Missile Defense Research Summer Internship

The Air Force Institute of Technology is offering internships at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.

You will join a community of scientists and researchers in an effort to research missile defense.

In this project the participants will experience hands-on learning through collaboration with AFIT Graduate School of Engineering and Management Faculty in Hypersonic Vehicle development by configuring new geometries in CAD; modeling and simulating the vehicle response to aerodynamic, structural, and thermal loading conditions; and conducting physical experiments for validation. Computer packages such as ABAQUS, NASTRAN, CAPS, MatLab, DAKOTA, CFL3D, FUN3D, etc. will be utilized for data generation, post-processing and response interpretation.

Participants will predict the vehicle response under multiple flight paths, maneuvers, and load conditions, and determine the vehicle's sustainability and resilience through the computation of stresses, deflections, and buckling resistance. Interns will compute the aerodynamic pressures using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and will analyze for vehicle stability and resilience under extreme operating conditions (e.g., high temperature operating conditions, vehicle response to various heat transfer modes). Participants will define the associated uncertainties in mission, vehicle geometry, and material variabilities for computing the safety bands that are available for various vehicle geometries using the probabilistic analysis methods. They will develop optimized vehicle configurations for shape, size, and topology aspects of hypersonic mission, and consider aerodynamic, thermal, and structural performance requirements in a multidisciplinary optimization environment. Participants will study the newly developed configurations and consider manufacturability issues for high temperature materials that are being considered with their advanced properties. They will assist in conducting wind tunnel experiments for representative Mach numbers and vehicle maneuver conditions for validating the prototypes, then document the findings and periodically present the research works to other DoD Scientists and Engineers.

Under the guidance of a mentor, you will gain hands-on experience to complement your education and support your academic and professional goals. Along the way, you will engage in activities and research in several areas. These include, but are not limited to:

Where will I be located? Dayton, Ohio

The Air Force Institute of Technology reviews and selects applicants on a rolling basis. Exact start dates will be determined at the time of selection and in coordination with the selected candidate. Applications are reviewed on an ongoing basis and internships will be filled as qualified candidates are identified.

An ORISE appointment period can be a short-term (less than 2 weeks), summer (10-12 weeks), or yearlong appointment. Faculty appointments are generally for 10-12 weeks during the summer, but appointments during the academic year are also available. Appointments may be extended depending on funding availability, project assignment, program rules, and availability of the participant.

Participants will receive a stipend to be determined by AFIT. Stipends are typically based on the participant’s academic standing, discipline, experience, and research facility location. Other benefits may include the following:

The participant will not enter into an employee/employer relationship with ORISE, ORAU, DOD, or any other office or agency. Instead, the participant will be affiliated with ORISE for the administration of the appointment through the ORISE appointment letter and Terms of Appointment.

AFIT is seeking applicants with education backgrounds from BS to PhD.