Platform Engineer Internship (VCU Capstone)

Location: Richmond, Virgina

Undergraduate: Rising Junior or Rising Senior

Requirement: Must be currently enrolled at Virginia Commonwealth University

Program Start Date: May 18, June 1, June 8 or June 15, 2026

About the Program:

This internship is part of Siemens’ strategic partnership with Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) to launch a next generation corporate-sponsored Engineering Capstone program. Students selected will participate both as Siemens interns and as contributors to a real customer-facing capstone project for VCU Facilities.

The project centers on the development of an application that will ultimately reside on Siemens’ Xccelerator Marketplace, Siemens’ cloud-based platform for smart, autonomous, and sustainable buildings. Interns will gain real-world, hands on experience understanding how the technology is installed, how it operates, and how Siemens delivers digital building solutions.

About Building X:

Building X is Siemens’ open, scalable, AI-enabled smart building platform designed to unify building systems, break down data silos, and accelerate the journey toward autonomous, climate neutral buildings.

Interns in this program will directly explore how Building X:

• Connects real facility systems (energy, safety, HVAC, operations) into one cloud data environment

• Uses analytics, AI, and digital twins to improve building performance

• Supports real-world customer needs through actionable data

Key Responsibilities – Summer Capstone Internship

• Participate in a 10-week summer internship supporting smart building, energy, and sustainability initiatives in partnership with VCU Facilities.

• Gain hands-on exposure to HVAC systems, energy engineering, and building automation, with a focus on how commercial and institutional buildings operate.

• Support facility audits and site visits by gathering field data, reviewing system performance, and identifying operational improvement opportunities.

• Perform basic engineering analysis, including energy calculations, load estimates, and review of mechanical systems and documentation.

• Learn how building automation system (BAS) data is collected, structured, and analyzed using cloud-based platforms such as Siemens Building X.

• Assist with centralizing and contextualizing disparate data sources into a single data warehouse on Siemens Building X.

• Help Siemens software developers improve cloud onboarding efficiency through tooling and process reviews.

• Utilize construction design documents and Siemens Building X platform to create VCU’s digital twin.

• Assist with data analysis, trend review, dashboarding, and reporting to support energy savings, fault detection, and operational decision-making.

• Collaborate with Siemens engineers and mentors to understand how analytics-driven insights are translated into actionable facility improvements.

• Engage directly with VCU Facilities staff, treating the campus as a real-world customer and learning how technical solutions support operational needs.

• Gain exposure to how smart building solutions are delivered by engineering, sales, project management, and service teams.

• Build the technical, organizational, and communication skills needed to serve as a Capstone project leader during the academic year.