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

Artificial Intelligence (AI) / Physical AI Doctorate Student Internship Opportunity

At Northrop Grumman, our employees have incredible opportunities to work on revolutionary systems that impact people's lives around the world today, and for generations to come. Our pioneering and inventive spirit has enabled us to be at the forefront of many technological advancements in our nation's history - from the first flight across the Atlantic Ocean, to stealth bombers, to landing on the moon. We look for people who have bold new ideas, courage and a pioneering spirit to join forces to invent the future, and have fun along the way. Our culture thrives on intellectual curiosity, cognitive diversity and bringing your whole self to work and we have an insatiable drive to do what others think is impossible. Our employees are not only part of history, they're making history.

Northrop Grumman is a space pioneer, supporting government, civil and commercial customers in solving their biggest challenges. Our forward-leaning, innovative spirit is backed by a legacy of expertise that began at the dawn of the space age. Our mission experience in space runs deep, we know our customers well, and our capabilities are unmatched. This is what allows us to provide reliable, agile and affordable space solutions to best serve our customers.

From defending freedom to advancing human discovery, we are defining what is possible in space every day.

An internship at Northrop Grumman is unique. Sure, you'll learn new skills, explore our enterprise, network with experts, connect with thought leaders, and finish with a resume that opens doors. But you'll gain something even more valuable : pride in what you've done. Join us and launch your career. We'll support you with training, employee resource groups, and our shared vision of global security.

Northrop Grumman is seeking Artificial Intelligence (AI) / Physical AI doctorate students for an internship opportunity. This position will be located at our Space sector in Redondo Beach, CA with an alternative location of Sunnyvale, CA. Hybrid work schedule is available.

The qualified candidate will become part of Northrop Grumman's Space Sector AI Integration Team.

Roles and Responsibilities

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

Basic Qualifications

A candidate must meet ALL of the below criteria. The candidate must :

• 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 able to obtain and maintain a U.S. Government security clearance (U.S. citizenship is a pre-requisite) as well as Program Special access within a reasonable period of time, as determined by the company to meet its business needs (U.S. citizenship is a pre-requisite) Connecting with HR / Legal for guidance and bullet point for U.S. Citizen and / or U.S. Person statement.
• 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.

Preferred Qualifications :

Intern Pay Range :

PhD : $68.00 - $76.75 per hour

At Northrop Grumman, our internship pay rates are standardized and take into account three main factors : the anticipated graduation date of the individual, the cost of labor of the geographic location, and whether the internship is considered technical or administrative.

The application period for the job is estimated to be 20 days from the job posting date. However, this timeline may be shortened or extended depending on business needs and the availability of qualified candidates. Northrop Grumman is an Equal Opportunity Employer, making decisions without regard to race, color, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, national origin, age, veteran status, disability, or any other protected class.