AI/Autonomy & Drone Systems Intern

Location: Los Angeles, CA or Louisville, KY

About the work

Support autonomy modules for aerial drones and multi-agent systems through prototyping, simulation and approved hardware testing. Connect navigation, perception, health monitoring and coordination while keeping operating limits and test authority explicit.

What you will do

• Develop and test formation-control, task-allocation, cooperative-sensing and mapping behaviors in scoped multi-agent simulations.
• Implement navigation, perception and communications algorithms using Python, C++ or MATLAB/Simulink.
• Work with PX4/MAVLink, ROS 2, Gazebo/Ignition and edge-AI toolchains as appropriate to the selected platform.
• Integrate health-monitoring and capability information with autonomy modules so mission planning and replanning can account for degraded conditions and uncertainty.
• Build mission-level simulations for search and rescue, inspection, wildfire detection or infrastructure mapping, labeling scenarios and results as simulated.
• Assist with approved field tests on PX4 quadrotors, micro-drones or custom embedded systems using the team’s procedures and supervision.
• Document interfaces, experiment configurations, logs, failure cases and demo preparation.
• Check operator intervention, communications loss and other agreed boundary cases before expanding hardware tests.

What you bring

• Strong Python or C++ programming skills.
• Interest in autonomy, reinforcement learning, multi-agent systems or robotics.
• Basic understanding of controls, SLAM, computer vision or flight dynamics.
• Experience running simulations or debugging embedded systems, and curiosity about drones and robotics.

Useful additional experience

ROS 2, Gazebo, PX4 or MAVLink; motivated engineering students with a relevant class, research or personal project are encouraged to apply.

Initial project to agree

An initial project could be one documented multi-agent mission scenario with a repeatable baseline and degraded-condition tests, followed by an integration review. Physical trials require approved hardware, procedures and test readiness.

About AstraQua

AstraQua is developing a modular autonomy architecture with AQFM as its shared intelligence foundation. Specialized agents contribute perception, reasoning, health and coordination. AstraSense is the health-intelligence agent, with electrified aviation as an initial research application; it connects condition and remaining capability with mission decisions. Our approach to safe AI emphasizes defined operating boundaries, deterministic safety controls, operator authority and behavior designed for verification and validation.

How to apply

Email your resume, job title and preferred location (Los Angeles, CA or Louisville, KY) to careers@astraqua.com.