrated ability to learn under supervision, design experiments, develop procedures, and produce high‑quality technical written materials.
• Security Clearance Eligibility Required
  • Reliability Status with Site Access Security Clearance (SASC), which has a minimum requirement of 3-5 years of verifiable history in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the United States and/or the United Kingdom. CNL implements security screening in accordance with the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat's “Standard on Security Screening” and the “Policy on Government Security.”

Working Conditions:

• Working schedule: Five (5) days per week, seven and a half (7.5) hours per day for a thirty‑seven and a half (37.5) hour work week.

Why CNL?

Does the idea of working with a dynamic team across Canada to advance nuclear science and technology for a clean and secure world excite you? At CNL, we’re reinventing ourselves to be industry leaders—pioneering solutions to the problems that matter most.

From building the next generation of clean nuclear and hydrogen energy technologies, to developing targeted cancer treatments, to continuing our global leadership in environmental remediation—we are driven by impact, innovation, and purpose.

What we offer Students:

• Paid Statutory Holidays (within the working term);
• 1 Company Floating Holiday;
• Instead of cumulative vacation time, students receive an additional 4% of earnings on each pay!

Do Our Priorities Resonate with You?

• Delivering clean energy for today and tomorrow
• Restoring and protecting the environment

Located in the heart of the Ottawa Valley, our Chalk River site offers a beautiful natural setting with forests, lakes, and wildlife, right at your doorstep. Surrounded by welcoming communities such as Deep River, Petawawa, and Pembroke, you’ll have access to unparalleled outdoor adventures and a fantastic work-life balance.

Please note: This is a fully on-site position based at our Chalk River Laboratory in Ontario.

Our Commitment to Equity, Diversity & Inclusion

At CNL, we are committed to fostering an environment that promotes equity, diversity, and inclusion. We celebrate and welcome employees, stakeholders, and partners of all backgrounds and identities.

We are proud to uphold a workplace culture grounded in our Core Values:

• Respect
• Teamwork
• Accountability
• Safety
• Integrity

These values drive our employment practices and ensure meaningful career development opportunities and accommodations for all employees.

CNL is an equal opportunity employer. If you require accommodation during any phase of the hiring process, please let us know via [e-mail] . All requests will be handled with confidentiality.

CNL operates on sites located on the traditional lands, waterways and ceded and unceded territories of Indigenous peoples. CNL recognizes and affirms all First Nations, Métis communities and Inuit in this land we now know as Canada. We acknowledge, respect and seek to better understand Indigenous history, rights and title on the lands where we work and develop projects. We honour and respect the importance of the relationship between Indigenous peoples and their lands, waters and territories.