Bluestaq Graduate Research Scholar - NDSU Partnershipย
Full-Ride M.S./Ph.D. Sponsorship + Paid Summer Internship (Colorado Springs, CO)ย
Bluestaq - a Colorado Springs leader in secure data ecosystems, graph technologies, natural language processing, and AI solutions for national security and defense customers, including the U.S. Space Force - is launching a full-ride graduate research sponsorship in partnership with North Dakota State University (NDSU). We are seeking motivated NDSU graduate students to conduct Bluestaq-defined research beginning Fall 2026, culminating in a paid summer internship at Bluestaq headquarters.ย
Why This Program Mattersย
This sponsorship connects academic research directly to national-security mission impact. As a Bluestaq Graduate Research Scholar, your work will:ย
- Advance real capabilities in LLMs, knowledge graphs, NLP, and agentic AI used by defense and national-security customers.ย
- Build a direct pipeline from sponsored academic research into hands-on delivery at Bluestaq.ย
- Position you as part of a select, founding cohort of scholars at the leading edge of applied AI research.ย
What You'll Doย
Fall 2026 Research Projectย
- Conduct Bluestaq-defined research in one or more of the following focus areas: Large Language Models, Data Sourcing & Tagging, Knowledge Graph / Graph Store, Agentic AI, Natural Language Processing, and Prompt Engineering.ย
- Work independently and with NDSU faculty advisors, with research direction and technical alignment provided by Bluestaq.ย
- Bring genuine intellectual curiosity - while projects are Bluestaq-defined, student interest and alignment are valued in shaping the work.ย
Summer 2027 Internship - Bluestaq HQ, Colorado Springs, COย
- Complete a paid summer internship as a direct continuation of your sponsored research, delivering immediate mission impact.ย
- Receive hands-on mentorship and real-world application experience in a fast-paced defense-tech environment.
Program Benefitsย
- Full tuition, fees, stipend, and health insurance - funded for the complete duration of your M.S. or Ph.D. degree.ย
- Summer internship compensation:ย
- MS students: $28-35/hr ($1,120-$1,400/week at 40 hrs)
- PhD students: $34-42/hr ($1,360-$1,680/week at 40 hrs)
Qualifications and Requirementsย
- Currently enrolled, or incoming,ย M.S.ย or Ph.D. student at North Dakota State University.ย
- Target disciplines: Computer Science; Electrical & Computer Engineering; Industrial & Manufacturing Engineering; Mechanical Engineering; Software & Security Engineering (other aligned fields considered).ย
- Strong academic record and genuine interest in applying AI/data to national-security challenges.ย
- Selected through a joint Bluestaq/NDSU review process; a Bluestaq technical representative serves on the selection committee alongside NDSU faculty.ย
Educationย
- Enrollment in (or admission to) an M.S. or Ph.D. program at NDSU in a qualifying discipline isย required.ย
Clearance Requirementย
U.S. citizenship isย required, and candidates must be eligible to obtain andย maintainย a U.S. security clearance. Supervising faculty must also meet citizenship and clearance requirements, as sponsored work involves Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) and pre-existing Bluestaq intellectual property.ย
Locationย
- Academic-year research is based at NDSU (Fargo, ND); mandatory summer internship placement is on-site at Bluestaq HQ, Colorado Springs, CO.ย
Program Timelineย
- Fall 2026: Research project begins.ย
- Summer 2027: Paid internship at Bluestaq HQ.ย
Application deadline: August 31st, 2026
Intellectual Property
This is a standard industry-sponsored research arrangement: Bluestaq retains full ownership of all intellectual property developed under the sponsorship, consistent with students advancing the company's pre-existing IP portfolio.ย