Graduate Student Research Assistant positions available

June 11, 2026

POSITION DESCRIPTION

Seeking two Graduate Student Research Assistants (GSRA) to join the Energy Markets and Planning (EMP) department at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL). One GSRA would work primarily on projects relating to generator interconnection while the other would focus on solar+storage power plants. The two positions have similar responsibilities and qualifications, though the interconnection work will be more data-intensive while the solar+storage work will involve more qualitative analysis, such as policy and literature reviews.

Please submit a resume/CV and a single cover letter to [email protected] by 24-June-2026 and state in your email whether you are applying for the “interconnection GSRA,” “solar+storage GSRA,” or “open to either position.”

LOGISTICAL DETAILS:

  • We are looking to hire for Fall 2026, with the potential to extend if mutually desired
  • 50% time (20 hours per week) 
  • Pay scale (step level) depends on experience, in accordance with contract terms
  • In-person, hybrid, and remote work options.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

The GSRA would work on one or more projects within the Energy Markets & Planning department at LBNL (https://emp.lbl.gov/utility-scale-generation-storage). The projects are funded by the U.S. Department of Energy and will be in collaboration with a number of other lab staff.

The projects for which we may seek GSRA assistance include but are not limited to:

  1. Large-scale generation interconnection queues and costs
  2. Utility-scale solar+storage project operations and associated incentive and market structures

The ideal candidate would be able to manage large datasets, perform statistical analyses, review technical and academic literature, and develop written materials about the findings, under the direction of the lead researcher(s). We are particularly interested in students with a bulk power system research focus and with prior relevant experience.

POSITION QUALIFICATIONS:

Essential:

  • Highly organized, responsible, and self-starting
  • Interest in at least one of the projects listed above
  • Experience working with large datasets (compiling, organizing, merging, cleaning, analyzing, etc.)
  • Demonstrated skills with at least one programming language appropriate for analysis of large datasets, (e.g., R, Python, Stata).

Beneficial:

  • Training in a field related to energy, especially markets, policy, or economics
  • Experience locating, reviewing, and summarizing policy documents
  • Proficiency with statistics
  • Experience with AI or other data scraping software for data collection automation and analysis