Innovation Research & Development Lab Intern

About the Role

Trace3 is seeking an Innovation Research & Development Lab Intern to support the Innovation R&D Lab. The intern will assist in building and maintaining Amazon Web Services (AWS) cloud environments for incubator prototypes, proofs of concept, and minimum viable products (MVPs). This role offers hands-on experience in practical cloud engineering with training and guidance from R&D engineers. Prior professional AWS experience is not required.

Key Responsibilities

• Build and configure AWS environments from provided designs, templates, and checklists to support prototypes, proofs of concept, and MVPs.
• Learn core AWS lab standards, including compute, storage, networking, and identity and access management, with training.
• Deploy vendor and open-source technologies for evaluation, such as 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 lab tasks with scripting and learn infrastructure as code tools.
• Document build steps, configurations, and lessons learned, with R&D engineers reviewing final runbooks.
• Track and report resource usage and cost for assigned environments, and shut down or remove unused resources.
• Troubleshoot environment issues and escalate blockers promptly.
• Observe team meetings, technical reviews, and vendor briefings, and prepare notes with takeaways and follow-up questions.
• Complete a capstone project, such as a documented test environment for a technology under evaluation, and present it to the team.
• Work within approved lab accounts for security, access, and cost controls, without using client data or engaging clients or vendors directly without approval.

Requirements & Tech Stack

• Enrollment in the Junior or Senior year of an undergraduate program at an accredited college or university.
• Pursuing a field of study applicable to the internship, such as computer science, information technology, cybersecurity, cloud computing, or a related field.
• Fundamental understanding of cloud computing concepts (e.g., virtualization, storage, networking, shared responsibility model).
• Basic familiarity with Linux, the command line, and at least one scripting language (e.g., Python, Bash, PowerShell).
• Hands-on AWS experience or a foundational certification (e.g., AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner) is ideal but not required; training will be provided.
• Familiarity with Git and infrastructure as code tools is a plus.
• Interest in cybersecurity, identity, AI, or agentic technologies is a plus.
• Excellent technical documentation and artifact creation skills.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 or better.
• Academic or professional/internship experience working in a professional setting is a plus.
• Ability to work independently on assigned tasks and accept direction.
• Willingness to learn new technologies and ask questions.
• Self-motivated with a customer mindset and a desire to help people.
• Enthusiasm for technical problem-solving with attention to detail and strong communication skills.
• Availability to work 40 hours per week throughout the internship.

Qualifications

• Enrollment in Junior or Senior year of an undergraduate program.
• Pursuing a degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Cybersecurity, Cloud Computing, or related field.
• Fundamental understanding of cloud computing concepts.
• Basic familiarity with Linux, command line, and a scripting language.
• Excellent documentation and communication skills.
• GPA of 3.0 or better.
• Ability to work independently and accept direction.
• Willingness to learn and ask questions.
• Self-motivated with a customer mindset.
• Enthusiasm for technical problem-solving.
• Availability for 40 hours/week.