Innovation Research & Development Lab Intern

Trace3•Irvine, CA

About The Position

Trace3’s Innovation R&D Lab Intern supports the Innovation R&D Lab by building and maintaining AWS cloud environments for incubator prototypes, proofs of concept, minimum viable products, and technical reviews of emerging solutions. Under the general direction of the Senior Director, Research & Development, the intern works alongside R&D engineers, building from existing designs and templates while developing practical cloud engineering skills through training and guidance. Prior professional AWS experience is not required. The internship offers hands-on learning in AWS environment configuration and lab standards; deployment and evaluation of vendor and open-source technologies; preparation of test environments, sample data, and validation scripts; small-scale scripting and infrastructure-as-code tools; documentation; resource usage and cost tracking; and troubleshooting. The intern will observe team meetings, technical reviews, and vendor briefings, and complete and present a capstone project near the end of the internship. R&D engineers retain responsibility for security, access, and cost controls. Work takes place only in approved lab accounts; the intern does not use client data or engage directly with clients or vendors without approval. Other duties may be assigned by the supervisor.

Requirements

Be enrolled in the junior or senior year of an undergraduate program at an accredited college or university.
Pursue a relevant field of study, such as computer science, information technology, cybersecurity, cloud computing, or a related field.
Have a fundamental understanding of cloud computing concepts, such as virtualization, storage, networking, and the shared responsibility model; coursework or personal projects are acceptable.
Have basic familiarity with Linux, the command line, and at least one scripting language, such as Python, Bash, or PowerShell.
Have excellent technical documentation and artifact creation skills.
Have excellent oral and written communication skills.
Have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or better; People and Organizational Health may require a copy of the applicant’s transcript.
Be able to work independently on assigned tasks and accept direction on assignments.
Be willing to learn new technologies on the job and ask questions early.
Be self-motivated, have a customer mindset, and want to help people.
Show enthusiasm for technical problem solving, attention to detail, and strong communication skills.
Be available to work 40 hours per week throughout the internship.

Nice To Haves

Hands-on AWS experience or a foundational certification such as AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner; not required, and training will be provided.
Familiarity with Git and infrastructure-as-code tools.
Interest in cybersecurity, identity, AI, or agentic technologies.
Academic, professional, or internship experience working in a professional setting.

Responsibilities

Build and configure AWS environments from engineer-provided designs, templates, and checklists for prototypes, proofs of concept, and MVPs.
Learn and apply core AWS lab standards, including compute, storage, networking, and identity and access management, with guidance from R&D engineers.
Deploy vendor and open-source technologies under evaluation, including security, identity, data, and AI tools, in lab environments for technical review.
Prepare test environments, sample data, and basic validation scripts for proofs of concept and technical reviews, and capture results.
Automate small, well-scoped lab tasks with scripting and learn infrastructure-as-code tools alongside engineers.
Document build steps, configurations, and lessons learned for review by R&D engineers, who own the final runbooks.
Track and report resource usage and cost for assigned environments, and shut down or remove unneeded resources.
Troubleshoot environment issues and promptly escalate blockers to R&D engineers.
Observe team meetings, technical reviews, and vendor briefings, and prepare notes with takeaways and follow-up questions.
Complete and present a capstone project near the end of the internship, such as a documented test environment for a technology under evaluation.
Work only within approved lab accounts and R&D engineer-owned security, access, and cost controls; do not use client data or engage clients or vendors directly without approval.
Perform other duties as assigned by the supervisor.

Benefits

Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision plans for the employee and dependents.
401(k) retirement plan with employer match.
529 College Savings Plan.
Health Savings Account.
Life insurance.
Long-term disability.
Competitive compensation.
Training and development programs.
Major offices stocked with snacks and beverages.
Collaborative and cool culture.
Work-life balance and generous paid time off.