TIMESTEP Internship Program prepares Astronomy students for high-tech careers through software engineering
The inaugural cohort of student interns in the TIMESTEP Astronomical Software Engineering Internship along with astronomy graduate student Hayden Foote (R).
A newly launched internship program in the Department of Astronomy & Steward Observatory at the University of Arizona is giving undergraduate students hands-on experience with astrophysics, software engineering, and artificial intelligence, all while contributing directly to groundbreaking international research on black holes.
The TIMESTEP Astronomical Software Engineering Internship places junior and senior undergraduate students with backgrounds in astronomy and physics into collaborative software development teams working on cutting-edge scientific challenges in the space sciences. Designed to mirror industry standards, the internship introduces students to modern software engineering practices and prepares them for careers in industry, graduate school, and advanced scientific research.
In addition to their project work, students participated in technical workshops focused on software engineering principles, including code optimization, documentation, and collaborative development practices.
Dr. Gurtina Besla serves as director of the TIMESTEP program. The student group was supervised by Dr. Chi-Kwan Chan, while Dr. Jennifer Kinser-Traut serves as the program coordinator for the TIMESTEP program.
“This is a very successful program that enables us to give students an experience that they wouldn't otherwise get through their classes," said Dr. Chan. "The students finished a software package and release it on the Python Package Index. This offers them great career opportunities.”
The Astronomical Software Engineering Internship was piloted this academic year with four University of Arizona undergraduates who developed key software for the Event Horizon Telescope collaboration, the international research effort known for producing the first images of black holes. The student-developed software helps the collaboration better manage and process the massive petabytes of data collected to study the supermassive black holes at the center of the Milky Way and other galaxies.
“This program is a great bridge between research and software engineering in industry because it is run in an academic setting but develops skills that are useful in both research and a software engineering position," said one of the student interns. "It is a truly unique experience, and you will learn more than you would ever expect.”
Astronomy graduate student Hayden Foote was awarded the College of Science Graduate Teaching Award in recognition of his role with the Astro SE program.
Much of the workshop curriculum was designed by astronomy graduate student Hayden Foote, whose contributions earned him the College of Science Graduate Student Teaching Award for the Department of Astronomy this year.
The program also partnered with experts across campus to expand the students’ training opportunities, including College of Engineering software engineering faculty member Dr. Diana Diazh and Lunar and Planetary Laboratory research scientist Dr. Michael Phillips, who helped lead additional workshops.
Throughout the internship, students attended weekly agile-style stand-up meetings, collaborated closely with graduate student mentors and contributed directly to an active astrophysical software engineering initiative. The experience provided students with valuable exposure to professional software development environments.
“The most beneficial part of the program was working on real-world projects and writing code that actually matters,” said one of the student interns. “It helped me improve my technical skills and understand how research and software development work together.”
The impact of the program has already extended beyond the lab. The two graduating seniors in the inaugural cohort received multiple graduate school offers, while the two juniors secured competitive summer opportunities through a National Science Foundation (NSF) Research Experiences for Undergraduates program and an internship with IBM.
The student team concluded the pilot program with a presentation and software demonstration for the Event Horizon Telescope collaboration on April 29, 2026. Students were also interviewed and featured in an OpenAI documentary.
"The TIMESTEP SE Internship has shown me the value of software engineering in a large scientific collaboration and has opened up many more career opportunities for us,” said another student intern.
Following the success of its first year, the program is continuing to expand. Three interns will participate over the summer, and seven students are expected to join the program in the fall.
“In the era of AI, universities need to train students in fundamental skills, like critical thinking and software best practices, so that students have the necessary foundation to use AI tools efficiently," said Dr. Besla. "This program does not have students mindlessly use AI tools to build code – rather, we train students to feel confident in using emerging tools and to speak knowledgeably about the product they are building. Our students stand out in a competitive field – they are working on some of the most daunting software challenges in modern astrophysics.”