Rhombus Research

Summer 2027 Software Engineering Intern: Simulation API

About us

Rhombus Research is an independent research lab in San Antonio working on coordination and accountability systems for autonomous infrastructure. Our work spans swarm robotics, systems security, and data visualization. Recent work has been previously presented at IEEE ICRA and upcoming at ITS Texas.

We are small enough that you would work directly with the founder on production code from your first week.

The role

We are building a public API for Reptile, our browser-based simulation engine for autonomous fleet coordination. Today Reptile runs scenarios we author ourselves. The goal is an interface that lets outside researchers define their own scenarios, bring their own devices and data, and run experiments against the engine.

You would help design, implement, and test that interface.

Specific work includes

• Design an API interface alongside Rhombus Research

• Implementing API endpoints and data contracts

• Writing the test suite: unit tests, integration tests, and validation against malformed input

• Building reference examples that demonstrate how an outside user would use the API

• Writing developer documentation, including a getting-started guide and API reference

• Identifying gaps and inconsistencies in the design

This is a platform engineering role centered on API design, shared services, and building reliable developer tooling.

What you would get

• A portfolio project: A shipped, documented public API with your name in the commit history.

• Founder mentorship: Direct collaboration with the founder, including structured weekly one-on-ones and daily communication as needed.

• Hands-on domain experience: Practical work across simulation engineering, API design, and developer tooling.

• Compensation: Funded through the Students + Startups program. A $6,000 stipend for the 10-week summer term, with housing support and onboarding handled by the program.

What we are looking for

Required

• Proficiency in React and TypeScript

• Comfort with Git and collaborative development

• Ability to read an existing codebase and work within its conventions

• Clear written communication, since documentation is part of the job

Helpful but not required

• Three.js or react-three-fiber

• Experience working with LLM APIs

• Experience writing tests, any framework

• Interest in autonomous vehicles, swarm systems, or infrastructure

Logistics

10 weeks, 40 hours per week.

Remote. Occasional in-person collaboration in San Antonio.

We prioritize core engineering fundamentals over specific toolsets or domain experience. If you are a strong programmer, we encourage you to apply.

Requirements