R&D Engineer Intern

Penn State University•University Park, IL

7d•Hybrid

About The Position

We are searching for a motivated undergraduate student to join the Cyberspace Operations Research Department at the Applied Research Laboratory (ARL) at Penn State. 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, Testing of representative systems under simulated real-world conditions, Data collection, analysis, and reporting of 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.

Requirements

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
Must be a U.S. citizen
Must be eligible to obtain a government security clearance
Must participate in the ARL drug testing program
Must comply with electronic and physical monitoring requirements applicable to federal contractors

Responsibilities

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
Testing of representative systems under simulated real-world conditions
Data collection, analysis, and reporting of 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