Jill Hruby Fellowship

Sandia National Laboratories established the Laboratory Director Jill Hruby Postdoctoral Fellowship in National Security Science and Engineering in 2018. This prestigious fellowship supports early career researchers in engineering and science, fostering their development as future technical leaders in national security.
Named for Jill Hruby, the first woman to lead a major national security laboratory and former DOE Under Secretary for Nuclear Security, the fellowship honors her legacy of leadership and innovation. Hruby Fellows conduct independent research aligned with Sandia’s mission to develop advanced technologies for global security. They propose their own research topics and access Sandia’s cutting-edge facilities at New Mexico or California sites.
Each Fellow is paired with a mentor from Sandia’s technical staff to guide their research and career growth. Beyond research, Fellows engage in a leadership development program featuring coaching, peer mentoring, and opportunities to participate in internal committees and government relations activities.
This highly competitive fellowship seeks outstanding scientists and engineers with demonstrated research excellence and leadership potential, preparing them for impactful careers in national security science and engineering.

Requirements

Ph.D. completion between October 1, 2024, and October 1, 2027.
Evidence of strong academic achievement, excellent technical accomplishment, leadership and ability to team effectively.
Submission of the Applicant Information File, Cover Letter, and CV following the guidance described in the Application and Interview Process Overview section below.
Ability to obtain and maintain a DOE security clearance, which requires US citizenship.

Benefits

Sandia’s competitive wage and benefits package include an annual salary of $123,300 ($139,600 CA); flexible work arrangements; 13 paid holidays; three weeks of vacation; health, vision, and dental insurance; and a 401(k) savings plan with company match.

The fellowship includes full salary and benefits for three years plus a yearly plus an annual budget of up to $100K which can be used for research equipment, additional personnel, and travel.

Application and Interview Process Overview

The application process for the Hruby Fellowship is structured into three distinct phases: the Application Phase, Full Proposal Phase, and Interview Phase. All applicants must complete the Application Phase. From this phase, only a select group of candidates will be invited to submit a comprehensive proposal during the Full Proposal Phase. Subsequently, only those chosen from the Full Proposal Phase will advance to the Interview Phase.

Application Phase

Deadline: The application deadline is 5 PM Mountain Time, October 1, 2026.
Submission Requirements:
- To complete your application, please follow these steps:
  1. Access the Application:
    - Go to Sandia’s Career portal and search for “Hruby Fellowship.”
    - Select the relevant job posting.
  2. Submit Your Application:
    - Click “Apply for Job” and follow the instructions to upload the required documents.
  3. Required Documents: Combine all documents into a single file and submit it through the careers site.
    1. Completed Applicant Information File: Ensure that all fields are thoroughly and accurately completed.
    2. Cover Letter: Use the Cover Letter Template
    3. Curriculum Vitae (CV): In addition to standard CV details, be sure to include the following:
      - Research experience
      - Highlight projects where you initiated and/or lead the project, including mentoring experiences
      - Note collaborative projects with other groups, particularly where you initiated the collaboration
      - Communication Skills
      - Include traditional publications and conference/invited presentations
      - Highlight unique communication opportunities: workshop facilitation, teaching, public outreach, student governance, policy and advocacy engagement, etc.
      - Include your impact (e.g., taught workshop to 50 students, successfully advocated for university policy change)
      - Awards that you received
      - Additional notable leadership, community building, or service experiences

Full Proposal Phase

Eligibility: Only selected candidates from the Application Phase will be invited to proceed to advance to the Full Proposal Phase.
Deadline: Full proposals must be submitted to HrubyFellowship@sandia.gov by 5 PM Mountain Time on November 17, 2026.
- Resource Guide: Hruby Fellowship Full Proposal Phase Instructions
References: The Hruby Fellowship administration will contact the references listed in your completed Applicant Information File at this stage.

Interview Phase

Eligibility: Only candidates selected from the Full Proposal Phase will be invited to proceed to the Interview Phase.
Dates: Interviews are scheduled for January 12–14 and January 19–21, 2027. Each candidate will have a full day consisting of:
- Resource Guide: Hruby Fellowship Interview Process and Presentation Guidance
- Seminar: A 40–50 minute presentation on your proposal, followed by 10-20 minutes of Q&A (see guidance)
- Panel Interview: A 1 hour and 15-minute session with the Hruby Selection Committee that will start off with a Leadership Presentation (see guidance).
- Technical Interviews and Lab Tours: several interviews with technical experts and group members, lab tours of experimental facilities relevant to your technical area.
Additional Information: More details regarding the interview and seminar will be sent to selected candidates.

Please ensure you meet all deadlines and submission requirements to remain eligible. If you have any questions, contact the Hruby Selection Committee at hrubyfellowship@sandia.gov.

Fellowship Experiences

Ravyn Malatesta, 2025 Hruby Fellow

The Road from Chemistry to Physics

<strong>OPTICAL CONTROL</strong> — Hruby Fellow Ravyn Malatesta works at a computer controlling an optical setup. She is preparing a script to run measurements of the spectra of photon pairs emitted by a metasurface. (Photo by Craig Fritz) — **OPTICAL CONTROL** — Hruby Fellow Ravyn Malatesta works at a computer controlling an optical setup. She is preparing a script to run measurements of the spectra of photon pairs emitted by a metasurface. (Photo by Craig Fritz)

Ravyn Malatesta is focusing on the intricate relationship between light and matter, particularly how entanglement and other quantum properties of photons change when interacting with materials. Her current research explores the use of advanced materials, specifically metasurfaces, ultrathin films that support arrays of artificial nanostructures, to generate and control hyperentangled photon states. This approach could significantly enhance the information-carrying capacity of entangled photon signals, making them more resilient to noise and beneficial for quantum communication and applications in low signal-to-noise environments, such as imaging and sensing.

Olivia Krohn, 2025 Hruby Fellow

The nature and importance of molecular collisions

<strong>MOLECULAR COLLISIONS</strong> — Hruby Fellow Olivia Krohn assembles a chamber suited for high vacuum to study quantum-state-controlled molecular collisions in an isolated, gas-phase environment. In the construction phase, she is using a wrench to assemble the steel vacuum chamber. (Photo by Randy Wong) — **MOLECULAR COLLISIONS** — Hruby Fellow Olivia Krohn assembles a chamber suited for high vacuum to study quantum-state-controlled molecular collisions in an isolated, gas-phase environment. In the construction phase, she is using a wrench to assemble the steel vacuum chamber. (Photo by Randy Wong)

In chemical physics, understanding molecular interactions is vital for scientific advancement. Olivia Krohn, a Jill Hruby Fellow, is investigating these interactions at low energies, which could revolutionize understanding of chemical processes and lead to innovative technologies.

“My research dives into how molecules interact with each other, especially when they’re moving slowly,” she said. “When two atoms collide, their behavior isn’t so different from tiny billiard balls. However, molecules have shapes and additional motions like rotations and vibrations, which require energy. When two molecules collide, they redistribute that energy in interesting ways that are hard to predict.”

Ream more

Samantha Jaszewkski, 2024 Hruby Fellow

Harnassing ferroelectric materials in extreme environments

Image of fellows.jpg — **MATERIALS MAVEN** – Hruby Fellow Samantha Jaszewski is researching memory that is based on ferroelectric materials. (Photo by Tom Cogil)

During her fellowship, Samantha Jaszewski is researching computer memory that is based on ferroelectric materials, specifically focusing on hafnium oxide.

Hafnium oxide is a material that is present in computer chips; in its ferroelectric form, it can be used as a memory material that can enable further miniaturization of computer components.

“The material increases the efficiencies and lowers the energy needed for computing, which is important because the energy needs from computing are constantly increasing,” Samantha said.

Hafnium oxide also has the potential to withstand harsh radiation environments, which is important for several national security applications.

Hannah Stroud, 2024 Hruby Fellow

Enhancing reentry vehicle models with roughness features

Image of fellows2.jpg — **ROUGH SURFACES** — Hruby Fellow Hannah Stroud is researching incorporating roughness features into fluid and ablation models. (Photo by Lonnie Anderson)

Seeking the ability to choose her own research path and learn from the best and brightest, Hannah Stroud applied for the Jill Hruby Fellowship. Her experience as an intern gave her insight into the fellowship application process and the opportunities available at Sandia.

“Before beginning my internship, I didn’t know very much about Sandia at all. The internship process was helpful for understanding the type of work I could do as a postdoc, as well as for making connections with technical leaders who gave me a lot of guidance,” Hannah said.

Hannah earned bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate degrees in aerospace engineering from Texas A&M University. Her graduate research focused on aerospace structures and the ways they can change shape under loads. Hannah’s dissertation explored how forces from fluids like air and water can remove material from a structure, a topic which eventually connected her to scientists studying ablative thermal protection systems at Sandia.

When a vehicle reaches hypersonic speeds, the fast-moving air applies forces that result in friction, leading to extreme heating. To protect the vehicle and its contents, a sacrificial material can be burned off in a controlled way, taking heat away from the vehicle. This process changes the geometry of the vehicle, however, and often in non-uniform ways.

Hannah’s current work proposes methods for including aerodynamic effects of rough surface geometries produced during the ablation process in both fluid models and the ablation model itself. She and other scientists believe that understanding coupled effects are key to developing better hypersonic systems.

“I have a lot of support from people who are invested in the outcome of my work. I’m surrounded by a great team with so much knowledge and experience, and I’m so fortunate to learn everything I can from them,” said Hannah. https://www.sandia.gov/labnews/2024/05/02/exceptional-mission-work-achieved-through-sandia-postdoc-program/

Sommer Johansen, 2022 Hruby Fellow

Sommer Johansen received her doctorate in physical chemistry from the University of California, Davis, where her thesis involved going backward in time to explore the evolution of prebiotic molecules in the form of cyclic nitrogen compounds; her time machine consisted of combining laboratory spectroscopy and computational chemistry to learn how these molecules formed during the earliest stages of our solar system. She aims to improve models that demonstrate how burning bio-derived fuels affect the Earth’s planetary ecology and severe forest fires caused by climate change during her Hruby fellowship at Sandia National Laboratories.

Alex Downs, 2022 Hruby Fellow

Alex Downs completed her doctorate at the University of California, Santa Barbara, in August 2021. Her thesis title was “Electrochemical Methods for Improving Spatial Resolution, Temporal Resolution, and Signal Accuracy of Aptamer Biosensors.” She thought, “There’s a huge opportunity here for freedom to explore my research interests.” She hopes to create wearable biosensors that gather real-time molecular measurements from health markers and would lessen the need to visit doctors’ offices and labs for evaluations during her Hruby fellowship at Sandia National Laboratories.

Learn more about the 2022 Hruby Fellows.