Bell Labs Fiber Optics Co-op

Job Description:

Number of Position(s): 1
Duration: 15 weeks
Date: June 1 - September 11, 2026
Location: Onsite in Murray Hill, NJ 07974, USA

The team you'll be part of:
The Advanced Photonics Research Group within Smart Network in Bell Labs advances the state of the art in high-speed and high-capacity optical communications systems and their underlying subsystems
Hands-on experience with optics and optoelectronics devices; experience in quantum communication, single-photon detection systems; multimode or multicore fibers and amplifiers; high-speed device design and
experimentation; experience in digital signal processing are desired.

Education Recommendations
Currently enrolled as a candidate for a master's degree or diploma in Electrical Engineering, Physics, Computer Science, or a related field with an accredited school in the US.

As a summer intern, you will join our research organization and contribute to projects exploring the fundamental limits of optical communication and fiber sensing.
In this role, you will:
* Contribute to cutting-edge research in optical communication and fiber sensing
* Gain hands-on experience with advanced optics and optoelectronic devices
* Develop practical skills in digital signal processing (DSP) for high-speed systems
* Enhance basic programming skills by applying Python/ML tools to research
* Understand the operations of a premier research organization

Candidate Requirements:

* Strong motivation to learn new skills in fiber optics
* Basic programming skills
* Basic background in communication technology

It would be nice if you also had:
* Experience with Python programming is a big plus
* Experience with machine learning tools
* Experience with fiber optic communication system test beds
* Experience with FPGAs or GPUs as computing units for digital signal processing