Following splashdown of the Polaris Dawn mission on September 14, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory’s (PNNL’s) experiment payload was whisked from the ocean and transported nearly 3,000 miles back to PNNL—by ship, helicopter, car, and plane—arriving September 15 in PNNL’s Shallow Underground Laboratory in Richland, Washington, where scientists are measuring samples to learn about the space radiation environment. Read more.
Tackling One of the Most Extreme Environments on Earth: Nuclear Waste
New funding spurs a new approach to researching the effective retrieval and processing of legacy radioactive waste. The four-year focus of the Ion Dynamics in Radioactive Environments and Materials (IDREAM) Energy Frontier Research Center will link attosecond timescales to decades-long chemical processes. Read more.
Hands in the Glove Box
PNNL welcomed a United Kingdom researcher for a six-week, hands-on research exchange to develop nuclear forensic techniques. The visiting PhD researcher from Bangor University, Wales, who is sponsored by the Atomic Weapons Establishment, teamed up with PNNL staff for applied plutonium studies. Read more.
Studying Lithium Silicates to Fuel Fusion Reactions
PNNL researchers studied the microstructure of lithium silicates under emulated fusion conditions. This research showed that coating the ceramic with pure nickel can minimize lithium loss—indicating the combination of materials may be a suitable candidate for fusion applications. Read more.
Waste Management Symposia Honors PNNL Research
PNNL researchers earned five Papers of Note, 17 Superior Papers, and one poster award for their environmental remediation, radioactive waste, and nuclear energy-related presentations. The awardees include Environmental Management and Nuclear Energy sector researchers, plus an IDREAM paper. Read more.
PNNL Technology Wins Three R&D 100 Awards
Artificial Intelligence-Guided Transmission Electron Microscope (AutoEM) is one of three 2024 R&D 100 Award-winning technologies from PNNL. The microscope platform combines the power of machine learning with advanced automation to probe the building blocks of matter with speed, clarity, and precision. It enables discoveries in clean energy, quantum computing, medicine, and manufacturing. AutoEM can achieve in one hour what used to take a team of people 1,000 hours. Read more.
Aubrey Means Selected for CSIS Mid-Career Cadre, Class of 2024
The Center for Strategic and International Studies’ Project on Nuclear Issues is a three-year cadre featuring development opportunities for professionals in the nuclear field. Members are selected based on their ability to demonstrate developing expertise in the nuclear field. Read more.
PNNL Events
PNNL researchers will be featured at these upcoming conferences.
Grace Hopper Celebration
Join staff on October 8–11 at the Grace Hopper Celebration, the world's largest gathering of women and nonbinary technologists. There, our scientists and engineers draw on their abilities in chemistry, Earth sciences, data analytics, mathematics, artificial intelligence, and more to advance scientific discovery and pursue solutions to the Nation's toughest challenges in energy resilience and national security. View the PNNL event page for more information on the teams and career opportunities.
Career Connections
Ignite your career at PNNL. On October 14–17, PNNL is hosting a virtual recruitment event where attendees will have the opportunity to speak with staff and recruiters about career opportunities available across the lab. View the PNNL event site to register and check out the agenda.
Nuclear Career Opportunities Across PNNL Research and Operations Missions
Post Doctorate RA - Process Sensing & Separations: Work under the guidance of senior scientists and engineers and focus efforts on performing spectroscopic and optical process monitoring experiments, chemical speciation, and materials characterization. Apply by September 23, Req ID 9676
Post Doctorate RA - Process Sensing & Separations: Support process monitoring work in the Radiochemical Processing Laboratory by planning and performing experiments with radioactive and non-radioactive materials and then interpreting the data from these experiments. Apply by September 23, req ID 9676.
Group Leader - Nuclear Chemistry & Engineering: Lead research nuclear staff and develop technical capabilities in support of nuclear energy, environmental management, and other missions within the Energy and Environment Directorate’s Nuclear Sciences Division. Apply by September 27, Req ID 9520.
Nuclear Criticality Safety Representative: Support the Radiation Protection Division with the protection of staff and the public from unnecessary exposure to ionizing radiation, the protection of Laboratory facilities, equipment and the environment from contamination with radioactive materials, and the promotion of compliance with applicable regulatory and contractual requirements. Apply by September 28, Req ID 9620
The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) Graduate Fellowship Program (NGFP) is a premier channel to develop top talent for our nation’s critical security missions. Fellows support the full breadth of NNSA’s missions and make meaningful contributions across the technical and policy realms.
Analytical Radiochemist 4: Conduct research in PNNL’s Radiochemical Processing Laboratory, including using quantitative chemical techniques for characterizing and/or processing radioactive materials. Apply by October 6, Req ID 9531.
See full details on these and additional opportunities on the Careers website; search for “nuclear.” Join our Talent Community and upload your resume to receive updates on future PNNL job postings.
PNNL's multidisciplinary expertise in nuclear science provides solutions to some of the world’s most complex environmental, radiological, and national security challenges.
Nuclear@PNNL gives readers a firsthand look at PNNL's focus on nuclear materials behavior, chemistry, forensics, and processing to advance nuclear energy, resolve legacy waste, and support national security. Each issue highlights the expertise of our researchers, their contributions to the nuclear mission space, and our state-of-the-art research facilities where discoveries and advancements are made.
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory draws on its distinguishing strengths in chemistry, Earth sciences, biology and data science to advance scientific knowledge and address challenges in sustainable energy and national security. Founded in 1965, PNNL is operated by Battelle for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science, which is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States. DOE’s Office of Science is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, visit the PNNL's News Center. Follow us onTwitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram.
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