2026 Internship – Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (AI/ML) Research Assistant

Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory•Laurel, MD

14h•$23 - $48

About The Position

Are you interested in pursuing a career in artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) research? Does working in a fast-paced environment on open-ended problems excite you? Are you motivated by critical national security challenges? If you are an undergraduate or graduate student and these questions describe you, you should apply for a summer internship with JHU/APL’s AI Group! We are a team within the Research and Exploratory Development Department (REDD) that strives to close the gap between frontier models and our sponsors’ expectations for an AI-dominated future. Our research programs are targeting foundational advances with cross-mission impact, such as: Increasing behavioral alignment of AI agents used in human-machine teaming and wargaming Training multimodal foundation models on language and sensor data Intelligent robots that use agentic AI to perform complex tasks in a self-directed way Assessing, mitigating, and exploiting vulnerabilities of frontier models Mission-driven test and evaluation (T&E) of novel research The AI group exists within the Intelligent Systems Center (ISC), a facility that is home to over 100 researchers specializing in AI, robotics, neuroscience, and complex systems. As an intern working in ISC, you will be exposed to interdisciplinary research and will have access to world-class experts working in these fields. Your primary responsibility will be helping us train and evaluate frontier AI models and applications on one or two projects, and if the results are particularly impactful, you may even have the opportunity to publish your work. You can learn more about the ISC at www.jhuapl.edu/isc.

Requirements

Are pursuing a Bachelor's, Master's, or PhD degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Mathematics, or another related field pertaining to AI.
Are proficient in Python programming with experience using PyTorch.
Have a GPA of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale.
Are able to obtain an interim Secret security clearance prior to reporting and can ultimately acquire a full Secret clearance. If selected, you will be subject to a background investigation and must meet the requirements for access to classified information. Eligibility requirements include U.S. citizenship.

Nice To Haves

Have taken courses in AI, machine learning, data science, multivariate statistics, computer vision, and/or natural language processing.
Maintain an active portfolio of open-source software projects on a GitHub.
Have examples of Python projects that use Hugging Face libraries.
Have examples of Python projects that interface with Large Language Models, such as a Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) system.
Have examples of projects where you used 3D modeling tools such as Blender or Nerfstudio.
Have previously published your work in scientific literature.