Internship Downstream Process Development Scientist Jobs in Alabama

Leidos Dynetics' Advanced Materials Department is seeking a motivated, detail-oriented engineer to join our team as a Cold Spray Additive Manufacturing Engineer. This position is ideal for a recent graduate who is passionate about advanced manufacturing, materials engineering, and the development of next-generation defense and aerospace technologies.

The Advanced Materials Department is a multidisciplinary team providing materials engineering expertise across every phase of product development. Our team includes specialists in materials science, manufacturing, chemistry, physics, and mechanical engineering who support activities ranging from research and development to prototype fabrication and production support. In addition to extensive subject matter expertise, the department maintains advanced characterization laboratories, additive manufacturing equipment, computational modeling capabilities, and experimental facilities to support technology development from concept through deployment.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Support operation, setup, and maintenance of cold spray additive manufacturing equipment and associated systems.
• Assist in the design and fabrication of components using cold spray and other metal additive manufacturing technologies.
• Apply Design for Additive Manufacturing (DfAM) principles to support component design and process planning.
• Develop build plans, work instructions, and process documentation for additive manufacturing activities.
• Support material and process development efforts through experimental testing and data collection.
• Conduct basic engineering analyses related to additive manufacturing feasibility, cost, manufacturability, and performance.
• Assist with metallographic preparation, material characterization, and mechanical test specimen fabrication.
• Analyze and document process data, test results, and inspection findings.
• Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams including design, manufacturing, quality, and materials engineers.
• Support laboratory operations, equipment troubleshooting, and continuous process improvement activities.
• Contribute to technical reports, presentations, customer deliverables, and research proposals.
• Maintain compliance with safety procedures and laboratory best practices.

Basic Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Materials Science and Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related STEM discipline from an ABET-accredited university.
• Minimum cumulative GPA of 3.2.
• Resident of North Alabama or willingness to relocate to Huntsville, AL.
• Familiarity with additive manufacturing concepts through coursework, laboratory experience, internships, undergraduate research, or personal projects.
• Familiarity with the operation of cold spray additive manufacturing equipment.
• Familiarity with operational safety procedures and practices for metal additive manufacturing.
• Understanding of and ability to apply Design for Additive Manufacturing (DfAM) principles.
• Ability to interpret engineering drawings and technical documentation.
• Demonstrated hands-on laboratory, manufacturing, machining, fabrication, or research experience.
• Strong problem-solving, communication, and teamwork skills.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. Government security clearance.
• U.S. Citizenship required.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Internship, co-op, undergraduate research, or project experience involving metal additive manufacturing.
• Experience operating Cold Spray Additive Manufacturing, Directed Energy Deposition (DED), Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF), Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM), or related equipment.
• Experience with additive manufacturing software such as Materialise Magics, 3DXpert, EOSPrint, Netfabb, or similar tools.
• Experience with CAD software such as SolidWorks, Creo, NX, or similar design tools.
• Experience operating laboratory or manufacturing equipment.
• Coursework or laboratory experience involving metallurgy, materials characterization, or manufacturing processes.
• Experience with metallographic specimen preparation and optical or electron microscopy.
• Exposure to mechanical testing methods including tensile, fatigue, creep, or hardness testing.
• Familiarity with high-performance metallic materials including nickel-based alloys, titanium alloys, stainless steels, aluminum alloys, or refractory materials.
• Experience supporting research projects, technical reports, conference papers, or engineering presentations.
• Knowledge of manufacturing safety practices and laboratory procedures.
• Demonstrated leadership through engineering organizations, design teams, student projects, or extracurricular activities.

If you're looking for comfort, keep scrolling. At Leidos, we outthink, outbuild, and outpace the status quo - because the mission demands it. We're not hiring followers. We're recruiting the ones who disrupt, provoke, and refuse to fail. Step 10 is ancient history. We're already at step 30 - and moving faster than anyone else dares.

The Leidos pay range for this job level is a general guideline onlyand not a guarantee of compensation or salary. Additional factors considered in extending an offer include (but are not limited to) responsibilities of the job, education, experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities, as well as internal equity, alignment with market data, applicable bargaining agreement (if any), or other law.