Electrical Engineering Intern

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Applied Optimization (AO) Job Description

Job Title: Electrical Engineering Intern Reports to: Principal Scientist

FLSA Status: Part-Time (Non-Exempt) Department: Space Science

Position Objective:

• Assist in the design, testing, and analysis of advanced electro-optical systems. This internship will provide exposure to both electrical and optical engineering disciplines, allowing you to develop your skills in designing and testing imaging, sensing, and optical communication systems.

Essential Functions:

• Assist with the design, simulation, and prototyping of electro-optical systems under the guidance of senior engineers.
• Help develop electrical components and interfaces for optical systems.
• Develop basic control algorithms for electrical or electro-optical subsystems, such as sensors, lasers, or actuators.
• Help design electrical components and control systems that interface with optical elements, telescopes, and imaging or communication systems.
• Support the setup and execution of testing procedures for electro-optical systems.
• Assist in analyzing test data and troubleshooting issues with electrical control systems, imaging sensors, lasers, telescope systems, and detectors.
• Help design and improve test setups and protocols.
• Help design and refine control systems that regulate and monitor electro-optical systems, ensuring they meet performance targets and specifications.
• Document work progress, test results, and system configurations as part of technical reporting.
• Maintain positive customer relations, to include projects status updates.
• Ensure accuracy and follow documentation procedures for all work; maintain notebook of daily activities and provide weekly report of work.
• Other duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications:

• Undergraduate student enrolled in a program in Electrical Engineering
• Basic understanding of electrical circuits, signal processing, controls systems, or optics.
• Strong interest in learning about electro-optical systems, sensors, communication, and imaging technologies.
• Attention to detail and effective time and schedule management skills.
• Effective organizing, planning, debugging, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to execute instructions and communication in written, oral, and diagram form.
• Demonstrated strong writing, fact-gathering, and analytical skills.
• Basic computer and software skills including but not necessarily limited to Microsoft Office products (e.g., Outlook, Word, Excel, and Power Point).

Preferred Qualifications:

• College freshman, sophomore, or junior with a cumulative GPA (Grade Point Average) of 3.5 or higher.
• Specific focus or highly interested in Electro-Optics.
• Hands-on experience with lab equipment (oscilloscopes, multimeters, etc.).
• Experience with electronics lab work, including circuit assembly and testing.
• Familiarity with circuit design software (e.g., Altium, OrCAD) and/or optical design software (e.g., Zemax, MATLAB, Python).

Employment Structure:

• In-office attendance is required; remote work is not available at this time.

Citizenship/Security Clearance Requirements:

• U.S. Citizen or Green Card Holder
• May be required to obtain and maintain U.S. Government Security Clearance

About Our Internships:

• Hours: The internship is a part-time, year-round position that requires a minimum of sixteen hours per week of work. The hours are flexible and they can change from one semester to another based on the student's class schedule. The weekly hours can be adjusted to balance for the examinations, tests and project submissions.

About Us: Applied Optimization is a growing organization located in Fairborn, OH. We are an equal opportunity employer offering a competitive salary that is commensurate with qualifications and a comprehensive benefits package. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, physical or mental disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. Find out more about us at

This job description is subject to change.

We are an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, physical or mental disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.


Applied Optimization

About Us

Since 1995, Applied Optimization, Inc. (AO) has been collaboratively discovering innovative solutions in material science and space science to address the technical challenges of our clients and partners in industry and government. Offering the right balance between critical thinking and non-conformity, our team of scientists, engineers, mathematicians, and software developers strive to further the understanding and state-of-the-art of additive manufacturing (AM), materials processing, space situational awareness, and space object characterization. Our software products' capabilities include optimizing AM process parameters, mitigating defects in build parts, and processing and exploiting photometry data from Earth's space domain.

Our Focus

We focus on interdisciplinary research and development of space science and materials science. From analyzing brightness data from man-made space objects in earth's orbit to mathematical modeling in AM processes, Applied Optimization's team is adept at assessing, researching, and developing optimized solutions for today's technological problems. We customize our technical solutions to customer needs to ensure specific answers for specific problems Our innovative solutions are designed to provide results when utilized in a client's day-to-day processes.

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