Submarine Materials Engineering & Laboratory Services - 2026 Engineering Summer Internship

Overview

General Dynamics Electric Boat provides an unparalleled learning experience for college students, offering practical exposure in the defense industry alongside expert engineers, shaping the future of submarine innovation.

Engineers at Electric Boat work collaboratively across departments and with our customer to develop innovative solutions for the United States Navy’s nuclear submarines. As an Intern, you'll be exposed to various engineering activities with the support of our senior staff. This program grants our trainees the opportunity to develop valuable skills and dive into cutting-edge projects such as leading the Columbia Class design and enhancing Virginia Class submarines. Every intern will be exposed to a wealth of knowledge in order to excel in the engineering domain.

This program requires a minimum commitment of 8 weeks during the Summer 2026 Season.

Participation in this program requires medical screening, passing a drug test, and potential DOD Investigation

This is not a remote opportunity.

All applicants have the potential to be placed at any of the following locations: Groton CT, New London CT, North Kingstown RI, Newport RI,or North Stonington CT. 

Submarine Materials Engineering & Laboratory Services – Summer Internship

Job Description:

The Submarine Materials Engineering & Laboratory Services Directorate comprises of many cross-functional groups, each with different core roles and responsibilities. These include: Design and Engineering Support, Welding Laboratory, Advanced Concepts, Groton Construction Support, Quonset Point (QP) Structural and Piping Construction Support, Welding Engineering Supplier Development and Oversight, Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) Engineering Supplier Oversight and Support, Strategic Sourcing, Metallic Materials Engineering, Base Materials Technology, Non-Metallic Materials Engineering, and Robotics Engineering.

Submarine Materials Engineering & Laboratory Services Summer Interns may be responsible for the following tasks:

• Construction support of both pipe and structural welding
• Welding procedure qualification efforts
• Database development
• Literature reviews to support new technology development
• Shadowing of engineers to learn all of the different aspects of the welding engineering organization
• Review vendor weld procedure qualifications for compliance with Navy welding specifications
• Review weld vendors weld repair plans for compliance with Navy welding specifications
• Failure analysis
• Special projects
• Material verification
• Research and Development Testing – creation of procedure, oversight of lab testing
• Specification Histories
• Working with Engineers on Material Requests – obsolescence, replacements, etc.
• Engineering analysis of novel composite components
• Development of composite material specifications
• Development of repair procedures for damaged composite components

Please note: Due to the high volume of applications received, our current process does not involve interviews. Rest assured that even though you will not be contacted for an interview, your time and effort are greatly appreciated. Each application is diligently reviewed for consideration. Thank you for your understanding and interest!

Qualifications

To be qualified for this position:

• Must be 18 years of age or older.
• US citizenship is required.
• Must be able to successfully pass a medically supervised drug screen and background check.
• Must be enrolled full-time at a college or university
• At minimum students must have completed their Freshman year prior to the start of the internship.
• Must be available to work 40 hours per week for a minimum eight (8) consecutive weeks between May 2026 to September 2026.
• Selected candidates will be responsible for establishing housing and reliable transportation for the duration of their intern assignment.
• Pursuing a Bachelor or Masters of Science Degree in Material Science Engineering, Mechanical Engineering / Structures & Materials, Metallurgical Engineering, Welding Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Materials Aerospace Engineering

Skills

• Effective written and verbal communication skills
• Ability to effectively work both independently and as part of a team
• Ability to learn new skills and apply them
• Ability to solve problems in a constructive manner
• Strong interpersonal skills   
• Proficient with MS Office suite (Word, Excel, Office)