Careers

Our Company

OceanComm enables high-speed wireless connectivity underwater, offering orders of magnitude improvement in data rate. Legacy underwater wireless modems take about an hour to transfer a single picture, OceanComm modems can live-stream video. Today, underwater vehicles require a tethered link to a manned ship for remote control. Our modems eliminate the need for manned surface support and instead allow operators to work at a safe distance or from shore, reducing cost by over 50%.

OceanComm spun out of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2015, is based in Chicago, and has been boot-strapped off more than $7M in contracts to date. Think of the technology as the equivalent of Wi-Fi for undersea, but with more range. To make this possible, we use sound waves, as whales and dolphins do, rather than radio waves. The ultimate goal is to significantly reduce the cost of performing work in the ocean, and, with most of the deep sea still unexplored, expand human access on Earth's final frontier. The company is currently focused on the maritime defense and security sector with contracts from ONR, DARPA, DIU, and NAVSEA, but looks to expand to other sectors such as offshore energy and is beginning the rollout of its first commercial modem.

Open Positions

Engineering Internship

Chicago, IL

OceanComm is looking to grow its engineering internship program. If you're interested in signal processing, machine learning, acoustics, robotics, embedded systems, hardware or software development, this may be for you. As an intern, you'll join a small, passionate team with the opportunity to learn directly from experts and experiment across multiple disciplines. Your projects could include a mix of hardware and software work ranging from soldering to web development and catering directly to any skills that you want to grow.

A candidate should have all of the following:
  • Strong communication and teamwork skills.
  • Experience in a programming language, especially C, C++, or Python.
  • Experience with a version control system such as Git or SVN.
  • Desire to write secure, maintainable, and well-tested code.
  • Active enrollment in an engineering, mathematics, or computer science program (Bachelor's, Master's, or PhD) with a strong record of academic achievement.
An exceptional candidate might have any of the following:
  • Understanding of machine learning fundamentals.
  • Knowledge of linear algebra and signal processing.
  • Experience with web development technologies, especially JavaScript/TypeScript and React.
  • Experience with ROV/AUV hardware/software.
  • Experience with computer-aided design/3D printing.
  • Familiarity with equipment like oscilloscopes, current probes, debuggers, etc.
  • Familiarity with device interfaces like Ethernet, CAN, I2C, SPI, etc.
  • Familiarity with embedded development, including bootloaders, device trees, drivers, etc.

To apply, please send a resume and cover letter as PDF documents to [email protected].

All candidates must have U.S. citizen or permanent resident status as access to export-controlled resources is required.