The US National Science Foundation and the Department of Energy, through its Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), have initiated a joint training and professional development opportunity for NSF-supported graduate students in the area of hydrogen and fuel cell technologies. The opportunity, named Hydrogen INTERN, is offered through the NSF Non-Academic Research Internships for Graduate Students (NSF INTERN) program.

Hydrogen energy holds great promise as a renewable, reliable source for transportation, industrial and stationary power applications. A skilled workforce is needed to drive research and development of hydrogen generation, production, delivery, infrastructure, storage and fuel cell technologies, and to help commercialize and unlock the societal benefits of hydrogen as an energy source.

Established in 2017, NSF INTERN provides graduate students with six-month experiential learning opportunities through research internships where they acquire core professional competencies and skills working on-site at a non-academic host organization.

INTERN complements academic research training, enhances preparation of graduate students for multiple career paths and encourages the participation of the full spectrum of diverse talent in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

The NSF-DOE EERE Hydrogen INTERN opportunity will fund approximately 10 internships per fiscal year, providing up to $55,000 per student in a six-month period. Internships may take place in industry (startup, small, medium or large firms), nonprofit organizations, national laboratories, other government agencies and laboratories or other settings outside of academia.

This activity is coordinated through the NSF-DOE Memorandum of Understanding signed in March 2022, continuing the agencies’ longstanding partnership for collaboration on scientific and engineering research to bolster national energy policy.