ABOUT THE DIN

AI-Based Maritime Target Detection and Multi-Modal Sensor Fusion for Autonomous Surveillance

Defence Science & Technology Group

About the Company

The Defence Science and Technology Group (DSTG) is Australia’s lead government organisation responsible for applying science and technology to safeguard Australia’s national interests. DSTG conducts multidisciplinary research across sensing, autonomy, artificial intelligence, robotics, communications and defence systems. This internship will contribute to ongoing research in maritime surveillance and autonomous sensing technologies supporting future Defence capability development through collaboration with Australian universities and industry partners.

Project Objective

This internship will support the ongoing MDISPAR research project, which investigates AI-enabled maritime surveillance using passive acoustic and vision sensors. The intern will join an established research team and contribute to data processing, annotation, machine learning model development, algorithm evaluation, and software testing using real-world maritime datasets. The internship supports preparation and validation of multimodal datasets and AI evaluation workflows, helping accelerate ongoing research, software development, and validation of multimodal sensing technologies for autonomous maritime surveillance.

Project Tasks

• Weeks 1–4: Familiarisation with the MDISPAR project, software tools and existing workflows; preparation and annotation of vision datasets. Output: curated and annotated vision datasets ready for AI evaluation.
• Weeks 5–8: Execute testing workflows for existing AI-based vessel detection systems; support multimodal dataset validation using complementary vision and acoustic information. Output: benchmark results and validated datasets.
• Weeks 9–12: Support software validation; document experimental results; recommend improvements to data processing and testing workflows. Output: final report, documented workflows and recommendations.

Intern Skills

• Python programming; machine learning and/or computer vision; signal processing; data analysis. (All listed as desirable — strong learners welcome even without experience across every area.)
• Linux environment; Git version control.
• Strong analytical thinking; self-motivated; good communication; works independently and collaboratively; willingness to learn new technologies in a Defence research environment.
• Australian citizenship required; eligible to obtain an Australian Government Security Clearance if required. 

How to apply

Eligible students (Australian citizens) apply via the online application form and submit a CV and motivation letter by 6 September 2026.