Intern, R&D Graduate Year-Round - Photonic & Phononic Microsystems, Onsite

What Your Job Will Be Like

We are seeking a Mechanical Engineering Graduate R&D Intern to support research projects on novel sensors and communication devices for aerospace vehicles and mobile systems.

On any given day, you may be called on to:

• Custom design and build mechanical tools, prototypes, or test fixtures to support experiments to characterize piezoelectric and magnetostrictive actuators
• Demonstrate novel mechanical based sensing/navigation systems, communication links, and/or power transmission systems
• Characterize prototype devices and systems
• Analyze and process data, and document results (in reports, papers, or presentations)

Due to the nature of the work, the selected applicant must be able to work onsite.

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.

You bring the confidence and skills to be eligible for the job by meeting these minimum requirements:

• 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

• Graduate student currently studying in mechanical engineering, physics or a related engineering/science field
• Knowledge in mechanical engineering principles and CAD design
• Experience in creating CAD drawings with 2-D and 3-D CAD software
• Experience with mechanical system and component assembly, design, and manufacturing (such as metal machining and 3D printing)
• Experience in basic electrical circuits and measurement tools and circuit simulation tools
• Experience with computing programming languages and simulation software (ex. C, Python, Matlab)
• Basic knowledge in communication protocols and signal processing
• Experience operating in a research laboratory environment with basic knowledge of laboratory safety and test equipment operation
• Ability to work in a team environment and independently to solve challenging problems
• Strong writing and communication skills (for reporting technical results in meetings)

This posting will be open for application submissions for a minimum of three (3) calendar days, including the 'posting date'. Sandia reserves the right to extend the posting date at any time.

The Photonic and Phononic Microsystems Department develops and matures state of the art photonic and phononic technologies for a variety of national security purposes. Our team of interdisciplinary researchers innovates, develops, and applies novel technologies including silicon photonics, nanophotonics, optomechanics, optical metamaterials, plasmonics, optical detectors, guided wave optics, phononic and thermoelectric technologies, spanning fundamental research to path‑finding engineering solutions. In the last 15 years, the Photonic and Phononic Microsystems Department has generated numerous world‑firsts, high‑impact publications/journal covers and received 70+ patents, multiple R&D 100 awards, and significant DARPA/DOD/DOE funding award.

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 Q‑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…