Innovation Research & Development Lab Intern

Trace3•Irvine, CA

2d•$18 - $27

About The Position

The Innovation R&D Lab Intern supports Trace3’s Innovation R&D Lab by building and maintaining Amazon Web Services (AWS) cloud environments for incubator prototypes, proofs of concept, minimum viable products (MVPs), and technical reviews of emerging solutions. Under the general direction of the Senior Director, Research & Development, the intern works alongside R&D engineers, using existing designs and templates and developing practical cloud engineering skills with training and guidance. Prior professional AWS experience is not required. Trace3 Innovation works with industry, venture capital and startup communities, clients, and internal teams to identify and analyze emerging technology areas, including cloud, data intelligence, security, application development, and operations. The team identifies technology trends, practice areas, use cases, and market solutions, and evaluates solution partners ranging from startups to established companies. During the internship, the intern will build AWS environments, deploy technologies for evaluation, prepare and document test environments, perform basic validation, automate scoped lab tasks, track resource usage and cost, troubleshoot and escalate blockers, and observe technical reviews and vendor briefings. R&D engineers retain ownership of security, access, and cost controls. The intern works only within approved lab accounts and does not use client data or engage directly with clients or vendors without approval. A capstone project and presentation to the team are expected near the end of the internship. The intern may perform other duties as assigned.

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, customer-minded, and interested in helping 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; this is ideal but 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 AWS lab standards for 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.
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 a capstone project near the end of the internship, such as a documented test environment for a technology under evaluation, and present it to the team.
Work only within approved lab accounts and follow R&D engineers’ 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.