R&D Engineer Intern

The Cyberspace Operations Research Department at the Applied Research Laboratory (ARL) at Penn State is seeking a motivated undergraduate student intern. The internship focuses on researching and developing adversarial tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) for conducting system vulnerability assessments and enabling security hardening support.

About the role

This internship will concentrate on researching and developing adversarial tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) to conduct system vulnerability assessments and enable security hardening support to various sponsors. Typical focus areas include:

• Research state-of-the-art techniques for vulnerability detection, system exploitation, and technical mitigations
• Develop scripts and applications to automate processes
• Design experiments and set up test environments
• Conduct experiments and execute demonstrations
• Test representative systems under simulated real-world conditions
• Data collection, analysis, and reporting of experimental results (Collect data, analyze and report experimental results)
• Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams to solve engineering challenges
• Develop and optimize prototypes for critical applications
• Research and document emerging technologies
• Participate in technical presentations and discussions

Responsibilities

Interest skills and experience areas include:

• Familiarity with basic system vulnerability and exploitation concepts
• Basic knowledge of engineering concepts and the scientific method
• Basic proficiency in Linux-based environments
• Proficiency in programming and scripting languages (C, Python, bash, PowerShell)
• Proficiency in using Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint
• Success in environments where various forms of communication and organizational skills were crucial to be effective
• Experience collaborating in multi-disciplinary, team-oriented cultures
• Willingness to learn and adapt to new tools, techniques, and technologies

Requirements

You will work up to 20 hours/week during the fall and spring semesters and have the opportunity to work up to 40 hours/week over the summer. This is a paid internship opportunity, and location will be fully on-site located in State College, PA, or Reston, VA, but options exist for hybrid of on-site/work from home based on project-dependent ability.

Approval of remote and hybrid work is not guaranteed regardless of work location. For additional information on remote work at Penn State, see Notice to Out of State Applicants.

Qualifications

You will need to be a U.S. citizen to apply. You must be able to obtain and maintain a government security clearance, participate in the ARL drug testing program, and comply with electronic and physical monitoring requirements applicable to federal contractors.

Skills

Skills and experience areas include:

• Familiarity with basic system vulnerability and exploitation concepts
• Basic knowledge of engineering concepts and the scientific method
• Basic proficiency in Linux-based environments
• Proficiency in programming and scripting languages (C, Python, bash, PowerShell)
• Proficiency in using Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint
• Success in environments where various forms of communication and organizational skills were crucial to be effective
• Experience collaborating in multi-disciplinary, team-oriented cultures
• Willingness to learn and adapt to new tools, techniques, and technologies

Benefits

This is a paid internship opportunity. Relocation and housing are not provided.

For additional information on ARL, visit our website at www.arl.psu.edu.

Background checks/clearances are required. For further information on employment at the Applied Research Laboratory (ARL), visit https://www.arl.psu.edu/about/employment.

Questions related to flexible work should be directed to the hiring manager during the interview process.

For more information on Penn State's policies and procedures, please refer to the following links:

• Campus Security Crime Statistics
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• Federal Contractor Labor Law Poster
• Penn State Policies
• Copyright Information
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