Summer Research Program 2027, Cyber-Physical Systems (Group 05-51)

Position Description

Cyber-Physical Systems Group is seeking motivated Summer Interns to support research, prototyping, integration, testing, and analysis activities related to advanced cyber-electromagnetic warfare capabilities. The intern will work alongside experienced technical staff on projects that may involve cyber operations, electronic warfare, RF systems, signal processing, artificial intelligence, autonomy, and systems engineering.

This internship offers an opportunity to apply academic knowledge to real-world national-security challenges while gaining experience in a collaborative, multidisciplinary research and development environment. Assignments will be tailored to the intern’s technical background, interests, and program needs.

In this role, you will work with a multidisciplinary team to support existing efforts in the cyber-physical domain. Prospective candidates may:

• Conduct research and development in Radio Frequency (RF) signal analysis
• Reverse-engineer hardware and/or software systems and develop proof-of-concept capabilities exploiting their vulnerabilities
• Prototype new capabilities using various hardware transmitters such as Software Defined Radios (SDR’s)
• Conduct vulnerability analysis on wireless, mobile, or advanced computing systems
• Apply AI/ML to spectrum analysis and hardware analysis problems

The intern will work closely with a mentor from the Cyber-Physical Systems Group technical staff. Successful candidates are interested in the inter-disciplinary nature of the cyber-physical problem space and are willing to develop new expertise in the pursuit of solving unconventional problems.

Degree and Experience Requirements

The successful candidate will be a degree candidate in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mathematics, Physics, or other related area with interest in cyber security. 

Skills and Capabilities

Candidate must have excellent follow-up and problem-solving skills. In addition, demonstrated capabilities in a subset of the following areas are highly desired:

• High-level scripting languages, such as Python
• Low-level languages, such as C or assembly
• Computing architecture design, instruction set architectures, and operating system internals
• Software-defined radios
• Modeling and simulation, link analysis
• RF spectrum analysis and digital signal processing
• Machine-learning and artificial intelligence
• Digital logic and field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) or Application-Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs)
• Binary reverse engineering and exploitation, including tools such as IDA or Ghidra

Summer Research Program Overview

The Summer Research Program offers students the chance to apply their academic knowledge to real-world national security challenges while working alongside leading scientists and engineers. As an SRP intern, you’ll engage in hands-on research, receive dedicated mentorship, and take part in professional development opportunities including workshops, tech talks, and networking events—all while building connections within a vibrant community of peers.

 Internships are typically 10–12 weeks, with flexible start and end dates, typically May through early August.

• Housing support is available for eligible non-local interns, including access to discounted university housing in Boston and a one-time taxable relocation payment.
• Complimentary daily shuttle transportation is provided from Boston-based housing to and from the Lab.

 Learn more about the Summer Research Program at: https://www.ll.mit.edu/careers/student-opportunities/summer-research-program

Compensation

Hourly pay rates are based on the highest academic year or degree completed before the internship start date.

Freshman year completed: $25.50/hour
Sophomore year completed: $27.50/hour
Junior year completed: $29.50/hour
4th year of 5-year program completed, no degree conferred: $32.50/hour
Bachelors completed: $34.50/hour
Bachelors + 1, one year of graduate study completed: $36.50/hour
Bachelors + 2, two years of graduate study completed: $38.00/hour
MS completed: $39.00/hour
MS + 1, one year of graduate study completed after the MS: $41.00/hour
MS + 2, two years of graduate study completed after the MS: $42.50/hour
MS + 3, three years of graduate study completed after the MS: $43.50/hour