Begin Your ORNL Career with a Distinguished Staff Fellowship

Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s Distinguished Staff Fellowship program—a highly competitive, prestigious early-career 

research opportunity—aims to cultivate future scientific leaders by providing dedicated mentors, resources, and enriching 

research opportunities at a national laboratory.

ornl.gov/careers/distinguished-fellowships

Big Science. Big Impact.

DISTINGUISHED STAFF FELLOWSHIPS

Targeted Research Directions

Distinguished Staff Fellowship candidates must demonstrate their ability to contribute to one (or more) of the following 

cross-disciplinary research initiatives:

Scale computing and data analytics to exascale and 

beyond for science and energy

Deliver transformational R&D to enable integrated 

energy systems and advancements in manufacturing

Discover and design next-generation materials

and chemical processes for energy

Advance the impact and application of 

neutron science

Understand complexity in biological and 

environmental systems

Provide strategic capabilities in isotope R&D 

and production

Achieve breakthroughs in nuclear science, technologies, 

and systems focusing on fusion and fission

Deliver science and technology to address 

complex national security challenge

Elucidate the principles of fundamental physics

and particle interactions
Fellowship Benefits

Our Fellows represent a broad range of disciplines and 

are found in research groups spanning the Laboratory’s 

research missions. We offer many opportunities.

Our mentorship plan is designed to facilitate the 

successful integration of each Fellow into ORNL’s 

scientific community and to align each Fellow’s 

research activities with DOE missions. We want DSFs 

to build long-term careers at ORNL.

Our DSFs Excel at ORNL

Those who stay at the Lab after their Distinguished Staff 

Fellowship find out that the vital support they received as 

DSFs continues, paving the way for them to make important 

contributions as full-time research staff members.

Our DSFs go on to:

• Win prestigious awards, including the DOE Early Career 

Award, Presidential Early Career Award, Gordon Battelle 

Prize, and UT-Battelle Significant Event Award

• Patent new technologies and partner with industry

• Become leaders and elected fellows within national 

and international professional societies related to their 

research fields

• Head up new ORNL programs and serve as technical 

points of contact for DOE programs

• Serve as principal investigators, managing project staff

Ideal Location

Located near the Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee, 

ORNL’s campus is just 1 hour away from the nation's 

most visited national park. Within a day’s drive of allmajor 

cities on the East Coast, ORNL provides the best of both 

worlds: proximity to the great outdoors and growing 

urban centers with diverse cultural attractions. The city of 

Oak Ridge has 150miles of shoreline for water recreation, 

rowing, and boating, and nearby Knoxville is home to the 

thriving research campus of the University of Tennessee 

and a historic downtown known for its dining, theaters, 

shopping, and cultural andmusic festivals.

In addition, East Tennessee is affordable, with a cost of 

living 8% lower than the national average* and no state 

income tax. It is one of the safest areas in the United States 

and has excellent school systems. Oak Ridge Schools is 

a top rated school system in Tennessee and maintains 

various STEM certifications.

Learn More: www.ornl.gov/who-we-are * According to data provided by erieri.com on 1/1/2023.

San Francisco

Seattle

Chicago

Atlanta

Austin

Albuquerque San Diego

New York

Washington

Boston

$1.93

$1.50

$1.57

98¢

$1.06

$1.38

$1.19

$1.59

$1.74

$1.66

Knoxville/Oak Ridge

90¢
Total Rewards and Amenities

Combined with competitive salaries, ORNL offers employees and their families a comprehensive and valuable benefits 

program. ORNL also has numerous on-site amenities that make life more convenient. 

401(k) Retirement Plan 

Generous Vacation and Holidays 

Pension Plan

Parental Leave

Medical Plan (Dental, Vision, 

and Health Savings Accounts)

Employee Assistance Program

Wellness Programs 

Employee Discounts

Flexible Working Hours 

Life Insurance

Educational Assistance

Disability Benefits

Relocation Assistance

Legal Insurance with Identity 

Theft Protection

Bank

Coffee Shop

Cafeteria

Gym

Exercise Classes

On-Site General Medical Clinic

Walking Trails

Testimonials

“ My fellowship allowed me to conduct independent research, broaden my scientific interests, 

 and develop my professional network.” 

—Chengyun Hua, R&D associate, Materials Science and Technology Division

“ My fellowship helped me become an independent researcher and understand how to integrate 

 my skill sets and research interests into major ongoing ORNL research projects.” 

—Omar Demerdash, R&D Associate, Biosciences Division

“ Being a Wigner Fellow has allowed me to grow my professional network, develop cross-

 disciplinary research collaborations, and continue on the path of becoming a thought leader 

 in my research area.” 

—Jacky Rios-Torres, R&D associate, Buildings and Transportation Science Division

“ My fellowship allowed me to become both a technical expert and an independent thinker. I 

 ventured into new research areas, connecting to fields previously unknown to me. Even a decade 

 later, many of my fellowship experiences continue to drive new ideas and scientific exploration.” 

—Petro Maksymovych, R&D staff, Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences

“ My fellowship enabled me to help build the neuromorphic computing research area at ORNL. 

 I also had the opportunity during my fellowship to focus on research that interested me and 

 to build a base of work to support funding bids as I continue neuromorphic computing 

 research at ORNL.” 

—Katie Schuman, research scientist, Computer Science and Mathematics Division
Questions? Contact ornlfellows@ornl.gov.

Watch ornl.gov/careers/distinguished-fellowships 

for announcements

Make your Big Science Impact

as an ORNL Distinguished Staff Fellow!

ORNL is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified candidates, 

including individuals with disabilities and protected veterans, are 

encouraged to apply. ORNL is an E-Verify employer.

What You Need to Know to Apply

When you apply, you should:

Have received your PhD in a STEM field before you begin the fellowship

Be no more than 5 years beyond receiving your highest technical degree when you apply.

Have demonstrated leadership skills such as creativity, delegation, responsibility, and the ability to cultivate 

diversity of thought

Please note that current ORNL postdoctoral researchers and ORNL staff members are not eligible to apply.

Our program runs three application cycles per year (January, May, and September), all of which last 4 weeks. Job openings 

are posted on jobs.ornl.gov during open application windows. When the application window is closed, provide your 

contact information under the Apply Now button so we can notify you when the next application window opens.

September 2023

Fellowship Namesakes

Our fellowships are named for three renowned scientists who made significant contributions to their scientific field and held 

leadership positions at the laboratory: Liane B. Russell, Alvin M. Weinberg, and Eugene P. Wigner. 

Russell Fellows are typically in the biological sciences, biomolecular chemistry, computational biology, 

and environmental and ecosystem sciences. Dr. Liane B. Russell was a groundbreaking geneticist at ORNL 

(1947–2002), and in 1973 she was the first woman to receive the internationally awarded Roentgen Medal.

She achieved international recognition for her contributions to our understanding of basic mammalian genetics.

Weinberg Fellows generally align with the applied, experimental, and computational sciences and 

demonstrate competency in chemistry and chemical engineering, radiochemistry, materials science and 

engineering, nuclear science and engineering, and manufacturing science and engineering. Dr. Alvin M. 

Weinberg, ORNL’s longest serving director (1955–1973), was a passionate advocate for nuclear energy with 

a strong interest in science policy

Wigner Fellows are typically in the fundamental sciences and demonstrate competency in advanced 

materials, chemistry, computational science, neutron scattering, nuclear physics, and plasma and fusion 

energy sciences. Dr. Eugene P. Wigner was a 1963 Nobel Laureate in physics and ORNL’s first director of 

research and development (1946–1947).

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