2027 Summer Intern - Research and Development - Defense Lab Support

Job Description

About the Job

Join General Motors Research & Development as a Summer Research Intern supporting the Vehicle Defense Research group within the Safety, Engineering and Defense Research Lab. In this role, you will contribute to applied research involving military systems, defense technology, vehicle platforms, and emerging technologies.

You will work with experienced research scientists and engineers to evaluate current and emerging defense capabilities, apply evidence-based analysis, and help translate research concepts into vehicle, system, and software applications for federal and defense customers.

This internship is designed for a current undergraduate student who has a strong interest in defense technology and a demonstrated knowledge of, and passion for, military systems.

The Role

As a Summer Research Intern, you will support research planning and execution across defense-focused technical domains. You will collaborate with GM researchers, engineers, and external partners to conduct research, support technical analyses, document findings, and communicate recommendations.

You may contribute to projects involving:

• Military systems and Soldier systems

• Ground vehicle platforms, mobility, and performance

• Emerging warfare concepts and defense technology trends

• Modeling, simulation, and experimentation

• Defense software and hardware systems

• Vehicle safety, testing, and assessment

• Human-machine interaction and user experience

• Autonomous systems and advanced vehicle technologies

The specific project assignment will depend on business needs, your academic background, and your technical interests.

What You’ll Do:    

• Support research projects by gathering information, conducting analysis, and documenting methods and results. 

• Research military systems, defense technologies, vehicle platforms, and emerging warfare trends. 

• Assist with technical assessments of current and proposed R&D projects for defense applications. 

• Support modeling, simulation, testing, experimentation, and evaluation activities as appropriate. 

• Collaborate with research scientists, engineers, program managers, and other technical stakeholders. 

• Prepare technical presentations, research summaries, reports, and project documentation. 

• Participate in technical reviews and communicate research progress, findings, and recommendations. 

• Help identify opportunities to apply research outcomes to future GM products, systems, and defense programs. 

• Support university, government, national laboratory, and industry research partnerships as appropriate. 

• Assist with identifying dual-use applications for technologies relevant to both civilian and military systems. 

• Follow applicable requirements for classified information, export controls, intellectual property, and controlled unclassified information. 

• Contribute to a collaborative, inclusive, and technically rigorous research environment. 

More About Who You Are 

• Passionate about military systems, defense technology, and national security applications. 
• Curious, analytical, and motivated to understand how complex systems operate in real-world environments. 
• Interested in applied research and the transition of research findings into practical vehicle, system, or software capabilities. 
• Comfortable learning new technical domains and working across multiple disciplines. 
• Able to communicate technical concepts clearly to both technical and nontechnical audiences. 
• Able to work independently while seeking guidance and collaborating effectively with a research team. 
• Committed to responsible handling of sensitive, proprietary, and potentially classified information. 

Required Qualifications:     

• U.S. Citizenship is required
• Pursuit of a Bachelor’s degree in one of the following areas: engineering, computer science, physics, mathematics, military science, national security, or a related technical or defense-focused field. 

• Must be a current student

• Able to work fulltime, 40 hours per week during the summer months 
• Demonstrated knowledge of and passion for military systems, defense technology, military operations, or related subjects through coursework, research, projects, military experience, extracurricular activities, or personal study. 

• Strong analytical, problem-solving, research, and technical writing skills. 

• Ability to communicate and collaborate effectively with scientists, engineers, military stakeholders, and program managers. 

• Ability to work in a hybrid environment and meet project milestones during the summer internship. 

Preferred Qualifications:    

• Currently pursuing, or planning to pursue, a master’s degree or Ph.D. in engineering, computer science, physics, mathematics, military science, national security, or a related field. 

• Prior research, coursework, project, internship, or military experience involving defense systems, military platforms, high performance ground vehicles, simulation, experimentation, testing, or assessment. 

• Familiarity with vehicle systems, defense acquisition, systems engineering, requirements development, verification and validation, or technology transition. 

• Experience with programming, data analysis, modeling, simulation, numerical methods, or technical visualization. 

• Experience presenting technical work through publications, posters, conference presentations, project reviews, or competitions. 

• Experience with one or more of the following: vehicle performance, autonomous systems, robotics, controls, human-machine interaction, defense software, advanced powertrain, electrification, or power systems. 

• Experience with automotive research, testing, or development. 

• Active U.S. Security Clearance as of the first day of work. 

This position requires eligibility to access classified information at the Secret U.S. Security Clearance level for which the U.S. Government requires U.S. Citizenship. The successful candidate must have eligibility to obtain a security clearance at that level.

GM does not provide immigration-related sponsorship for this role. Do not apply for this role if you will need GM immigration sponsorship now or in the future. This includes direct company sponsorship, entry of GM as the immigration employer of record on a government form, and any work authorization requiring a written submission or other immigration support from the company (e.g., H1-B, OPT, STEM OPT, CPT, TN, J-1, etc).

Work Arrangement: 

Hybrid: This role is categorized as hybrid. This means the successful candidate is expected to report to Warren, MI three times per week, at minimum [or other frequency dictated by the business]. 

GM will provide a one-time lump sum taxable stipend payment to eligible students selected for the 2027 Student Program - to help facilitate administration of relocation benefits, please apply using the permanent address you would move from. 

Start dates for this internship role are May 24th & June 14th of 2027.  

About GM

Our vision is a world with Zero Crashes, Zero Emissions and Zero Congestion and we embrace the responsibility to lead the change that will make our world better, safer and more equitable for all.

Why Join Us 

We believe we all must make a choice every day – individually and collectively – to drive meaningful change through our words, our deeds and our culture. Every day, we want every employee to feel they belong to one General Motors team.

Benefits Overview

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Non-Discrimination and Equal Employment Opportunities (U.S.)

General Motors is committed to being a workplace that is not only free of unlawful discrimination, but one that genuinely fosters inclusion and belonging. We strongly believe that providing an inclusive workplace creates an environment in which our employees can thrive and develop better products for our customers.

All employment decisions are made on a non-discriminatory basis without regard to sex, race, color, national origin, citizenship status, religion, age, disability, pregnancy or maternity status, sexual orientation, gender identity, status as a veteran or protected veteran, or any other similarly protected status in accordance with federal, state and local laws. 

We encourage interested candidates to review the key responsibilities and qualifications for each role and apply for any positions that match their skills and capabilities. Applicants in the recruitment process may be required, where applicable, to successfully complete a role-related assessment(s) and/or a pre-employment screening prior to beginning employment. To learn more, visit How we Hire.

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