2027 SIParCS Graduate Student Internships

University Corporation for Atmospheric Research; United States; On-site; USD 32,000 - 46,000; Full time

Job summary

UCAR's SIParCS program offers hands-on HPC research for undergraduates and graduate students. Interns work on-site in Boulder, CO, for 11 weeks (May 17–July 30, 2027), 40 hours per week, with seminars, workshops, a poster, and a final oral presentation.

You will conduct original research under a science mentor, present results, and participate in SIParCS activities. Applicants must hold a bachelor's degree upon application, be enrolled in a U.S. university, and be authorized to work in the U.S.

Qualifications

• Must have a bachelor's degree at the time of application.
• Must currently be enrolled in a U.S. university.
• Must be a graduate or doctoral student.

Responsibilities

• Conduct original research under the guidance of your science mentor.
• Give a presentation based on your research.
• Participate professionally in all SIParCS activities.

Skills

Research

Communication

Education

Bachelor's degree

Enrollment in a U.S. university

Graduate or doctoral student

Job description

Position Type: Term - Casual (Fixed Term) Visa Sponsored Job: No Relocation Assistance Eligible: No Hiring Range: Hiring Hourly Rate: $28.32/hr *Final salary and rates are based on education, experience, and skills relevant to the role. Application Closes at 11:59pm Mountain Time on: 2027-01-19

About the Role

The Summer Internships in Parallel Computational Science (SIParCS) program at the NSF National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) offers graduate students and undergraduates who have completed their sophomore year significant hands-on R&D opportunities in high-performance computing (HPC) and related fields that use HPC for scientific discovery and modeling. This program embeds students as summer interns in the Computational and Information Systems Laboratory (CISL), an organization within NSF NCAR charged with provisioning supercomputing and data systems to the geosciences research community, as well as conducting research and development in computational science, data analysis, scientific visualization and numerical modeling. These twin roles of service and research in CISL support NSF NCAR's broad scientific mission of discovery in the atmospheric and related sciences. The 2027 summer internships are 11 weeks in duration. Applicants must be available to work 40 hours per week from May 17, 2027 through July 30, 2027 for participation in the program. NSF NCAR has 3 unpaid holidays for interns during the summer internship (Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day). Program requirements, beyond working on projects, include attending appropriate technical seminars, attending skills-enhancing workshops, preparing a poster, and giving an oral presentation of results at the end of the summer. For Summer 2027, we are planning for an in-person internship program where interns come on-site to our Boulder, Colorado campuses and meetings may be held in person or hybridly over Zoom or Google Meet.

Application Deadline

This position will be posted until 11:59 pm MST on Tuesday, January 19, 2027

What You Will Do

• Conduct original research under the guidance of your science mentor
• Give a presentation based on your research
• Participate professionally in all SIParCS activities

Project Descriptions by Title

• Project 06. A Study of Quantum Applications within Earth System Modeling (ESM)
• Project 07. Can Data Assimilation of Spatially and Temporally Dense Surface Pressure Observations Reveal the State of the Entire Troposphere?
• Project 08. Decentralized Federated Learning Sensornets for Community Resilience and Actionable Science
• Project 09. EcoMAP: Ecological Mapping and AI-Assisted Species Profiling
• Project 10. Emulators and GPUs for Data Assimilation
• Project 11. Ensemble vs. Regional Refinement: Satellite Data Assimilation for Urban Air Quality Forecasting
• Project 12. Exploring Agentic Software Engineering and Spec-Driven Development for Scientific Software
• Project 13. Exploring AI-Assisted Interfaces for Search and Discovery using Scientific Embeddings
• Project 14. Large GPU Ensembles and Rare-Event Sampling for Weather and Climate
• Project 15. MPAS-A and Evaluating AI-assisted Coding Methods
• Project 16. Using agentic AI to accelerate the modernization of a large scientific codebase

Who We'd Love To Join Our Team

Successful candidates will ensure their application materials speak to the following criteria:

Education and Experience

• Must have attained a bachelor's degree at the time of application.
• Must currently be enrolled in a U.S. university.
• Must be a graduate or doctoral student.
• Must be authorized to work in the U.S. to be eligible for the SIParCS program.
• For F visa students accepted to the SIParCS program, CPT work authorization issued through a U.S. Designated School Official (DSO) or OPT issued through both a DSO and the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will be required.
• On-site participation in Boulder, Colorado.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Ability to work 40 hours/week from May 10 - July 30, 2027 (dates to be confirmed).
• End date may be flexible.
• NSF NCAR has 3 unpaid holidays for interns during the summer internship (Memorial Day, Juneteenth, 4th of July).
• Ability to work with a broad group of peers.
• Skill in the use of software for communication purposes (e.g. Word, Excel, PowerPoint, email).
• Ability and willingness to learn and use scientific computing tools and programs.
• Good oral and written communication skills.
• Basic problem-solving skills.
• Ability to analyze data and draw conclusions.
• Basic knowledge, through coursework, of mathematics, computer science, or engineering.
• Ability to interact with mentors and peers in a manner that supports collaboration and inquiry.
• Ability and willingness to work within guidelines and policies of the organization and assigned work groups.

Application Requirements

• Personal Statement, Questionnaire, Resume/CV, Unofficial Transcripts
• Submit all required application materials by 11:59 p.m. Mountain Time on the deadline.
• Only candidates with complete applications (including questionnaires, when required) will be considered.
• We recognize that no candidate will meet 100% of the listed qualifications.
• If you believe your background has prepared you for success in this role, we encourage you to apply.
• Candidates selected for hire will complete background checks and/or federal screenings.

Additional Information

UCAR is an Equal Opportunity Employer and welcomes all applicants. We do not discriminate based on race, age, sex, gender identity, disability, veteran status, or any other legally protected characteristic. You don’t need to include age-related information, such as birth or graduation dates, in your initial application. Applicants with disabilities may be entitled to reasonable accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Colorado Anti-Discrimination Act, or local laws. A reasonable accommodation is a change in the way things are normally done which will ensure an equal employment opportunity without imposing undue hardship on an employee. Please inform your Recruiter if you need assistance completing this application or to otherwise participate in the application process.

Visa Sponsorship

UCAR can sponsor H-1B status only for candidates already in the U.S. who hold H-1B status or another status that allows a change to H-1B within the country. We cannot sponsor new H-1B visas that require consular processing abroad.

Compliance and Location

All roles must comply with U.S. export control regulations and work location requirements. Hybrid staff work on-site 3 days per week or equivalent, based on their flexible work arrangement. UCAR requires ALL positions to be performed within the U.S., excluding U.S. Territories.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) Use

AI tools are permitted, but we strongly encourage candidates to submit primarily original work. At NCAR - the National Center for Atmospheric Research - we study weather, water, climate, air quality, and space weather to help protect lives and livelihoods, grow the economy, and enhance our nation’s security and well-being. We collaborate with research partners to advance the science that makes predictions better and with end users to develop applications for forecasters, farmers, resource managers, retailers, the military, and many other stakeholders. UCAR - the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research - manages NCAR on behalf of the National Science Foundation. We are a nonprofit consortium of more than 115 colleges and universities with research and training programs in Earth system science. We bring together the academic community and provide the operational management that are both essential to NCAR's success. UCAR’s community programs, from educational resources to data delivery and other services, extend the reach and impact of NCAR’s world‑class research to the community and society. We seek talented people with diverse backgrounds, training, and skills to join us in our mission of science in service to society.