R&D Engineer Intern

Location: Penn State University Park, United States of America

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS

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Approval of remote and hybrid work is not guaranteed regardless of work location. For additional information on remote work at Penn State, see Notice to Out of State Applicants.

JOB DESCRIPTION AND POSITION REQUIREMENTS

Your working location will be fully on-site located in University Park, PA.

The All-Domain Analytics and Signatures Office (A2SO) is seeking multiple highly motivated student interns to join our team as a Research & Development Engineer Intern. This internship provides a unique opportunity to explore and experiment with emerging AI capabilities within A2SO’s research domains. The selected interns will work closely with A2SO teams to understand available tools, evaluate AI opportunities and limitations, and design an innovative project that advances A2SO’s use of artificial intelligence in research and operational workflows.

ARL is an authorized DoD SkillBridge partner and welcomes all transitioning military members to apply.

You will

Learn and evaluate existing AI-related tools and resources available within A2SO.

Collaborate with project teams to help them understand how to access and effectively use these tools.

Assess and clearly communicate the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and risks of using AI in A2SO research areas.

Develop and execute an independent research project that experiments with AI integration into current or future A2SO efforts.

Present findings, recommendations, and prototype results to A2SO leadership and project teams at the conclusion of the internship.

Preferred Skills/Experience areas include

Candidates will ideally have experience or exposure in one or more of the following areas:

Operational AI implementation

Data analytics using AI systems or approaches

Applied data science in research or technical environments

AI-enabled technology development or optimization

Agentic AI integration or related experimentation

Who Should Apply

This role is ideal for students who are curious, innovative, and excited about pushing the boundaries of AI in applied research. Students from engineering, data science, computer science, information sciences, or related fields are strongly encouraged to apply.

Duration: 10 weeks, full-time (40 hours/week) with possibly follow-on in the Fall Semester Start Date: May 2027

ARL’s purpose is to research and develop innovative solutions to challenging scientific, engineering, and technology problems in support of the Navy, the Intel Community (IC), and other federal government customers.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION on ARL, visit our website at www.arl.psu.edu.

BACKGROUND CHECKS/CLEARANCES

Employment with the University will require successful completion of background check(s) in accordance with University policies.

Notice regarding employment at the Applied Research Laboratory (ARL):

Employees must be eligible to obtain a government security clearance, participate in the ARL drug testing program, and comply with electronic and physical monitoring requirements applicable to federal contractors. ARL operates in a secure information environment involving Unclassified, Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI), and Classified information. Personal electronic devices brought onsite must be registered and may be restricted from certain areas. You must be a U.S. citizen to apply.

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Pursuant to the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act and the Pennsylvania Act of 1988, Penn State publishes a combined Annual Security and Annual Fire Safety Report (ASR). The ASR includes crime statistics and institutional policies concerning campus security, such as those concerning alcohol and drug use, crime prevention, the reporting of crimes, sexual assault, and other matters. The ASR is available for review here.

EEO IS THE LAW

Penn State is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to providing employment opportunities to all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or protected veteran status. If you are unable to use our online application process due to an impairment or disability, please contact 814-865-1473.

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