Application Process

Faculty must submit a research project proposal that is co-developed with your Berkeley Lab collaborator. For proposal guidance, please click here to review the BLUFF Research Proposal Guidance.

Faculty may include up to two students from home academic institution.

The application requirements include:

1. Completion of all required fields in the application:

• Contact and education information
• Citizenship status
• Details of any internship, work, or volunteer experience
• Essays

2. Undergraduate transcripts, submitted online

Note: The minimum GPA required to gain acceptance into the program is 3.0. When providing a list of all college courses (title and number) you have completed and their respective grades, include a descriptive title for each course, e.g., CHEM 140A Advanced Inorganic Chemistry (not just CHEM 140A).

Research Interests and Special Skills

We encourage you to look at Berkeley Lab’s website to learn more about the Lab and any research projects that you would find interesting. You may view the Lab’s various scientific divisions at the Scientific Divisions webpage. It may also be useful to use keywords (research areas, project titles, or Berkeley Lab staff names) in the search field on the Lab’s daily newsletter, Elements and Berkeley Lab News Center pages. Learn more about WD&E mentors’ current research on our News and Events page.

Reaching Out to a Researcher

If you find a researcher whose project sounds like a good match, please contact that person to see if he or she is interested in hosting an intern. We have found this personal interaction to be a very effective way to match interns and mentors. You can get contact information for any scientist at Berkeley Lab by simply clicking “Directory” in the banner at the top of any page on the Lab’s website. Learn more about current research at Berkeley Lab on our News and Events page.

Have the researcher contact Nakeiah Harrell, Internship Manager, at nharrell@lbl.gov. Feel free to email Nakeiah with information about projects or researchers of interest, and Workforce Development & Education (WD&E) may contact them on your behalf as well.

Researchers are very busy and it may take some tenacity to connect with them. We encourage you to reach out to others in the department (e.g., an administrator) who may be helpful in redirecting you to other scientists with projects that would be a good fit for you as well.

Initiative is a very desirable quality in candidates for our programs; demonstrating initiative and your passion for science is likely to make a positive impact on our scientific staff. Connecting with a scientist and discussing your passion, acumen, and any collaborative opportunities via a WD&E internship is the best avenue to a successful placement. In your application, please speak to your passion for science and how it relates to some of the research we do at Berkeley Lab. This is helpful when mentors are considering applicants. Note: Lab experience is not required for acceptance into the program.

Application Essay

For the application essay, please keep in mind that scientist mentors will be looking specifically for your science background and interests in research.  Be sure that your essay also references the areas of research that you have identified from searching on the Lab’s website. Don’t list a specific person’s name, but do use as much detail about your interests as possible (e.g., “I am interested in energy research” is not as strong or helpful as, “I am interested in researching advanced vehicles and fuels,” or “I am interested in building more energy-efficient infrastructures, semi-conductors, and metals”).