Graduate (Year-Round) Intern - Transportation Systems Analysis

National Renewable Energy Laboratory; Colorado; On-site; USD 18,000 - 28,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

403(b) employer match

Sick leave

Job summary

National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, CO is offering a graduate intern position in Transportation Systems Analysis to work on mobility trends and energy implications of new transport technologies. The role involves building databases, processing big datasets, and creating dashboards for mobility-energy analyses.

Responsibilities include using HPC techniques to analyze travel activity, contribute to microsimulation frameworks, and communicate results to diverse stakeholders.

Qualifications

• Experience with quantitative data and statistical tasks.
• Proficiency in Python, R, MATLAB or SQL.
• Ability to create data visualizations with common tools.
• Familiarity with large datasets and geospatial data.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to work with stakeholders from technical and non-technical backgrounds.

Responsibilities

• Support mobility research and energy-use analyses.
• Process large real-world datasets and build dashboards.
• Contribute to population microsimulation modeling and scenario analysis.
• Communicate modeling methods and results to stakeholders.
• Evaluate accessibility outcomes and co-benefits of mobility systems.
• Analyze transit datasets to assess performance and usage.
• Synthesize literature, data analyses, and modeling results.
• Document methods and assist with publications and reports.

Skills

Python

R

MATLAB

SQL

Data visualization

Geospatial analysis

Statistical analysis

Communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in a relevant field

Master's degree in a relevant field

PhD candidate

Tools

GIS tools

scikit-learn

TensorFlow

PyTorch

Job description

Job Overview

Graduate (Year‑Round) Intern – Transportation Systems AnalysisLocation: Golden, COPosition Type: Intern (Fixed Term)Hours per Week: 20The National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR) invites graduate students to support research on mobility trends and the energy implications of emerging transportation technologies in our Center for Integrated Mobility Sciences. The internship enables students to develop databases, process large-scale real‑world datasets, and create dashboards that inform analysis of mobility and energy use.

Responsibilities

• Assist researchers in projects that assess how emerging transportation systems influence travel behavior, quality of life, and energy consumption.
• Analyze large‑scale travel activity, vehicle driving, and geospatial datasets using scalable, high‑performance computing techniques.
• Contribute to the development and enhancement of population evolution and demographic microsimulation frameworks, including model design, calibration, validation, and scenario analysis.
• Communicate modeling approaches and findings to technical and non‑technical stakeholders.
• Evaluate transportation accessibility outcomes, quantify trade‑offs and co‑benefits associated with emerging mobility systems, infrastructure investments, and policy interventions.
• Generate insights from transit datasets (e.g., GTFS, ridership, usage, fare data) to evaluate transit performance and accessibility.
• Deliver quality products that synthesize external literature, data analyses, and modeling results.
• Document methods and assumptions and assist with the preparation of peer‑reviewed publications, technical reports, and presentations.

Basic Qualifications

• Minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0.
• Undergraduate: Full‑time enrollment in a bachelor’s degree program at an accredited institution (or earned a bachelor’s degree within the past 12 months).
• Graduate: Full‑time enrollment in a master’s degree program at an accredited institution (or earned a master’s degree within the past 12 months).
• PhD candidate: Completed master’s degree and currently enrolled in a PhD program.
• Experience working with quantitative data and performing statistical or analytical tasks.
• Proficiency in one programming or analytical tool such as Python, R, MATLAB, or SQL.
• Ability to create clear and accurate data visualizations with tools such as Matplotlib/Seaborn, ggplot2, or equivalent.
• Experience handling large or complex datasets, strong problem‑solving skills, and attention to detail.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with demographic or population modeling or longitudinal data.
• Experience with transportation modeling, travel demand modeling, or land‑use and transportation interaction.
• Familiarity with GIS tools.
• Experience applying machine‑learning or data‑driven methods to forecasting, behavioral modeling, or pattern recognition.
• Familiarity with ML libraries or frameworks such as scikit‑learn, TensorFlow, or PyTorch.
• Cumulative undergraduate/graduate GPA over 3.5 on a 4.0 scale.

Benefits

Benefits include medical, dental, and vision insurance; a 403(b) employee savings plan with employer match; and sick leave where required by law. Interns working fewer than 20 hours per week are not eligible for medical, dental, or vision benefits.

Equal Opportunity Employer

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, color, disability, gender identity, genetic information, marital status, domestic partner status, military or veteran status, national origin/ancestry, race, religion, creed, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding), sexual orientation, or any other protected status under federal, state, or local laws.