Intern, R&D Graduate Year-Round - Counter-Autonomy & Intrusion Detection, Hybrid

Sandia National Laboratories; New Mexico; Hybrid; USD 24,796 - 38,572; Full time

Job summary

Sandia National Laboratories invites R&D oriented graduate interns for a year‑round position in Counter‑Autonomy & Intrusion Detection. You will assist with projects on autonomy, ML, data analysis, and sensor integration, learning experimental methods and software development.

The role offers collaboration with multidisciplinary teams across software, electrical, mechanical, and data science engineering, with opportunities to present results and contribute to national security projects.

Qualifications

• Earned bachelor’s degree; currently enrolled full-time in an accredited science, engineering, or math graduate program.
• Minimum GPA 3.0/4.0.
• Can work up to 30 hours/week during the academic year and up to 40 hours/week in the summer.
• Must be able to obtain a U.S. security clearance; U.S. citizenship required.

Responsibilities

• Assist with developing, integrating, testing, and evaluating counter‑autonomy technologies.
• Support software for data processing, analysis, visualization, and algorithm evaluation.
• Assist with collecting, labeling, and analyzing experimental or simulated data.
• Develop and evaluate ML or signal processing methods for detection and tracking.

Skills

Python

PyTorch

TensorFlow

OpenCV

NumPy/SciPy

scikit-learn

Git

Linux

GPU computing

Machine learning

Computer vision

Data analytics

Education

Bachelor's degree

Graduate student in STEM

Tools

Git

Linux

CUDA

Job description

Intern, R&D Graduate Year‑Round - Counter‑Autonomy & Intrusion Detection, Hybrid

We are seeking R&D focused graduate student interns for a year‑round position in our Counter‑Autonomy and Intrusion Detection department. You will assist with a broad range of national security challenges associated with the physical security of nuclear materials, critical infrastructure and national security sites. Daily activities will involve working with staff members and technologists on multiple projects typically centered around three main bodies of work: autonomy and unmanned systems, algorithm development and code generation, and R&D for novel physical intrusion (people, drones, vehicles) detection methods. The successful candidate must be willing to learn a variety of topics from multiple domains, such as physical security, computer science, computer engineering, sensors and sensor theory, machine learning, optical science, robotics/mechatronics, and signal processing. Interns will work in a collaborative, mentored research environment with opportunities to learn experimental methods, software development practices, and technical communication.

On any given day, specific project areas may include:

• Assisting existing project teams to develop, integrate, test, and evaluate counter‑autonomy technologies
• Supporting software development for data processing, analysis, visualization, and algorithm evaluation
• Assisting with the collection, organization, labeling, and analysis of experimental or simulated data
• Developing and evaluating machine learning or signal‑processing methods for detection, classification, tracking, or characterization tasks
• Supporting hardware/software integration for sensors, embedded devices, data acquisition systems, or prototype platforms
• Participating in laboratory, simulation, or field‑test activities to evaluate emerging concepts and prototype capabilities
• Developing tools to support experiment planning, performance assessment, and technical decision‑making
• Working with multidisciplinary teams across software engineering, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, data science, and systems engineering
• Documenting technical work and communicating results through presentations, reports, and team discussions

This position offers the opportunity to contribute to challenging national security problems while gaining experience in applied research, experimental systems, data analysis, machine learning, and integrated technology development.

The selected applicant can work a combination of onsite and offsite work. The selected applicant must live within a reasonable distance for commuting to the assigned work location when necessary.

Salary Range

At Sandia, we value the important work done by our interns and its contribution to National Security. Because of this, our interns earn competitive pay rates. Our pay structure is based on earned credit hours, classification, and degree level. Your pay rate will be determined during the hire process and included in your offer package. You can view the Intern Pay Rate chart here (https://www.sandia.gov/app/uploads/sites/51/2024/12/Student-Rate-Sheet-2025.docx).

Qualifications We Require

• Earned bachelor’s degree
• Currently attending and enrolled full time in an accredited science, engineering, or math graduate program
• Minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0/4.0
• Ability to work up to 30 hours per week during the academic year, and up to 40 hours per week during the summer
• Ability to secure and maintain a U.S. security clearance which requires U.S. citizenship

Qualifications We Desire

• Experience with Python for scientific computing, automation, data processing, or algorithm development
• Familiarity with Python libraries such as NumPy, SciPy, pandas, matplotlib, scikit‑learn, OpenCV, or similar tools
• Familiarity with PyTorch, TensorFlow, or related machine learning frameworks
• Experience or coursework in machine learning, deep learning, computer vision, signal processing, or data analytics
• Experience collecting, processing, labeling, visualizing, or analyzing experimental data
• Experience with hardware/software integration, embedded systems, sensors, or data acquisition systems
• Interest in autonomy, robotics, unmanned systems, counter‑autonomy, or related national security applications
• Experience with software development in Linux environments
• Familiarity with Git or other collaborative software development tools
• Experience with sensor fusion, tracking, detection, classification, or anomaly identification
• Interest in real‑time or near‑real‑time data processing systems
• Familiarity with GPU computing, CUDA, edge computing, or accelerated computing
• Experience with modeling, simulation, or performance evaluation of algorithms or systems
• Ability to communicate technical results through presentations, reports, documentation, and team discussions
• Strong initiative, curiosity, and willingness to learn new technical areas

About Our Team

The Counter‑Autonomy & Intrusion Detection department is seeking outstanding graduate students in electrical engineering, computer engineering, computer science, or related fields to join a fast‑paced research team developing and evaluating new counter‑autonomy concepts. Interns will contribute to research and development efforts aimed at improving the performance and effectiveness of counter‑autonomy systems. Successful candidates will work in a collaborative, learning‑focused environment and support the design and execution of experiments to evaluate novel technologies. Areas of emphasis include imaging, sensor fusion, data collection, machine learning, and hardware prototyping.

Security Clearance

Sandia is required by DOE to conduct a pre‑employment drug test and background review that includes checks of personal references, credit, law enforcement records, and employment/education verifications. Applicants for employment need to be able to obtain and maintain a DOE L‑level security clearance, which requires U.S. citizenship. If you hold more than one citizenship (i.e., of the U.S. and another country), your ability to obtain a security clearance may be impacted. Applicants offered employment with Sandia are subject to a federal background investigation to meet the requirements for access to classified information or matter if the duties of the position require a DOE security clearance. Substance abuse or illegal drug use, falsification of information, criminal activity, serious misconduct or other indicators of untrustworthiness can cause a clearance to be denied or terminated by the DOE, resulting in the inability to perform the duties assigned and subsequent termination of employment.

EEO

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, or veteran status and any other protected class under state or federal law.