Summer 2026 Oak Ridge National Lab Internships – Priority Call for Duke Undergrads⁠

Trinity Undergraduate Research Support Office & Pratt Undergraduate Research

Oak Ridge National Laboratory Internal Call for Applications

Oak Ridge National Laboratories (ORNL) hosts summer undergraduate research opportunities that address ORNL’s scientific mission: materials, neutron sciences, energy, high-performance computing, systems biology, and national security. This program encourages undergraduate students to pursue science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) careers by providing research experiences at ORNL, the largest Department of Energy science and energy lab.  The program lasts 10-12 week, beginning around June 1.   

ORNL provides a stipend of $650-750/week, plus $250/week for housing, with a travel allowance of $500-1000.   

Student Applications are due January 9, 2026. Mentor Letters of Recommendation are due January 12, 2026.

This application is CLOSED

Duke is a core partner with ORNL, and we are doing an internal call for both Trinity and Pratt Duke undergraduate students to apply to be nominated for ORNL's consideration for a priority mentor match and placement this summer with one of 92 mentors who are interested in hosting a Duke student. Students chosen to be nominated through our internal application process will be highly likely to receive a placement, as matches will be made prior to the matches through their regular application process.   

Applying to be nominated by Duke does not preclude you from applying to ORNL in the same fashion as students from all over the world.  You are welcome to learn more about the ordinary internship application processes at education.ornl.gov. 

As part of the internal application process, you should review the list of 92 mentors from ORNL and be ready to rank the top 3 mentors you would be interested in working with.   

Review Mentors 

Research Areas of Mentors 

  • Biological and Environmental Systems Science Directorate
  • Computing and Computational Sciences
  • Energy Science & Technology
  • Environment, Safety, Health, and Quality
  • Facilities & Operations
  • Fusion and Fission Energy Sciences
  • Information Technology Services
  • Isotope Science & Engineering
  • National Security Sciences
  • Neutron Sciences
  • Physical Sciences 

Following your selection and matching, you will be required to file additional paperwork through ORNL’s application system, but this will be a formality for all matched students. 

Application Components 

As part of our internal application, you will be asked to provide the following: 

  • Name
  • Email
  • Phone Number
  • Major/Intended Major
  • Unofficial Transcript
  • Curriculum Vitae (CV)
  • Personal statement outlining any relevant experiences or research interests (previous research experience is not required) to support your interest in those mentors.  Please also include your specific career goals and how this internship can help you work towards those goals.
  • List key courses in your major related to research interests that you will have completed by May 2026
  • 3 mentors from ORNL that you are interested in working with
  • Letter of Recommendation from Duke faculty or staff  

Due Dates: 

  • Student Applications are due January 9, 2026
  • Mentor Letters of Recommendation are due January 12, 2026