NERSC Summer Internships
NERSC is a global leader in high performance computing (HPC) and data science. We empower researchers with the tools needed to tackle some of the world’s most pressing scientific challenges.
Every summer, we offer paid internships to graduate students, as well as undergraduate juniors and seniors, allowing them to collaborate with NERSC staff on various science and technology research projects.
How to apply
Although NERSC participates in the Computing Sciences Area summer student program, we require potential interns to apply directly to project mentors. So, while there are several pathways to summer internships, NERSC mentors are the ultimate arbiters for their individual projects.
NERSC staff generally begin posting projects in January for the upcoming summer. Mentors continue posting more opportunities into the late spring.
Projects are organized by their primary science or technology focus. Select a project title to view the description and a link for full details.
Quantum Computing
Quantum computing is evolving from static logical qubits to their active use in computation. While experiments validate “quantum memory,” entangled operations introduce challenges often overlooked in benchmarks. This project aims to analyze how selected CSS codes (e.g., Steane, Bacon-Shor) execute non-trivial Clifford circuits, quantifying trade-offs in syndrome extraction overhead, circuit depth, and logical fidelity under realistic noise conditions.
This internship offers a unique opportunity to contribute to the rapidly evolving field of quantum computing, specifically focusing on the critical area of quantum resource estimation (QRE). QRE analyzes the key resources, such as qubit counts, gate depths, and execution time, required for solving scientifically relevant problems on future quantum computers.
This internship offers a unique opportunity to contribute to the rapidly evolving field of quantum computing, specifically focusing on developing and validating scalable bounds on the performance of quantum computers.
Neutral-atom quantum processors are emerging as a technological platform for quantum information processing, offering potential advantages in scalability and qubit connectivity. This internship offers a unique opportunity to develop and test applications on digital, neutral atom-based quantum computers from QuEra Computing.
Quantum computing is transitioning from maintaining logical qubits to performing logical computations. Qudit technology is an active area of exploration because many physical systems have more than two levels available. Understanding logical qudit operations and qubit-qudit operations can help further advance the field.
The purpose of this project is to simulate qudit circuits and evaluate codes capable of representing qubit/qudit operations.
Quantum Computing
Quantum computing is evolving from static logical qubits to their active use in computation. While experiments validate “quantum memory,” entangled operations introduce challenges often overlooked in benchmarks. This project aims to analyze how selected CSS codes (e.g., Steane, Bacon-Shor) execute non-trivial Clifford circuits, quantifying trade-offs in syndrome extraction overhead, circuit depth, and logical fidelity under realistic noise conditions.
This internship offers a unique opportunity to contribute to the rapidly evolving field of quantum computing, specifically focusing on the critical area of quantum resource estimation (QRE). QRE analyzes the key resources, such as qubit counts, gate depths, and execution time, required for solving scientifically relevant problems on future quantum computers.
This internship offers a unique opportunity to contribute to the rapidly evolving field of quantum computing, specifically focusing on developing and validating scalable bounds on the performance of quantum computers.
Neutral-atom quantum processors are emerging as a technological platform for quantum information processing, offering potential advantages in scalability and qubit connectivity. This internship offers a unique opportunity to develop and test applications on digital, neutral atom-based quantum computers from QuEra Computing.
Quantum computing is transitioning from maintaining logical qubits to performing logical computations. Qudit technology is an active area of exploration because many physical systems have more than two levels available. Understanding logical qudit operations and qubit-qudit operations can help further advance the field.
The purpose of this project is to simulate qudit circuits and evaluate codes capable of representing qubit/qudit operations.
AI & Machine Learning
With the rise of AI, the energy cost of conventional computation is becoming unsustainable. One promising method for reducing this energy cost is thermodynamic computing: While thermal noise must be suppressed in digital or quantum computing at great energy cost, thermodynamic computers are instead powered by it. The goal of this internship is to perform large-scale simulations of thermodynamic computers at NERSC, with the aim of better understanding different topologies and their energy landscapes, as well as training methods.
AI & Machine Learning
With the rise of AI, the energy cost of conventional computation is becoming unsustainable. One promising method for reducing this energy cost is thermodynamic computing: While thermal noise must be suppressed in digital or quantum computing at great energy cost, thermodynamic computers are instead powered by it. The goal of this internship is to perform large-scale simulations of thermodynamic computers at NERSC, with the aim of better understanding different topologies and their energy landscapes, as well as training methods.