Internships

Introduction

The MATRIX Lab proudly offers paid, hands-on research opportunities working directly with our faculty and staff through our internship program for undergraduate students. This is a unique chance to gain real-world experience working in the state-of-the-art SMART Building with our cutting-edge equipment. Dive deep into a project related to one of the MATRIX Lab’s focus areas, including additive manufacturing/3D printing, artificial intelligence/machine learning, autonomous technologies/uncrewed systems, and robotics. Check out our current opportunities and application below.

  • Read the application and its requirements carefully.
  • Do not contact PIs directly, to ensure a fair review process.
  • Applicants who do not follow instructions and meet guidelines may not be considered.
  • Please note: If you are applying for Metal Additive Manufacturing, Robotic Rover, Radar for Wood Damage: You must identify a faculty mentor who is willing to work with you on the project.

SUMMER 2026 APPLICATIONS ARE DUE APRIL 1, 2026

INTERNSHIPS RUN FROM MID-JUNE TO THE END OF JULY

2026 Intern Projects2026 Intern Application
  • Rising sophomore to rising senior from any accredited college or university
  • U.S. citizenship or permanent resident
  • Interns are expected to work full-time at the MATRIX Lab for the 6-week summer internship; limited deviations from this schedule are negotiable (to include requests for unpaid vacation time).
  • Attendance on the first day of the internship is mandatory - no exceptions.
  • All internships are paid at an hourly rate, both summer and academic year.
  • At the end of the summer, interns will present an outbrief at the MATRIX Lab to our team and mentors on the project and its outcomes.
  • Interns may be invited to continue working with the MATRIX Lab into the academic year.

If you have any questions about internships, please email the MATRIX Lab team at matrix@umd.edu

2025 Interns

See what our 2025 interns accomplished during their time at the lab! See the highlights below or read our full story here.

Two students in red shirts talk to each other at work stationAndrew and Charlotte worked together with MATRIX Lab Director of Remote Sensing and Microsystems, Dr. Justin Stine, to develop a gas sensing ingestible capsule device. The device will measure levels of the gas hydrogen sulfide (H2S) in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract to find a link between elevated levels and bowel diseases. Charlotte took on microcontroller programming and app development to allow data transfer to a cloud storage server, while Andrew worked on constructing a multi-line gas testing chamber to generate different concentrations of H2S and control humidity levels similar to the GI tract. Both Charlotte and Andrew continued their work on this project into the Fall 2025 semester at the University of Maryland, College Park.

MATRIX intern uses device and laptop to scan piece of woodNate determined the feasibility of using Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) systems to identify the category and severity of internal damage in wood frame structures. He focused on developing the system’s sensing technology and gathering the exact data he needed. Nate says his internship improved his coding, electrical work, and mechanical design, but he also learned a lot about communication, planning, and big-picture thinking.

Dark haired student in a blouse and khaki pants works at computer in front of water tunnelIn the MATRIX Lab’s Hydrodynamics Lab, Harsha contributed to a College Park research project. She worked with Dr. Cecilia Huertas Cerdeira, an Assistant Professor in UMD’s Department of Mechanical Engineering, on characterizing the performance of a tuna-inspired unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV). Harsha used the water tunnel to build and test a replica of a tuna fish’s caudal fin. She said she learned that research requires many different skill sets and the importance of patience, planning, and resource allocation.

Intern works with electrical engineering toolsLucas worked on creating a small, anti-jam autonomous drone with a custom flight controller and flight computer on a custom printed circuit board (PCB). One of the highlights for Lucas was being able to make a drone from scratch. He said it was a joy to customize his system by adding and removing elements. He also enjoyed learning about drone flight and looks forward to continuing to advance his project. Lucas continued working with the MATRIX Lab into the 2025-2026 school year as a lab apprentice.

Dark haired student in blue button down shirt at work station with computerIan assisted MATRIX Assistant Research Engineer Dr. Wei-Kuo Yen with the “Buoyancy-Operated roBottle” (BOB) project, which utilizes printed circuit boards and sensors to detect pressure and measure the robot's environmental conditions. He contributed by correcting some mistakes on the project's circuit board design and added an LED to the design. He also calibrated the pressure sensor so that the BOB can collect accurate data. He worked with Dr. Yen to add epoxy to the lid as a way of making the bottle waterproof, then tested the lid.


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