Job Description

Mechanical Engineering Intern (Summer 2026) Vectech | Baltimore, MD

Schedule: Full-time (32 hrs/week minimum), June 1 – August 25, 2026. Exact hours are flexible, coordinating with the technical team.

Location: Primarily in-person at our Baltimore office and lab (3600 Clipper Mill Rd, STE 401). Occasional remote work is permitted where compatible with the day's scope of work.

Compensation: $25/hour + $1,000 travel stipend delivered over the course of the internship.

About the project

Vectech builds AI-powered tools that identify mosquitoes and ticks from images, helping public health organizations make faster, smarter decisions about vector control. Behind every computer vision model is an imaging system that has to actually work in the real world: right optics, right illumination, right form factor. That's where you come in.

This internship focuses on hands-on mechanical engineering work supporting two main efforts. The first is Scout, Vectech's smart mosquito trap that images mosquitoes as they enter and transmits data for real-time identification, a functional research product that needs redesign for scalable commercial viability. You'll support our engineers in targeted redesign and testing to help make that transition happen. The second is supporting the development of data collection tools for our tick identification app, including an imaging reference card that needs to be validated in collaboration with the entomology and computer vision teams to ensure it produces high-quality, consistent images.

You'll work closely across all three of Vectech's technical teams, because building good hardware at Vectech means understanding what the biology and the algorithms actually need.

What will you do?

• Operate 3D printers and laser cutters (safety training provided)
• Assemble and troubleshoot mechanical components
• Maintain assembly documentation and engineering drawings
• Develop testing plans and protocols in collaboration with team members
• Follow protocols to test prototypes, gather data, and assemble components
• Collaborate with team members on optimizing assembly and manufacturing
• Document work to scientific and engineering standards
• Present work to the hardware team and other technical teams as relevant

Required experience/skills

• Holding or currently pursuing a degree in Mechanical Engineering or equivalent, or prior experiential learning providing a commensurate foundation in prototyping, technology development, and modeling
• Some maker experience: tinkering, prototyping, 3D printing, or laser cutting
• Experience with 3D modeling software (SolidWorks preferred)
• Working proficiency with word processors and spreadsheets
• Cumulative GPA of 2.5 or above
• Attention to fine detail: this work is meticulous and that's a feature, not a bug
• Eagerness to learn, collaborate, and manage tasks across projects

Candidate Eligibility

This position is funded through the Maryland Lighthouse Industries and AI Internship Program. To be eligible, candidates must meet one of the following:

• Current graduate student (Master's or PhD) enrolled at a Maryland institution of higher education
• Current undergraduate senior enrolled at a Maryland institution of higher education
• Maryland resident who is a current undergraduate senior or graduate student at an out-of-state institution
• Recent graduate (within 2 years of completing an Associate's, Bachelor's, Master's, or PhD) who is a Maryland resident

Who is Vectech?

Vectech equips professionals with the capabilities of a medical entomologist using AI. Mosquitoes are the deadliest animals on Earth, killing over half a million people each year. Ticks transmit deadly and debilitating diseases. With Vectech's products, public health and vector control organizations can quickly generate the information they need to make better decisions, faster. As a public benefit corporation, we care deeply about the people we work with and the mission we're working toward. We hope you will too.

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