National lab Definition and 14 Threads

Hi, I'm an incoming first year undergrad physics student at a US institution. I want to be an experimental research physicist desperately; the fields I love the most are particle physics and astrophysics (and even a combination of the two: astroparticle physics, DM/DE detection, neutrinos, you...

I've heard of the difficulty of getting tenure-track professorships at R1 institutions, but I am curious about the competition at national labs (staff positions). How competitive are they? I have just started grad school at an ivy league, for reference.

I spoke with a professor I'm working with about my personal statement for graduate school. She took issue with my beginning paragraph: "My interest in plant science grew out of my desire to create peace between humanity and their environment. Anxiety over doomsday scares of global warming drove...

I understand that connections, research record will play a major role in landing an interview for a national lab job, even for a staff scientist position, and I wouldn't be opposed to working in a national lab after graduation (and any appropriate postdocs). However, that is not my question. As...

I will be graduating with a BA in physics and BS in Electrical Engineering in May. I want an optics PhD. I attended an info session on Sandia National Labs at my university, and the recruiters made me think about a PhD program through a national lab. If someone has experience with the National...

The tevatron was shut september 30, 2011 at Fermilab National Laboratory. Basically the particle research is now done in CERN instead. This is bad news because I was planning to do an internship there for high energy physics. Does this mean that I shouldn't be applying for high energy physics...

Hello, when I finish school I will have an MS in nuclear engineering with second majors in both applied math and physics. I was wondering, if I get a job at a national lab, what will my prospects be vs. someone entering with a phd? After some time there will I be able to do the same work that...

Hi All, I have an interview at a national lab in a few weeks and would like to know what to expect. I'll give a seminar and meet with ~9 staff members through out the day. The seminar shouldn't be problem but I'm concerned about getting overwhelmed by meeting everyone and discussing their...

Hi folks, I was wondering if any of you have heard about research and development staff working remotely at a national lab after working there for several years? I had met one individual at a conference who worked at LANL, but lived in Georgia. His work was computer-based, so he didn't have...

I'm a first year PhD ME student and I'm thinking about applying for an internship at a national lab next summer. Are interns typically treated well at labs, as in they do somewhat meaningful work and research? I'm not looking for some kind of REU experience but something that would actually...

The theme seems to be that Academia positions are far and few between, so it that the same for National Labs too? Thanks.

I got an email from a professor that I've been working closely with for the last 2 years about giving a talk at a big research symposium. He said he would help me with my talk and get a nice presentation together. However, the symposium is not close to me at all. I am in NY and the symposium...

Hello, I am wondering if anybody has any advice on which direction is better for somebody who hopes to work as a tenured university professor. I am a PhD candidate in Material Science. My work is 70% experimental (ion implantation, SEM,Auger, and XPS) and 30% computational (ab-initio, and MD...

Hi, I am going to apply for an internship this summer at one of the national labs. I am wondering if anyone else from here has been accepted, so that I know how difficult is the competetion. Because I'd really like the internship, and I don't have a backup plan. They didn't give any...