Strategic Deterrence Intern2

Program Title: NSRI Strategic Deterrence Intern: Joint Electromagnetic Spectrum Operations (JEMSO) "Hide & Seek" - Geo-locating emitters using Software Defined Radios

Directorate: Strategic Deterrence & Nuclear Programs

Start date: April 28, 2025

End date: August 15, 2025

Primary Location: Cyber Physical Networking Lab, UNL

Position Summary
This is a summer internship:

• 40 hours/week May 30-August 15 (approximately)
• $19/hour for undergrad
• $24.60/hour for graduate

The goal of “Hide and Seek” is to develop a system for accurately geo-locating non-cooperative emitters using a network of three or more Software Defined Radio (SDR) receivers. The primary techniques to be employed are Time Difference of Arrival (TDOA) and Angle of Arrival (AOA) to achieve precise emitter location estimation. This system will have applications in various fields, including spectrum management, security, and disaster response.

Four interns from the University of Nebraska system will work as a team under the guidance of NSRI staff and University of Nebraska faculty member (primarily UNL’s Dr. Can Vuran), to research this significant Department of Defense (DoD) interest area. Interns can also expect to collaborate with members from the DoD stakeholders to include U.S. Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM), the Joint Electromagnetic Spectrum Operations (JEMSO) Enterprise Center (JEC), and the Naval Surface Warfare Center.

The internship will primarily take place at the Cyber Physical Networking (CPN) Lab at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Administrative in-processing as well as some professional development opportunities will take place at NSRI’s headquarters located in the Scott Technology Center in Omaha, NE (AKSARBEN area). Due to the academic year, Interns can be part time from April 28th through May 27th. Interns are expected to work full time (40 hours/week) from May 28th through August 15th. Interns will be expected to travel to the Naval Surface Warfare Center in Crane Indiana for four days in the July/August timeframe.

Duties & Responsibilities
Specific work will involve developing critical algorithms and software for geolocation and then testing and evaluating the algorithms’ performance and effectiveness through research associated with scenarios, real-time capability and hardware integration. Deliverables will include but are not limited to briefings to USSTRATCOM, JEC, Naval Surface Warfare Center, and NSRI leadership and a comprehensive paper covering algorithm implementation, usage guidelines, and maintenance instructions.

REQUIRED Knowledge, Technical Skills and/or Abilities

• Experience with Microsoft Office Suite and Adobe Acrobat
• A high level of organization with ability to research and recall information
• Strong time management, prioritization and critical thinking/strategic thinking skills
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills

DESIRED Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• At least one graduate student sought
• Electrical Engineering
• Computer Engineering (Software Engineering, Data Science)
• Mechanical Engineering
• Computer Science
• Other related fields or knowledge

Minimum REQUIREMENTS

• Rising Junior at the University of Nebraska
• Majors and/or coursework aligned to Engineering (i.e., Electrical, Computer, Mechanical, etc.) and/or Computer Science.
• Must be currently enrolled full-time (12 credit hours) at one of the four University of Nebraska System campuses (UNK, UNL, UNMC, UNO)
• Standing GPA of 3.5
• Due to the nature of the work at NSRI, this position will require U.S. citizenship