Note: The job is a remote job and is open to candidates in USA. Peraton is seeking graduate interns to support internal research and development initiatives focused on AI/ML-driven platforms for Operations in the Information Environment. The role involves developing and applying generative AI solutions, including large language models, prompt engineering, retrieval-augmented generation, and agentic AI architectures, while collaborating with senior engineers and data scientists in a defense technology environment.
Responsibilities
- Assist in the development and optimization of generative AI solutions using GPT-4, Claude, Gemini, and Azure OpenAI Service under the guidance of senior team members
- Support prompt engineering efforts including designing, testing, and refining prompts to improve LLM output quality, accuracy, and consistency
- Contribute to the implementation of retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) systems, including working with vector databases, embedding models, and semantic search pipelines
- Conduct research on emerging generative AI techniques, foundation models, and best practices, summarizing findings for the development team
- Assist in building evaluation frameworks and quality assurance pipelines to measure and improve AI-generated content quality
- Support documentation efforts including creating technical guides, API documentation, and prompt libraries
- Participate in code reviews, team meetings, and Agile/Scrum ceremonies to gain exposure to professional software development practices
- Collaborate with cross-functional teams to understand operational requirements and translate them into technical solutions
- Take on progressively complex responsibilities as skills develop throughout the internship tenure
Skills
- Currently enrolled in a Master's or Ph.D. program in Computer Science, Data Science, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Computational Linguistics, Natural Language Processing, or related technical field
- Completion of at least one semester of graduate coursework prior to internship start date
- Strong programming skills in Python, including familiarity with common data science libraries (NumPy, Pandas, scikit-learn)
- Foundational understanding of machine learning concepts, neural networks, and natural language processing principles
- Exposure to large language models (LLMs) through coursework, research projects, or personal projects (e.g., using OpenAI API, Hugging Face, or similar)
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with attention to detail
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills
- Ability to work both independently and collaboratively in a team environment
- US. Citizenship required (must be able to obtain Secret clearance)
- Hands-on experience with LLM frameworks such as LangChain, LlamaIndex, or Hugging Face Transformers
- Experience with prompt engineering techniques including few-shot learning, chain-of-thought prompting, or structured output generation
- Familiarity with vector databases (Pinecone, ChromaDB, Weaviate) or embedding models for semantic search applications
- Experience with cloud platforms (AWS, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud) for AI/ML development or deployment
- Research experience in NLP, generative AI, or related fields, including publications or conference presentations
- Familiarity with responsible AI principles, AI safety, and techniques for mitigating bias and hallucinations in LLM outputs
- Experience with version control (Git/GitHub) and collaborative development workflows
- Interest in defense, national security, or government technology applications
- Prior internship experience in software development, data science, or AI/ML roles
- Coursework or projects involving multimodal AI, computer vision, or reinforcement learning
Benefits
- Interns can support 100% remotely.
- Flexible and remote-friendly scheduling.
- Dedicated mentorship.
- Networking opportunities across Peraton’s technical leadership.
- A potential pathway to full-time employment upon graduation.
- Depending on the position, employees may be eligible for overtime, shift differential, and a discretionary bonus in addition to base pay.
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