Student Requirements:

Students must be U.S. citizens. (Permanent residents are not eligible.)

About the Lab

The US Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) is one of the largest scientific institutions within the US government. NRL provides the advanced scientific capabilities required to bolster our country’s position of global naval leadership. Here, in an environment where the nation’s best scientists and engineers are inspired to pursue their passion, everyone is focused on research that yields immediate and long-range applications in the defense of the United States. As corporate research laboratory of the Navy, NRL conducts a broadly based multidisciplinary program of scientific research in advanced technological development, techniques, systems, and related operational procedures.

About the Internship

Summer interns are provided with an environment that will foster their creativity, help them develop a problem-solving mindset, and give them the opportunity to participate in meaningful technical research. Additionally, they will gain experience in a professional workplace that specializes in STEM careers.

What will I do any given day as an intern at this lab?

Interns participate in lab functions in a number of ways including (but not limited to) assisting mentors with guided research projects; job and project shadowing with professional researchers; networking with STEM professionals and other interns; and attending technical meetings, seminars, and conferences.

What majors and disciplines are a good fit for interning at this lab?

The primary fields of interest are:

• Aeronautical Engineering
• Artificial Intelligence
• Autonomy
• Biology
• Chemical Enginering
• Chemistry
• Computer Science
• Electrical Engineering
• Electronics Engineering
• Information Sciences
• Machine Learning
• Material Sciences
• Mechanical Engineering
• Physics
• Robotics

What kinds of projects do interns at this lab participate in?

Inside NRL are different Divisions with different focus areas. Below you will find more information about research Divisions in NRL that may select NREIP students.

Radar Division (5300): https://www.nrl.navy.mil/Our-Work/Areas-of-Research/Radar/

The mission of the Radar Division is to conceive, develop, demonstrate, document, and transition RF sensing concepts, technologies, and intellectual property that provide technological advantage for the Department of the Navy. This is accomplished through basic research, exploratory development, and advanced technology demonstrations in partnerships across the laboratory, with Warfare Centers, FFRDCs, UARCs, academia, and industry, and in support to the requirements and acquisition communities. Fundamental to the mission is the performance of high quality forward-leaning research and engineering that is rigorous, complete, and detailed, and performed with consideration of the Navy and Marine tactical operating environments.

Information Technology Division (5500): https://www.nrl.navy.mil/itd/

NRL's Information Technology Division conducts basic research, exploratory development, and advanced technology demonstrations in the collection, transmission, and processing of information to provide a basis for improving the conduct of military operations. Funded by a variety of customers and sponsors within the Department of Defense, U.S. government and industry, ITD’s research program spans the areas of Artificial Intelligence, High Assurance Systems, Modeling and Simulation, Virtual Reality, Human/Computer Interaction, Computer and Communication Networks, Communication Systems, Transmission Technology, and High Performance Computing.

Optical Sciences Division (5600): https://www.nrl.navy.mil/Our-Work/Areas-of-Research/Optical-Sciences/

The Optical Sciences Division carries out a variety of research, development, and application-oriented activities in the generation, propagation, detection, and use of radiation in the wavelength region between near-ultraviolet and far-infrared wavelengths. The Division serves the Laboratory and the Navy as a consulting body of experts in optical sciences. The research, both theoretical and experimental, is concerned with discovering and understanding the basic physical principles and mechanisms involved in optical devices, materials, and phenomena. The work in the Division includes studies in quantum optics, laser physics, optical waveguide technologies, laser–matter interactions, atmospheric propagation, holography, optical data processing, fiber-optic sensor systems, optical systems, optical materials, radiation damage studies, IR surveillance and missile seeker technologies, IR signature measurements, and optical diagnostic techniques. A portion of the effort is devoted to developing, analyzing, and using special optical materials.

The Laboratories for Computational Physics & Fluid Dynamics (6040): https://www.nrl.navy.mil/Our-Work/Areas-of-Research/Computational-Physics-Fluid-Dynamics/

The Laboratories for Computational Physics & Fluid Dynamics (LCP&FD) develop, implement, and apply multidisciplinary computational physics capabilities to solve critical problems facing the Navy, Marine Corps, DoD, and other programs of national interest.  Application areas encompass compressible and incompressible fluid dynamics, reactive flows, fluid-structure interaction, atmospheric contaminant and infectious viral transport and the dynamics of turbulence. This research often leverages complementary subject-matter expertise from collaborators within NRL and throughout the broader research community.

Chemistry Division (6100): https://www.nrl.navy.mil/chemistry/

The Chemistry Division conducts basic and applied research and development to address critical Navy needs and advance the frontiers of physical, chemical, biological, and material science as well as nanoscience. Research ranges from laboratory to intermediate and real-scale experiments and demonstrations. The division has over 90 years of internationally recognized scientific accomplishments and has been recognized with numerous awards that reflect the high scientific quality.

Materials Science & Technology Division (6300): https://www.nrl.navy.mil/Our-Work/Areas-of-Research/Material-Science-Technology/

The Materials Science and Technology Division conducts basic and applied research in functional and structural materials and engages in exploratory and advanced development to generate new Navy technologies and defense capabilities. These efforts are performed by multidisciplinary teams of materials scientists, physicists, chemists, and engineers working at the atomic, nano, microstructural, mesostructural, and macroscopic scales. The integrated use of new experimental and computational techniques accelerates new scientific understanding and innovative engineering solutions. Advanced materials synthesis, processing, characterization, diagnostic capabilities, performance prediction methods, and life-cycle management methods are developed to further new device design, prototyping, and testing methods. The Division's research efforts encompass metals, ceramics, polymers, composites, and biological materials for electrical, magnetic, optical, plasmonic, chemical, mechanical, and energy technologies. Major Division focus areas include fundamental material physics, innovative device design, performance in extreme environments, power and energy, materials informatics, and the interface between materials and biology.

Plasma Physics Division (6700): https://www.nrl.navy.mil/ppd/

The Plasma Physics Division conducts broad theoretical and experimental programs of basic and applied research in plasma physics, laboratory discharge, and space plasmas, intense electron and ion beams and photon sources, atomic physics, pulsed power sources, laser physics, advanced spectral diagnostics, and nonlinear systems. The effort of the Division is concentrated on a few closely coordinated theoretical and experimental programs. Considerable emphasis is placed on large-scale numerical simulations related to plasma dynamics; ionospheric, magnetospheric, and atmospheric dynamics; nuclear weapons effects; inertial confinement fusion; atomic physics; plasma processing; nonlinear dynamics and chaos; free electron lasers and other advanced radiation sources; advanced accelerator concepts; and atmospheric laser propagation.

Electronics Science & Technology Division (6800): https://www.nrl.navy.mil/Our-Work/Areas-of-Research/Electronics-Science-Technology/

The Electronics Science and Technology Division (ESTD) conducts programs of basic science and applied research and development. A technically diverse staff of experimental, theoretical, and computational physicists, surface and materials scientists, chemists, and electrical, electronic, chemical and mechanical engineers reflects the multidisciplinary nature of the Division’s research. ESTD's well-equipped laboratories and unique fabrication facilities provide the research tools needed to move rapidly from a flash of inspiration to real-world demonstration. In-house efforts include research and development in quantum information science and technology; nanoelectronics; surface and interface sciences; electronics material growth, characterization, and processing; theoretical and computational electronics and electromagnetics; power electronics; microwave, millimeter-wave, and submillimeter-wave solid-state and vacuum electronics technologies; optoelectronics; photovoltaics; radiation effects.

Center for Bio/Molecular Science and Engineering (6900): https://www.nrl.navy.mil/Our-Work/Areas-of-Research/Biomolecular-Science-Engineering/

The Center for Bio/Molecular Science and Engineering applies knowledge in modern biology, physics, chemistry, and engineering to the solution of problems important to the Navy, Department of Defense, and the Nation. The Center studies complex bio/molecular systems to understand how biology solves difficult structural, functional and sensing problems. Technological areas currently being studied include molecular and microstructure design, molecular biology, imaging of cells using nanoparticles, sensor design and prototype development for biosurveillance or underwater chemical detection, and energy harvesting. The Center provides a stimulating environment for cross-disciplinary programs in the areas of immunology, biochemistry, systems biology, electrochemistry, synthetic chemistry, microbiology, microlithography, photochemistry, biophysics, spectroscopy, advanced diagnostics, organic synthesis, and electro-optical engineering. The Center’s modern facilities include general laboratories for research in chemistry, biochemistry, molecular biology, and physics. Specialized areas include an electron microscope facility, a scanning probe microscope laboratory, instrument rooms with access to a variety of spectrophotometers, and an optical microscope facility including polarization, fluorescence and confocal microscopes. Additional laboratories accommodate nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR), a liquid chromatograph–mass spectrometer (LC­MS), and equipment for biosensor programs, including a plastic micro-fabrication facility to enable fabrication of micro-fluidic and micro-optical systems in polymers. The Center also maintains X-ray diffraction systems for crystallographic studies. 

Acoustic Division (7100): https://www.nrl.navy.mil/Our-Work/Areas-of-Research/Acoustics/

The Acoustics Division conducts basic and applied research addressing the physics of acoustic signal generation, propagation, scatter, and detection with the objective of improving the strategic and tactical capabilities of the Navy and Marine Corps in the ocean and land operational environment. The Division’s scientists and engineers perform collaborative research with scientists affiliated with national and international academic, private, and governmental research organizations. The Division’s research spans classical and quantum physics, signal processing, the impact of fluid dynamics on the ocean sound speed field, the propagation and scatter of acoustic signals in the ocean and land environments, structural and physical acoustics including the development of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) and nanotechnology based sensors, and the application of networked unmanned underwater vehicles and associated sensors to the Navy’s anti submarine warfare, mine countermeasures, and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions.

Remote Sensing Division (7200): https://www.nrl.navy.mil/Our-Work/Areas-of-Research/Remote-Sensing/

The Remote Sensing Division conducts a program of basic research, science, and applications aimed at the development of new concepts for sensors and imaging systems for objects and targets on the Earth, in the near-Earth environment, and in deep space. The research, both theoretical and experimental, deals with discovering and understanding the basic physical principles and mechanisms that give rise to target and background emission, and to absorption and emission by the intervening medium. The accomplishment of this research requires the development of sensor systems technology. The development effort includes active and passive sensor systems to be used for the study and analysis of the physical characteristics of phenomena that give rise to naturally occurring background radiation, such as that caused by the Earth's atmosphere and oceans, as well as man-made or induced phenomena, such as ship/submarine hydrodynamic effects. The research includes theory, laboratory, and field experiments leading to ground-based, airborne, or space systems for use in such areas as remote sensing, astrometry, astrophysics, surveillance, non-acoustic anti-submarine warfare (ASW), and improved meteorological support systems for the operational Navy. Special emphasis is given to developing space-based platforms and exploiting existing space systems.

The research includes theory, laboratory, and field experiments leading to ground-based, airborne, or space systems for use in such areas as remote sensing, astrometry, astrophysics, surveillance, non-acoustic anti-submarine warfare (ASW), and improved meteorological support systems for the operational Navy. Special emphasis is given to developing space-based platforms and exploiting existing space systems.

Space Science Division (7600): https://www.nrl.navy.mil/Our-Work/Areas-of-Research/Space-Science/

The Space Science Division conducts a broad-spectrum of Research, Development, Test & Evaluation (RDT&E) in solar-terrestrial physics, astrophysics, upper/ middle atmospheric science, and astronomy. Instruments to be flown on satellites, sounding rockets and balloons, and ground-based facilities and mathematical models are conceived and developed. Researchers apply these and other capabilities to the study of the atmospheres of the Sun and Earth, including solar activity and its effects on the Earth’s ionosphere, upper atmosphere, and middle atmosphere; laboratory astrophysics; and the unique physics and properties of celestial sources. The science is important to orbital tracking, radio communications, and navigation that affect the operation of ships and aircraft, utilization of the near-space and space environment of the Earth, and the fundamental understanding of natural radiation and geophysical phenomena.

Space Systems Development Division (8100): https://www.nrl.navy.mil/ssdd/

The Space Systems Development Division (SSDD) is the space and ground support systems research and development organization of the Naval Center for Space Technology. The primary objective of the SSDD is to develop command, control, communications, computers, and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (C4ISR) hardware and software solutions to space, airborne, and ground applications. To respond to Navy, DoD, and national mission requirements with improved performance, capacity, reliability, efficiency, and/or life cycle costs, the Division must derive system requirements from the mission, develop architectures in response to these requirements, and design and develop systems, subsystems, equipment, and implementation technologies to achieve the optimized, integrated operational space, airborne, and ground systems.

Spacecraft Engineering Division (8200): https://www.nrl.navy.mil/Our-Work/Areas-of-Research/Spacecraft-Engineering/

The Spacecraft Engineering Division (SED) designs, builds, and operates pioneering and innovative spacecraft and space systems. The SED functions as a prototype laboratory for new and operationally relevant space based capabilities. From cradle to grave, the division provides expertise in mission design, systems design and engineering, and hardware expertise for every aspect of a space system. The division has a history of transitioning advanced technologies into operations and industry, applying expertise in systems integration, design and verification, dynamics and control systems, electronics and software, and mission operations to develop advanced space technologies.