Internships and Research Experiences

Explore. Contribute. Grow.

At Oak Ridge National Laboratory, students and faculty engage in hands-on, mission-driven work across research, engineering, and professional disciplines. Through internships and term-based research experiences, participants contribute to real-world challenges in a dynamic laboratory environment.

Undergraduate Students

Explore internships for undergraduate and community college students in research, engineering, computing, and professional fields.

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Recent Graduates

Pursue select internships across scientific, technical, and professional fields while preparing for advanced study or the next stage of your career.

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Graduate Students

Deepen your expertise through internships and research collaborations that connect master’s and doctoral study with ORNL projects.

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Ann Shih, left, a process design engineer, stands with Qing Liu before Liu begins her internship at Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

Faculty Research Opportunities

ORNL provides short- and long-term research programs for either faculty or faculty-student teams to collaborate with world-class science and engineering mentors. The length of the faculty programs vary from summer internships to year-long sabbaticals, but all programs enable faculty members to broaden their professional outlook beyond the classroom with authentic research opportunities.

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The ORNL Accelerator

The ORNL Career Accelerator is the world-class career development experience offered to every intern at the laboratory. Through immersive research, mentorship, and a professional development series grounded in ORNL’s Core Values—Impact, Integrity, Teamwork, Safety, and Service—the Accelerator provides an environment that builds momentum for future academic or professional pursuits.

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Students participating in an ORISE program complete orientation and check-in activities at Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
Nathan Sutherland, an intern, wears a night vision system during a Protective Force demonstration at ORNL Safety Week.
Summer interns stand beside research posters and discuss their projects with attendees during the Summer Student Poster Session in Building 5700 at ORNL.
Students participating in the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) program arrive for orientation activities at Oak Ridge National Laboratory on May 26, 2026. The onboarding process includes ID badging, computer setup, credential generation, and mentor meet-and-greet activities across Buildings 5200, 5100, and 5700, helping prepare students to contribute to ORNL’s research mission and scientific workforce development initiatives.

Alumni Stories