- CURRENT PENN STATE EMPLOYEE (faculty, staff, technical service, or student), please login to Workday to complete the internal application process. Please do not apply here, apply internally through Workday.
- CURRENT PENN STATE STUDENT (not employed previously at the university) and seeking employment with Penn State, please login to Workday to complete the student application process. Please do not apply here, apply internally through Workday.
- If you are NOT a current employee or student, please click “Apply” and complete the application process for external applicants.
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
The Guidance and Control Technologies Division of the Applied Research Laboratory (ARL) at Penn State University is seeking undergraduate students for internship opportunities. ARL/Penn State’s purpose is to develop innovative solutions to challenging national problems in support of the Navy, DoD, and Intel communities engineering and technology needs.
ARL is an authorized DoD SkillBridge partner and welcomes all transitioning military members to apply.
Typical duties include researching, developing, analyzing, implementing, and testing new capabilities for current and future autonomous undersea systems.
Students studying Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Applied Mathematics, Data Science, or Physics are encouraged to apply.
Experience or interest in signal/image processing, object tracking, autonomous control, software development, artificial intelligence, and/or machine learning (deep learning/reinforcement learning) is desired. Experience with MATLAB, C/C++, and/or Python is preferred.
The successful candidate will work up to 20 hours/week during the fall and spring semesters and 40 hours/week over the summer.
This is a paid internship located at ARL's Science Park Building in State College, PA; relocation and housing are not provided.
Candidate selected may be subject to a government security investigation. You must be a U.S. citizen to apply. Employment with the Applied Research Laboratory will require successful completion of a pre- employment drug
screen.
ARL at Penn State is an integral part of one of the leading research universities in the nation and serves as a University center of excellence in defense science, systems, and technologies with a focus in naval missions and related areas.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION on ARL, visit our web site 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.
All positions at ARL require candidates to possess the ability to obtain a government security clearance; you will be notified during the interview process if this position is subject to a government background investigation. You must be a U.S. citizen to apply. Employment with the ARL will require successful completion of a pre-employment drug screen.
CAMPUS SECURITY CRIME STATISTICS
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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Skills Required
- Undergraduate student in engineering, computer science, applied mathematics, data science, or physics
- Must be a U.S. citizen
- Ability to obtain a government security clearance
- Successful completion of pre-employment drug screen
- Availability to work up to 20 hours/week during fall/spring and 40 hours/week during summer
- Willingness to undergo background checks in accordance with university policies
- Experience or interest in signal/image processing, object tracking, autonomous control, software development, AI/ML
- Experience with MATLAB, C/C++, and/or Python
- Experience or interest in deep learning and reinforcement learning
Penn State University Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Penn State University and has not been reviewed or approved by Penn State University.
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Retirement Support — Employer contributions to SERS and the TIAA Alternate Plan are described as significant, with supplemental retirement options available. Feedback suggests these choices and contributions create strong long‑term value.
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Leave & Time Off Breadth — Full‑time employees accrue over 24 sick and vacation days annually, with additional university holidays and a winter break. Feedback suggests this depth of leave supports work–life balance.
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Inclusive Benefits Coverage — A 75% tuition discount extends to employees, spouses, and dependent children up to age 26 across resident instruction, World Campus, and Penn College courses. Feedback suggests this broad eligibility meaningfully enhances total rewards, especially for families.
Penn State University Insights
What We Do
There’s a reason Penn State consistently ranks among the top one percent of the world’s universities. Across 24 campuses, our nearly 88,000 students and 17,000 faculty and staff know the real measure of success goes beyond the classroom—it’s the positive impact made on communities across the world. From access to state-of-the-art resources to interdisciplinary pursuits in collaborative atmospheres, a Penn State degree is more than an education. The experiences and knowledge gained here will form the foundation for the lives our students build. Their contributions to the world begin with a Penn State degree. We Are Penn State.
