Introducing our talented Summer 2023 interns
This year we welcomed interns into the organization from Anglia Ruskin, King's College Cambridge, Imperial College London as well as remote students from the U.S. Internships are a great opportunity for students to learn more about future career paths related to GNSS whilst receiving hands-on technical experience in the field of engineering and business.
As we move into 2024, we will continue to broaden our graduate network across the UK and internationally so if you know of any students who might be interested in working on smartphones, wearables and autonomous vehicles, please encourage them to follow us on Linkedin or add us to their intern list.
Intern class of 2023: Krya, Sohan, Ruairí, Patrick & Agraj
Business Intern, Kyra
Based in New Jersey (US), Kyra interned with our Operations Teams for 8 weeks and actively supported ongoing developments in our ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) planning and leveraging our brand through various recruitment marketing tactics.
Software Engineering interns
Sohan worked closely with our VP Engineering in the ongoing development of an in-house live GNSS visualisation system. Ruairí, a Computer Science graduate from, Cambridge University supported us with exploratory work relating to the exploitation of Supercorrelation™ with 5G signals. “I really enjoyed the opportunity to learn about FocalPoint's Supercorrelation technology. It's so exciting to be part of the team. My project was aimed at simulating data from 5G signals in order to demonstrate the effectiveness of Supercorrelation for navigation."
Patrick was kept busy developing a low-cost ground truthing system and Agraj was involved with our external user data collection for our machine learning motion model training.
Applying innovative technology to real life use cases
Agraj a Computer Science Graduate from Anglia Ruskin University, had never worked in an office before coming to intern for us. “The team were very supportive and my supervisor George helped me through every step. I was included in all aspects of ML project work, even though I wasn’t working on it specifically - this was hugely beneficial.”
“FocalPoint's Supercorrelation™ is fascinating” commented Ruairí who completed his Master of Mathematics degree at King’s College, University of Cambridge. “My project was aimed at simulating data from 5G signals in order to demonstrate the effectiveness of Supercorrelation for navigation using 5G."
Patrick studied for his Master’s in Electronic and Information Engineering at Imperial College London and spent his time with us working on ground truth data generation, using sensor fusion techniques. “I’ve really enjoyed the experience of working in a motivated and focused team with a clear common goal, and the opportunity to work with new technologies and develop new skills, particularly time management and planning."
What does the future look like for our interns?
Internships help technical engineering students better understand technology in more depth and ‘in the wild’ - it’s a proven method to apply theoretical knowledge from their studies to the real world.
“I’ve always wanted a career in engineering, but not really sure which part of it I would like to go into” comments Agrag.
Similarly, Patrick wanted a career in engineering, but interning at FocalPoint has opened his eyes to the geospatial sector. “They’ve shown me what it’s like to work in an engineering company. I have experience in a software engineering company and FocalPoint is similar but more about real-world engineering which isn’t just programming.”
Ruairí sums up the benefit of internships; “It’s really important to know what the environment will be like to work in engineering because of the technical and research elements. I wouldn’t have had an understanding of how it would work if I hadn't completed an internship.”
Growing your talent pipeline
Beck Read, VP of People at FocalPoint commented: “Every organisation should offer internships. At FocalPoint, we understand how critical these pathways are in helping young, talented people gain both new experiences and perspective on what's to come in the future.
Internships serve as keys to many doors from developing professional skills and making industry connections; to standing out to employers. We are a diverse and inclusive organisation; and one that strives to share our expertise by encouraging people into STEM careers.”
What to expect from a FocalPoint internship:
In-hub lunches
Guided mentorship with a talented expert in their relevant field of study
Socialised events
Paid internship dependent on year of study
Annual leave accrual
What advice would you give to anyone thinking about doing an internship?
You should do it, it’s important and gives you experience before you join as a regular employee.
Agraj
Be open-minded and open to learning, find out about what you’re doing, be open to hear feedback and take the guidance from those around you. It might not necessarily be related to what you want to do but it’s useful to gain this information.
Ruairí
Pick something you are interested in or something you can really get stuck into or enjoy. Apply for a lot of places, there will be one there for you.
Patrick
As we move into 2024, we will continue to broaden our graduate network across the UK and internationally so if you know of any students who might be interested in developing next generation positioning solutions for smartphones, wearables and autonomous vehicles, please encourage them to follow us on Linkedin or add us to their company intern list.