Nonproliferation Graduate Fellowship Program FAQs
Do you have to be currently enrolled in graduate school to be eligible?
The Nonproliferation Graduate Fellowship Program does require that applicants must be 1) in progress with master's studies, or in the stages of completing a graduate degree or PhD; OR 2) finished with their graduate program in the calendar year 2009; OR 3) accepted into a graduate program for fall 2009. As a side note, some Fellows continue their graduate studies during the Fellowship term.
What is the timeline for the application through hiring processes?
- Applications are due in late October for the following year.
- Notification of selection for interview(s): By late November.
- Interview(s) in Washington, D.C.: Mid-December.
- Orientation and training in Richland, WA: Mid-June the following year.
- Orientation and training in Washington, D.C.: Late June.
Is it possible to apply to the program in late October and still get all my paperwork in?
We have had very ambitious students turn their entire application package around from initial sign-in to complete application, including original transcripts and letters of recommendation, in 48 hours.
Beware, this is not the norm and we do not recommend it. Please give yourself plenty of time. Applications are due no later than 5:00 p.m. PDT, Monday, October 26, 2009.
What if I have finals during the interview week?
Please make arrangements to change the day of your final. We try to have you on the ground in the D.C. area for your interview in the shortest time possible.
What if I interview but don't get an offer?
The selection process is very competitive. If you qualify again for the next year, please feel free to apply again.
The Recruiting Office said it emailed something but I didn't receive it.
Please make sure that your spam filter has ngfp@pnl.gov as an accepted sender email/domain.
What are some sample projects that Fellows of the program have been involved in?
Below are some day-to-day tasks that have been done in the past, followed by the type of projects that have been done in each NNSA office.
- Writing a talking-points paper on meeting with the head of South Africa's Nuclear Safeguards for the Secretary of Energy for the IAEA General Conference—Assisting lab personnel and federal co-workers in deciding which projects to propose to the Libyans in the Sister Laboratory program.
- Briefing the NA-20 front office on a joint Technology Demonstration with the Chinese to protect a Category One Nuclear Material Facility.
- Drafting a briefing paper for the secretary on strategies to cooperate with international partners.
- Attending an interagency project at the State Department on which IAEA projects to fund.
- Meeting and briefing the Deputy Chief of Mission for the U.S. Embassy in Iraq regarding DOE projects.
- Coordinating meeting between the head of the Japanese counterpart Department to DOE and the head of the U.S. Office of Nuclear Safeguards.
- NA-21 Office of Global Threat Reduction
- To identify, secure, remove, and/or facilitate the disposition of vulnerable, high-risk nuclear and other radiological materials around the world.
- Sample Project NA-21 is involved in: Cooperating with Countries to Convert their Research and Test Reactors from Highly Enriched Uranium to Low Enriched Uranium.
- NA-22 Office of Nonproliferation Research and Development
- Through the development and use of technology, reduce threats to national security and world peace posed by nuclear weapons proliferation and illicit materials trafficking, and assist in fulfilling U.S. treaty monitoring commitments.
- Sample Project NA-22 is involved in: Creating Technologies and Monitoring for Nuclear Explosions Worldwide.
- NA-23 Office of Nuclear Risk Reduction
- Reduce the risk of accidents at foreign nuclear facilities by (1) eliminating and working to halt production of weapons-grade nuclear materials and (2) strengthening capacities of foreign governments and international organizations to respond to nuclear emergencies or other incidents.
- Sample Project NA-23 is involved in: Training Other Countries' Emergency Responders on Nuclear Incidents.
- NA-24 Office of Nonproliferation and International Security
- To strengthen U.S. national security through the application of technical and policy expertise to detect, prevent, and reverse the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction worldwide.
- Sample Project NA-24 is involved in: Establishing Programs to Redirect Nuclear Scientists from Working on Nuclear Weapons Programs to Peaceful Nuclear Projects.
- NA-25 Office of International Materials Protection and Cooperation
- Enhance U.S. national security and reduce the threat of nuclear proliferation and nuclear terrorism by improving the security of weapons-usable nuclear and radiological material and enhancing detection and interdiction infrastructure at international borders.
- Sample Project NA-25 is involved in: Upgrading Protection at Russian Nuclear Facilities.
- NA-26 Office of Fissile Materials Disposition
- Reduce inventories of surplus fissile materials in a safe, secure, and irreversible manner.
- Sample Project NA-26 is involved in: Dispose of Surplus Russian and U.S. Weapons-Grade Plutonium.