Aerospace Material Reliability Intern

About the Role

This is a summer internship position working with the mmWave module design team at MACOM’s Western Massachusetts design center. The candidate will be designing and/or conducting reliability studies to qualify new materials for use in space applications. As an intern at MACOM, you will receive mentorship and guidance from experienced engineers.

Key Responsibilities

• Identify, research, and test new materials for use in space module applications
• Conduct material simulations and analysis
• Design test plans
• Work with internal and external teams to identify and schedule test resources
• Conduct hands-on material testing
• Analyze test results against space standards
• Gain knowledge in the field of aerospace material reliability
• Advocate for reliability as a core competency within the company
• Support customer meetings as needed

Requirements & Tech Stack

• Pursuing a Bachelor's or Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Materials Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related technical discipline.
• Experience with 3D CAD modeling and mechanical design, preferably using SolidWorks
• Familiarity with aerospace qualification requirements
• Familiarity with material outgassing
• Understanding of engineering drawings, GD&T, and tolerance analysis
• Familiarity with manufacturing processes including machining, assembly, and fixture design.
• Ability and willingness to create detailed technical documentation, drawings, test plans, and design packages
• Strong problem-solving skills and ability to work independently on technical projects
• Effective communication skills and ability to collaborate across multidisciplinary engineering teams
• Ability to collaborate with other engineering interns and cross-functional teams to develop and test qualification hardware
• Interest in hardware development and qualifications
• Self-motivated, organized, and capable of managing multiple design tasks simultaneously
• Comfortable working in a fast-paced environment where project priorities may evolve
• Interest in aerospace, defense, high-reliability electronics, and advanced packaging technologies

Preferred Experience & Background

• Exposure to electronic packaging, microelectronics, RF/microwave hardware, or aerospace electronics
• Knowledge of soldering processes, solder joint reliability, and qualification testing techniques.
• Experience working with materials such as epoxies, elastomers, ceramics, alumina substrates, or thermal interface materials
• Understanding of tolerance stack-up analysis and connector alignment considerations.
• Exposure to reliability, environmental, or qualification testing in aerospace, defense, or high-reliability applications
• Basic understanding of wire bonding, microelectronic assembly, or substrate-level packaging techniques
• Experience supporting laboratory testing, data collection, and technical report generation

Internship Details

During the 12 weeks, each Intern will:

• Be given an individual and well-defined project with set outcome goals
• Gain hands on experience
• Receive excellent training and ongoing supervision
• Be invited to attend an intern webinar series
• Attend networking/social events
• Attend and present at Poster Session about each Interns project successes and pitfalls
• Receive formal, written feedback

The hourly range for this position is $20 – $47 per hour.