Intern, R&D Graduate Summer - TITANS Cybersecurity, Onsite

Sandia National Laboratories; Albuquerque (NM); On-site; USD 28,000 - 41,000; Full time

Job summary

Sandia National Laboratories invites R&D Graduate Interns to join the TITANS Cybersecurity team for Summer 2027. Projects span software, hardware, and embedded systems to tackle real national-security challenges on cyber topics.

Interns will work on reverse engineering, malware analysis, intrusion testing, and cryptography while developing skills in data science and analytics. Onsite only, with comprehensive training and mentorship provided.

Qualifications

• Earned bachelor's degree in a science, engineering, or math field.
• Enrolled full-time in a spring term before internship or graduating in spring.
• Minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0/4.0.
• Ability to work up to 40 hours per week during summer.
• Ability to secure and maintain US citizenship for security clearance.

Responsibilities

• Work on real-world cybersecurity problems or software/hardware challenges.
• Engage in reverse engineering, vulnerability assessment, and malware analysis.
• Participate in intrusion prevention/detection, testing, and forensics.
• Contribute to network operations, information protection, and resiliency.
• Address authentication, authorization, cryptography, and data analytics.
• Support hardware/software research with embedded systems and FPGA work.
• Collaborate on projects that impact national security while learning best practices.
• Work onsite at Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, NM.

Skills

Reverse engineering

Malware analysis

Penetration testing

Intrusion detection

Data science

Cryptography

Networking

Education

Bachelor's degree

Currently attending full-time in a spring term before internship

Tools

Oscilloscope

Power supplies

Waveform generators

Job description

What Your Job Will Be Like

We are seeking R&D Graduate Interns to join our TITANS Cybersecurity team for Summer 2027! Qualified candidates will be part of a larger family namely Technical Internships to Advance National Security (TITANS) focuses solely on Cybersecurity, Software and Math Analytics.

TITANS Cybersecurity (also known as the Center for Cyber Defenders or CCD) is seeking students who want to have a career in cybersecurity. We are focused on developing the next generation of experts in the field of computer security from the software stack down to microelectronic hardware components. You will use your foundational computer science/engineering, electrical engineering, materials science, math, analytics, and data science skills, but your work will be directed to cybersecurity topics.

Your job could consist of:

• Manual and automated reverse engineering, vulnerability assessment, and malware analysis
• Intrusion prevention/detection and response, penetration testing, and forensics
• Network operation, information protection, and resiliency
• Authentication and authorization
• Cryptography
• Data science, information theory, and streaming and behavioral analytics
• Virtualization (system and network) and cloud technologies
• Mobile devices and smart technologies
• And many more areas of research!

We are also looking for candidates with expertise in electrical engineering, physics, and materials science interested in:

• Debugging hardware prototypes
• Identifying and fixing hardware issues (failure analysis)
• Design either at the integrated circuit or circuit board level
• FPGA/microcontroller/embedded systems development
• Electronic measurement equipment experience including oscilloscope, power supplies, waveform generators, etc.
• RF or electromagnetics expertise

Your projects will be real-world cybersecurity problems or software, hardware, or embedded engineering challenges contributing to a cybersecurity challenge or mission space affecting national security. There's no busy work in the CCD! Your solution will exercise foundational math and analytic techniques and best practices in SW or HW engineering to help improve cybersecurity of our nation.

Due to the nature of the job, the selected candidate must be able to work onsite at the Sandia campus in Albuquerque, NM. Remote internships will not be considered.

Salary Range

At Sandia, we value the important work done by our interns and its contribution to National Security. Because of this, our interns earn competitive pay rates. Our pay structure is based on earned credit hours, classification, and degree level. Your pay rate will be determined during the hire process and included in your offer package. You can view the Intern Pay Rate chart here.

Qualifications We Require

You bring the confidence and skills to be eligible for the job by meeting these minimum requirements:

• Earned bachelor's degree
• Currently attending and enrolled full time in the spring term immediately preceding the internship (or scheduled to graduate in the spring) in an accredited science, engineering, or math graduate program
• Minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0/4.0
• Ability to work up to 40 hours per week during the summer
• Ability to secure and maintatin a U.S. security clearance which requires U.S. citizenship

Note: If you have not yet started your graduate program, please apply to an undergraduate intern position.

Qualifications We Desire

• GPA of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale
• Working knowledge and understanding of an engineering or science related field, such as Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Cybersecurity Mathematics or other relevant disciplines
• Scholarship for Service Recipient
• Ability to obtain and retain a DOE Q and an SCI clearance

Posting Duration

This posting will be open for application submissions for a minimum of three (3) calendar days, including the 'posting date'. Sandia reserves the right to extend the posting date at any time.

About Our Team

The CCD gives computer science interns practical experience with computer systems, network operations, and information protection. The year-round program combines research with education and provides a venue for interns to perform experiments on attacking and defending computer systems with proper guidance and protective measures in place.

About Sandia

Sandia National Laboratories is the nation's premier science and engineering lab for national security and technology innovation, with teams of specialists focused on cutting-edge work in a broad array of areas. Some of the main reasons we love our jobs:

• Challenging work with amazing impact that contributes to security, peace, and freedom worldwide
• Extraordinary co-workers
• Some of the best tools, equipment, and research facilities in the world
• Career advancement and enrichment opportunities
• Flexible work arrangements for many positions include 9/80 (work 80 hours every two weeks, with every other Friday off) and 4/10 (work 4 ten-hour days each week) compressed workweeks, part-time work, and telecommuting (a mix of onsite work and working from home)
• Generous vacation, strong medical and other benefits, competitive 401k, learning opportunities, relocation assistance and amenities aimed at creating a solid work/life balance*

World-changing technologies. Life-changing careers. Learn more about Sandia at: http://www.sandia.gov

*These benefits vary by job classification.

Security Clearance

Sandia is required by DOE to conduct a pre-employment drug test and background review that includes checks of personal references, credit, law enforcement records, and employment/education verifications. Applicants for employment need to be able to obtain and maintain a DOE Q-level security clearance and SCI access, both of which require US citizenship. SCI access may also require a polygraph examination. If you hold more than one citizenship (i.e., of the U.S. and another country), your ability to obtain these levels of access may be impacted.

Applicants offered employment with Sandia are subject to a federal background investigation to meet the requirements for access to classified information or matter if the duties of the position require a DOE security clearance. Substance abuse or illegal drug use, falsification of information, criminal activity, serious misconduct or other indicators of untrustworthiness can cause a clearance to be denied or terminated by the DOE, resulting in the inability to perform the duties assigned and subsequent termination of employment.

EEO

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, or veteran status and any other protected class under state or federal law.

NNSA Requirements for MedPEDs

If you have a Medical Portable Electronic Device (MedPED), such as a pacemaker, defibrillator, drug-releasing pump, hearing aids, or diagnostic equipment and other equipment for measuring, monitoring, and recording body functions such as heartbeat and brain waves, if employed by Sandia National Laboratories you may be required to comply with NNSA security requirements for MedPEDs.

If you have a MedPED and you are selected for an on-site interview at Sandia National Laboratories, there may be additional steps necessary to ensure compliance with NNSA security requirements prior to the interview date.