Internship | AI in Command and Control

About this position

Automated Planning and Scheduling focuses on achieving mission goals by generating and coordinating sequences of actions over time. A central challenge is translating academic advances into solutions that work reliably in real operational settings. This includes generating credible alternative plans, supporting interactive (human-in-the-loop) planning, adapting plans during execution when conditions change, and combining high-level mission planning with nested planning solutions. Addressing these topics will increase real-world impact, with a primary application area in military Command and Control.

What will be your role?

A non-exhaustive list of challenges to pick from are:

Plan alternatives

• Provide multiple, meaningfully different plans (e.g., speed vs. risk vs. resource usage) so the operator can choose and understand trade-offs without extra cognitive load.

Interactive planning

• Enable human-in-the-loop editing: let users lock or adjust parts of a plan (intent, constraints, asset assignments) while keeping the remainder consistent and stable (modular planning instead of one monolithic plan).

Dynamic plan adjustment

• Detect execution deviations from real-time observations (e.g., asset delays, loss, comms disruption) and trigger targeted replanning/repair actions that preserve intent and restore feasibility during operations.

Nested path planning

• Integrate mission planning with lower-level navigation/path planning (terrain, routes, no go areas) so task schedules remain valid when movement time and constraints are non-trivial.
• Validate nested planning approaches in a simulated/digital-twin environment (e.g., asset loss, jamming, weather effects) to test plan robustness and support faster iteration.

You will join the Collaborative Autonomous Systems team. Within TNO DSS, we bring together expertise in autonomous platforms, decision support, and military operations.

What we expect from you

We are looking for a motivated master’s degree student with an interest in AI for defence related applications. This position is a great fit for students who enjoy combining theoretical concepts with hands-on experiments and applications.

Requirements:

• You are in the last phase of your master’s degree in the fields (or a field related to): Artificial Intelligence, Computer Science, Robotics, Electrical Engineering, Applied Mathematics or Physics.
• Experience with (Python) programming. Some familiarity with search / optimalization problems.
• Interest in Symbolic AI and Expert Systems.
• The duration of this thesis project is typically between 9 to 12 months.

What you'll get in return

You want an internship opportunity on the precursor of your career; an internship gives you an opportunity to take a good look at your prospective future employer. TNO goes a step further. It’s not just looking that interests us; you and your knowledge are essential to our innovation. That’s why we attach a great deal of value to your personal and professional development. You will, of course, be properly supervised during your work placement and be given the scope for you to get the best out of yourself. Furthermore, we provide:

• A highly professional, innovative internship environment, within a team of top experts.
• A suitable internship allowance (615 euro for wo-, hbo- and mbo-students, for a full-time internship).
• Possibility of eight hours of free leave per internship month (for a full-time internship).
• A free membership of Jong TNO, where you can meet other TNO professionals and join several activities, such as sports activities, (work-related) courses or the yearly ski-trip.
• Use of a laptop.
• An allowance for travel expenses in case you don’t receive an OV-card.

TNO as an employer

At TNO, we innovate for a healthier, safer and more sustainable life. And for a strong economy. We are driven to push boundaries. There is all the space and support for your talent and ambition. You work with people who will challenge you: who inspire you and want to learn from you. Our state-of-the-art facilities are there to realize your vision. What you do at TNO matters: impact makes the difference. Because with every innovation you contribute to tomorrow’s world.