2027 Summer Intern – Research and Development - Power Electronics & Energy Conversion Systems

Location: Pontiac, Michigan, United States of America; Warren, Michigan, United States of America

Job Description

The Role

Research and Development Intern – Power Electronics & Energy Conversion Systems

As a Research and Development Intern within the Power Electronics & Energy Conversion Systems group, you will support advanced research in power conversion, electric-drive systems, power modules, energy-conversion architectures, and related electrification technologies within GM’s Energy and Propulsion Systems Research organization.

Depending on your background, interests, and project needs, your work may include concept generation, circuit and system analysis, modeling and simulation, proof-of-concept design, hardware build, laboratory testing, troubleshooting, data analysis, and technical documentation.

Potential research areas include embedded PCB power modules,

multilevel inverters, next-generation power semiconductors, gate-drive systems, vehicle inverter and motor-system optimization, multifunctional or multiplexed power electronics, low-voltage vehicle-system cost reduction, onboard chargers, auxiliary DC-DC converters, electromagnetic-interference measurement and mitigation, and advanced power-conversion architectures.

The Team

The Power Electronics & Energy Conversion Systems group within Energy and Propulsion Systems Research conducts advanced research in vehicle power conversion, inverter architectures, power modules, gate drives, electric machines, charging systems, and related electrification technologies.

The team connects laboratory research, analytical modeling, simulation, prototype hardware, and experimental validation to support future GM electric, hybrid, and propulsion applications. You will work with experienced researchers and cross-functional partners in a collaborative environment focused on improving efficiency, power density, performance, reliability, cost, thermal behavior, and system integration.

What You’ll Do

Support research and development projects involving power electronics, energy conversion, electric drives, charging, and vehicle electrification.

Contribute to concept generation and technical evaluation of circuits, converters, inverters, power modules, gate drives, semiconductors, control methods, and system architectures.

Perform electrical, thermal, electromagnetic, loss, efficiency, reliability, and performance analyses as appropriate to the assignment.

Develop or use engineering models and simulations to evaluate switching behavior, power flow, losses, thermal performance, control response, electromagnetic effects, and system-level tradeoffs.

Assist with the design and evaluation of prototype hardware, including schematics, printed circuit boards, gate-drive circuits, power stages, sensors, measurement interfaces, and supporting components.

Support laboratory hardware checkout, bring-up, instrumentation, data acquisition, and controlled testing under appropriate supervision.

Help plan and execute bench, hardware-in-the-loop, dynamometer, or other laboratory experiments as appropriate to the project.

Collect, organize, process, and analyze electrical, thermal, mechanical, and control-system data.

Investigate unexpected results, troubleshoot hardware or software issues, identify root causes, and recommend corrective actions or design improvements.

Support testing and analysis of emerging semiconductor technologies or other advanced devices, as applicable to the project.

Assist with inverter, motor-drive, onboard-charger, auxiliary DC-DC converter, low-voltage power-conversion, multifunctional power-electronics, or EMI research as assigned.

Create or update engineering documentation, including schematics, calculations, simulation models, bills of materials, test plans, test procedures, laboratory records, technical reports, and presentations.

Maintain accurate records of assumptions, design decisions, test conditions, measurements, results, failures, and conclusions while following applicable laboratory and safety requirements.

Collaborate with researchers and cross-functional partners, communicate progress clearly, share technical learnings, and present project findings and recommendations.

Required Qualifications

Currently pursuing a Master’s or Ph.D. degree in electrical engineering, power electronics, power systems, energy conversion, control systems, mechatronics, electromagnetics, or a related science or engineering field.

Able to work full-time, 40 hours per week, for the duration of the summer internship.

Willing to work in a laboratory and engineering test environment and follow applicable safety requirements.

Preferred Qualifications

Coursework, research, or project experience in power electronics, power semiconductor devices, electric machines, motor drives, converters, inverters, power systems, circuit design, control systems, electromagnetics, or thermal management.

Experience with multilevel inverter topologies, resonant or high-frequency conversion, gate-drive design, PCB layout, power-module design, or switching-device characterization.

Familiarity with SiC, GaN, MOSFET, IGBT, hybrid-switch, or other power-semiconductor technologies.

Experience with MATLAB/Simulink, PLECS, LTspice, PSIM, ANSYS, COMSOL, or comparable engineering-analysis and simulation tools.

Experience with Python, C/C++, embedded controllers, FPGA or microcontroller platforms, data acquisition, or automated test systems.

Familiarity with oscilloscopes, power analyzers, current and voltage probes, thermal cameras, electronic loads, dynamometers, impedance analyzers, or other laboratory instrumentation.

Understanding of switching losses, conduction losses, parasitics, dead time, modulation, control-loop design, thermal limits, EMI/EMC, magnetic components, and power-device protection.

Experience designing experiments, analyzing measurements, correlating simulation with test results, or performing uncertainty and error analysis.

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