2027 Summer Intern - Research and Development - Defense Lab Support

Location: Warren, Michigan, United States of America

Job Description

About the Job

Join General Motors Research & Development as a Summer Research Intern supporting the Vehicle Defense Research group within the Safety, Engineering and Defense Research Lab. In this role, you will contribute to applied research involving military systems, defense technology, vehicle platforms, and emerging technologies.

You will work with experienced research scientists and engineers to evaluate current and emerging defense capabilities, apply evidence-based analysis, and help translate research concepts into vehicle, system, and software applications for federal and defense customers.

This internship is designed for a current undergraduate student who has a strong interest in defense technology and a demonstrated knowledge of, and passion for, military systems.

The Role

As a Summer Research Intern, you will support research planning and execution across defense-focused technical domains. You will collaborate with GM researchers, engineers, and external partners to conduct research, support technical analyses, document findings, and communicate recommendations.

You may contribute to projects involving

Military systems and Soldier systems

Ground vehicle platforms, mobility, and performance

Emerging warfare concepts and defense technology trends

Modeling, simulation, and experimentation

Defense software and hardware systems

Vehicle safety, testing, and assessment

Human-machine interaction and user experience

Autonomous systems and advanced vehicle technologies

The specific project assignment will depend on business needs, your academic background, and your technical interests.

What You’ll Do

Support research projects by gathering information, conducting analysis, and documenting methods and results.

Research military systems, defense technologies, vehicle platforms, and emerging warfare trends.

Assist with technical assessments of current and proposed R&D projects for defense applications.

Support modeling, simulation, testing, experimentation, and evaluation activities as appropriate.

Collaborate with research scientists, engineers, program managers, and other technical stakeholders.

Prepare technical presentations, research summaries, reports, and project documentation.

Participate in technical reviews and communicate research progress, findings, and recommendations.

Help identify opportunities to apply research outcomes to future GM products, systems, and defense programs.

Support university, government, national laboratory, and industry research partnerships as appropriate.

Assist with identifying dual-use applications for technologies relevant to both civilian and military systems.

Follow applicable requirements for classified information, export controls, intellectual property, and controlled unclassified information.

Contribute to a collaborative, inclusive, and technically rigorous research environment.

More About Who You Are

Passionate about military systems, defense technology, and national security applications.

Curious, analytical, and motivated to understand how complex systems operate in real-world environments.

Interested in applied research and the transition of research findings into practical vehicle, system, or software capabilities.

Comfortable learning new technical domains and working across multiple disciplines.

Able to communicate technical concepts clearly to both technical and nontechnical audiences.

Able to work independently while seeking guidance and collaborating effectively with a research team.

Committed to responsible handling of sensitive, proprietary, and potentially classified information.

Required Qualifications

U.S. Citizenship is required

Pursuit of a Bachelor’s degree in one of the following areas: engineering, computer science, physics, mathematics, military science, national security, or a related technical or defense-focused field.

Must be a current student

Able to work fulltime, 40 hours per week during the summer months

Demonstrated knowledge of and passion for military systems, defense technology, military operations, or related subjects through coursework, research, projects, military experience, extracurricular activities, or personal study.

Strong analytical, problem-solving, research, and technical writing skills.

Ability to communicate and collaborate effectively with scientists, engineers, military stakeholders, and program managers.

Ability to work in a hybrid environment and meet project milestones during the summer internship.

Preferred Qualifications

Currently pursuing, or planning to pursue, a master’s degree or Ph.D. in engineering, computer science, physics, mathematics, military science, national security, or a related field.

Prior research, coursework, project, internship, or military experience involving defense systems, military platforms, high performance ground vehicles, simulation, experimentation, testing, or assessment.

Familiarity with vehicle systems, defense acquisition, systems engineering, requirements development, verification and validation, or technology transition.

Experience with programming, data analysis, modeling, simulation, numerical methods, or technical visualization.

Experience presenting technical work through publications, posters, conference presentations, project reviews, or competitions.

Experience with one or more of the following: vehicle performance, autonomous systems, robotics, controls, human-machine interaction, defense software, advanced powertrain, electrification, or power systems.

Experience with automotive research, testing, or development.

Active U.S. Security Clearance as of the first day of work.

This position requires eligibility to access classified information at the Secret U.S. Security Clearance level for which the U.S. Government requires U.S. Citizenship. The successful candidate must have eligibility to obtain a security clearance at th