2026 Artificial Intelligence (AI) / Physical AI Intern - Multiple Locations

Northrop Grumman is a leading space pioneer supporting various customers in solving significant challenges. They are seeking a PhD student for an internship in Artificial Intelligence (AI) / Physical AI, where the intern will support the development of AI algorithms and tools for mission-relevant use in space and related engineering domains.

Responsibilities

• Support the development of AI algorithms and/or tools for mission-relevant use in space and/or related engineering domains

Skills

• Be a student who is enrolled full-time and pursuing a PhD degree from an accredited college/university and will be enrolled full-time in Fall 2026
• Be majoring in Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, or Robotics
• Be available to work full-time (40 hours per week) for at least 10 weeks during summer 2026
• Be familiar with deep learning and/or simulation development
• Have computer science/programming skills. Specifically, proficiency in a C-based programming language and familiarity with python OR expertise in python libraries for machine learning, etc
• Understand computer science concepts e.g. parallelism, memory, etc
• Be familiar with PyTorch, Transformers and/or similar libraries for AI/ML model training and inference
• Have hands-on experience working on AI/ML applications and software projects. Open-source contributions is a plus
• Be self-driven, able to work independently or on teams, requesting help as needed
• Be willing to learn about new domains e.g. space exploration
• Have an overall cumulative GPA of 3.00/4.0 or higher
• Author or co-author of published work in relevant domains (AI, Robotics, etc.)
• Expertise in deep learning training and fine tuning
• Algorithm-level understanding of deep learning and/or modern AI algorithms e.g. transformer architectures
• Familiarity with spacecraft controls / experience in the space domain
• Communication skills

Benefits

• Health insurance coverage
• Life and disability insurance
• Savings plan
• Company paid holidays
• Paid time off (PTO) for vacation and/or personal business

Company Overview