Physical Design Engineer Intern Jobs in Rome, NY

Position: R&D Engineering Intern

 Opportunity Overview:

Technergetics is searching for a full-time (30 to 40 hours per week) research intern for a 3-month engagement to support a Phase I SBIR/STTR R&D effort focused on secure, low-power personnel tracking for edge environments where GPS, cellular, and Wi-Fi can't be relied on. This is hands-on R&D (Research and Development) — protocol design, mesh networking experimentation, and documenting findings that feed directly into a follow-on proposal. Strong performers may be considered for a permanent role at the conclusion of the internship, based on company needs.

Position Details     

Pay: $22-$28. The hourly wage is dependent on the amount of schooling and experience of the successful candidate.  

This is a remote position. The work may be performed from the successful candidate's home.

There is a minimum work expectation of 30 hours per week and a maximum of 40 hours per week for this position.

The start date is expected to be June 2026.

Due to the contract requirements for this position, only U.S. citizens are eligible to apply.

Responsibilities and Duties  

The R&D Engineering Intern will work alongside our Principal Investigator and an academic Co-PI to research and prototype a tracking protocol inspired by military tactical data links, built on top of modern long-range/low-power IoT stacks (LoRa, Meshtastic, Thread).

Daily Activities Include:

• Researching mesh networking approaches for Denied, Disconnected, Intermittent, and Limited-bandwidth (D-DIL) environments
• Comparative analysis of LoRaWAN, Meshtastic, Thread, and military tactical data link design principles (TDMA scheduling, anti-jam, time sync)
• Drafting a notional message format optimized for constrained RF links
• Evaluating cluster formation strategies (entropy-based weighting, RSSI, residual energy trade-offs)
• Lightweight crypto evaluation (PKI vs. symmetric key distribution for low-power MCUs)
• Contributing to the final technical report and follow-on roadmap
• Assist with tasking under this effort that may not be specifically listed here.

Education and Certifications:   

This position requires matriculation in an accredited college or university while pursuing a Master's Degree or a late-stage BS/BA (rising senior or final-year) in computer engineering, electrical engineering or a closely related field.

Required Qualifications:

• Coursework or project experience in at least two of: wireless communications, embedded systems, networking protocols, or applied cryptography
• Comfortable with C/C++ and/or Python for embedded and simulation work
• Strong technical writing — you'll co-author sections of the final report
• Self-directed; able to plan and execute against weekly milestones in a remote setup

The following qualifications are not required but nice to have:

• Hands-on experience with LoRa, LoRaWAN, Meshtastic, Thread, BLE, or Zigbee
• Prior bench prototyping experience with commercial parts such as Semtech SX126x/SX127x, ESP32, STM32, or Nordic SoCs
• Familiarity with mesh routing, TDMA, or SDR experimentation
• Exposure to ns-3, OMNeT++, or similar network simulators
• Interest in defense applications, edge AI, or tactical networking

Background Check:   

Applicants selected will be subject to a background investigation which must be passed for continued employment.

Travel:   

This position is not expected to require travel. 

Benefits:   

This position does not include benefits, accept where required by law.

Company Description   

Technergetics is a US-based company headquartered in Utica, NY, with employees and clients located throughout the country.  The Utica/Rome area is a hub of cutting-edge cyber technology research, bolstered by the Griffiss Business & Technology Park's tenants and facilities, including the Air Force Research Lab (AFRL).  At Technergetics, we work with a wide variety of technologies, including mobile and web apps, Quantum computing, machine learning and artificial intelligence, AI-enabled edge devices, and many more.   

Beware of fraudulent job offers and postings! 
Technergetics will never extend an offer of employment without a thorough interview process involving face to face interviews either in-person or a virtual Teams meeting from an official Technergetics email address (@techngs.com). If you receive any correspondence from an email other than techngs.com, it is a scam. Pre-interview code testing is only administered through the Codility platform. We will not send out questionnaires or testing through any other platform/site prior to a first interview. 

We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.