Each summer, students from across the country join Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) to gain hands-on experience, work alongside researchers and contribute to projects supporting the Lab’s mission. Meet four interns whose work spans emergency preparedness, artificial intelligence, actinide chemistry and additive manufacturing, and learn how their experiences are shaping their careers.
Exploring actinide chemistry and nuclear material tracking
Asia Jones, who graduated from Norfolk State University in spring 2026 with a degree in chemistry, is an intern in LLNL’s Physical and Life Sciences Directorate, within the Materials Science Division.
Jones is investigating applications of in-line nuclear material tracking using ultraviolet, visible and near-infrared spectroscopy. She also is synthesizing precursors for uranium nitride, uranium carbide and uranium sulfide.
She was inspired to intern at LLNL by the Lab’s research in actinides and radiochemistry. “The most rewarding part of my internship is gaining experience and skills in the lab that I haven’t yet received at my home institution,” Jones said.
Her work is preparing her for a future career in radiochemistry by providing hands-on experience with laboratory techniques and actinide research. She has been impressed by how supportive LLNL staff are of interns learning new skills and making the most of their time at the Lab.
Jones encourages future interns to gain as much knowledge as possible while participating in intern activities and building connections. She thanks the staff and fellow interns in the 1202 laboratory for their support and assistance.
Building emergency preparedness skills through collaboration
Garrett Heaton is pursuing a master’s degree in emergency management at the University of Southern California and serves as a graduate emergency management intern in LLNL’s Operations and Business Directorate, within the Response Services Division.
Heaton supports emergency preparedness initiatives, planning projects and exercise development. He also works with WebEOC to strengthen emergency response coordination and situational awareness.
“The most rewarding part has been leading the development and facilitation of a WebEOC tabletop exercise,” Heaton said. “Seeing an idea grow into a full exercise and watching people learn from it has been an incredibly valuable experience.”
His internship has strengthened his skills in planning, coordination and exercise development while showing him the importance of collaboration across organizations and disciplines. He encourages future interns to ask questions, volunteer for projects and connect with colleagues across the Lab.
“This internship has confirmed that emergency management is the career I want to pursue,” he said. “I’m grateful for the mentorship, hands-on opportunities and chance to contribute to the Lab’s preparedness mission.”
Advancing trustworthy AI for scientific discovery
Nobin Sarwar is a third-year Ph.D. student in computer science at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County and a Data Science Summer Institute intern at LLNL working closely with researchers in the Center for Applied Scientific Computing.
Sarwar conducts research on the safety, trustworthiness and evaluation of frontier models, spanning post-training optimization and agentic AI, with applications to scientific reasoning. He was drawn to LLNL's work in trustworthy, mission-driven artificial intelligence and the opportunity to collaborate with researchers using first-in-class resources.
His internship has strengthened his expertise in large language model (LLM) safety and reinforced his goal of developing trustworthy foundation models for high-stakes scientific applications. He was particularly struck by the importance of rigorous evaluation and reproducibility in safety research, noting that careful benchmarking and threat modeling are often what reveal a model's vulnerabilities.
"The most rewarding part has been collaborating with strong mentors and translating research ideas into working systems," Sarwar said. "Seeing my analogy-based probing and reasoning experiments directly inform safer, more reliable LLM pipelines has been especially meaningful."
Sarwar encourages future interns to ground their work within the broader project goals, ask questions, document their work and use available mentorship and resources. He credits his mentors, along with the LLM safety and scientific reasoning team, for supporting his research and growth.
Exploring mechanical logic through additive manufacturing
Julia Gallinger is a mechanical engineering student at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy and a member of the class of 2027. She is interning in LLNL’s Engineering Directorate, within the Materials Engineering Division.
Gallinger is researching mechanical logic by using stereolithography printing to create memory bits and analog elements at the mesoscale. She is evaluating resins and optimizing the designs for reliable small-scale printing.
She was drawn to LLNL by the opportunity to experience the Lab’s research and development, build professional connections and explore career options in mechanical engineering. Her project has expanded her understanding of mechanical logic and additive manufacturing while offering insight into civilian engineering careers after her Coast Guard service.
“The most rewarding part of my internship has been meeting other interns at similar stages in their careers and sharing our experiences,” Gallinger said. She also appreciated the many tours and events available to interns, which provide opportunities to learn about the Lab’s work and connect with colleagues.
Gallinger encourages future interns to participate in as many tours and events as possible. She also credits the managers of LLNL’s Additive Manufacturing Laboratory for their support and guidance.
From strengthening emergency preparedness to advancing artificial intelligence, radiochemistry and additive manufacturing, these interns are contributing fresh perspectives to LLNL’s mission. Their experiences demonstrate the value of mentorship, collaboration and hands-on learning.
Ready for your next internship? Explore LLNL’s undergraduate summer and year-round graduate programs, and apply today. Learn more about the intern experience on the Big Ideas Lab podcast, available on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.