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Autonomous Systems Intern

The MITRE Corporation

McLean, VAInternship$47–70K/yrSeen 1 day agoSeen in employer's feed 1 day ago

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At a glance

Compensation
$47–70K/yr
Location
McLean, VA
Role Type
Internship
Schedule
Internship
Work Authorization
Not specified

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Job overview

MITRE’s Autonomous and Intelligent Systems Department seeks an intern to support AI and autonomous-systems solutions for sponsor programs or internal R&D. The intern will collaborate with engineers and researchers on robotics activities such as perception, navigation, embedded software, machine learning, simulation, and system integration. The role offers hands-on experience applying academic knowledge to challenging technical work supporting public-interest missions.

Skills & qualifications

RequiredNice to have

Skills

RoboticsAutonomous SystemsRobotic ArchitecturesKinematicsDynamicsControlPerceptionPlanningC/C++PythonROSMATLAB/SimulinkRobotics Software FrameworksROS/ROS2GazeboEmbedded DevelopmentGitComputer VisionPath PlanningNavigationReal-Time SystemsEmbedded SystemsMachine LearningModeling and SimulationHardware-in-the-Loop Testing

Qualifications

Full-Time StudentAccredited Degree ProgramContinued Enrollment Next SemesterSustained Academic ExcellenceRobotics or Related DegreeRobotics Project Experience

Full job description

At MITRE, your passion fuels work that impacts our nation and improves lives. This is where your skills strengthen national security, cybersecurity, health, transportation, and citizen services. We’re a nonprofit engineering, applied research, and advanced technology organization working in the public interest. With objectivity and integrity at our core, we lead federally funded research and development centers for U.S. government agencies – collaborating with industry and academia to deliver integrated, high-impact solutions that advance our nation’s health, security, and prosperity. Our people tackle the toughest technical challenges, supported by competitive benefits, meaningful career development, and a culture of innovation, collaboration, and technical excellence. Choose MITRE for a career with purpose — and help shape the future.

MITRE’s Autonomous and Intelligent Systems Department is an innovative team of engineers focused on the development of cutting-edge autonomous systems, robotics capabilities, and AI solutions. The department has a new opportunity for a strong technical candidate to work with an innovative team of engineers focused on developing Artificial Intelligence and/or Autonomous System solutions for sponsor needs. The right candidate will enjoy a fast-paced team environment and working with groundbreaking technology. We are seeking candidates that can assist in building robots, artificial intelligence projects, and evaluating state-of-the-art systems. The candidate for this position will work on challenging activities in direct support of sponsor programs and/or internal R&D supporting MITRE’s AI and autonomy

efforts.

Job Responsibilities:

As a Robotics and Autonomous Systems Intern, you will collaborate with a multidisciplinary team of engineers and researchers to apply your academic knowledge and gain hands-on experience in one or more of the following areas:

  • Autonomous ground, air, surface, or underwater vehicles

  • Robot perception and sensor fusion (e.g., cameras, LiDAR, radar, IMU, GPS)

  • Motion planning, navigation, and control for robotic platforms

  • Real-time and embedded software for robotics

  • Robotics-focused Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML)

  • Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) and state estimation

  • Human–Robot Interaction (HRI) and operator interfaces

  • Multi-agent and swarm robotics

  • Modeling, simulation, and digital twins for robotic systems

  • Safety, reliability, and verification of autonomous systems

  • Cybersecurity for robotic and autonomous platforms

  • Field testing, experimentation, and data collection with robotic systems

  • Robotics hardware and software integration

Basic Qualifications:

  • Must be a full-time student pursuing an accredited degree program in Robotics, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Mechatronics, Aerospace Engineering, or a closely related discipline.

  • Must continue to be enrolled the semester following the internship.

  • Foundational knowledge of robotics and/or autonomous systems concepts such as robotic architectures, kinematics, dynamics, control, perception, or planning, and familiarity with relevant software tools (e.g., C/C++, Python, ROS, MATLAB/Simulink, or similar).

  • Must have sustained excellence in academic performance.

  • Demonstrated interest in serving the public or advancing societal missions through previous work experience, volunteer activities, or other relevant engagements—especially in areas involving robotics or autonomous systems

Preferred Qualifications:

  • Experience applying robotics or autonomous systems coursework in an internship, research lab, project team (e.g., robotics club, competition team), or independent project.

  • Proficiency with robotics software frameworks and tools (e.g., ROS/ROS2, Gazebo or other simulators, embedded development environments, version control such as Git).

  • Experience with one or more of the following:

  • Robot perception and computer vision

  • Path planning, navigation, and control algorithms

  • Real-time and embedded systems for robotics

  • Machine learning for perception or decision-making in autonomous systems

  • Modeling, simulation, and hardware-in-the-loop testing

This requisition requires the candidate to have a minimum of the following clearance(s):

None

This requisition requires the hired candidate to have or obtain, within one year from the date of hire, the following clearance(s):

None

Salary compensation range and midpoint:

$46,500 - $58,000 - $69,500 Annual

Work Location Type:

Onsite

Commitment to Non-Discrimination

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to disability, status as a protected veteran or any other status protected by applicable federal, state, local or international law.

MITRE intends to maintain a website that is fully accessible to all individuals. If you are unable to search or apply for jobs and would like to request a reasonable accommodation for any part of MITRE’s employment process, please email [email protected] for general support and [email protected] for intern positions. This service is for individuals requiring reasonable accommodation requests. Please note that vendor solicitations will not receive a reply.

Benefits information may be found here (https://careers.mitre.org/us/en/benefits) .

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