Undergraduate/Graduate (Summer) Intern - Generative AI for Cybersecurity
Skip the busywork
ApplyBolt rewrites your resume for this exact role and hits submit. You just pick the jobs.
About this role
Posting Title
Undergraduate/Graduate (Summer) Intern - Generative AI for Cybersecurity.
Location
CO - Golden.
Position Type
Intern (Fixed Term).
Hours Per Week
40.
Working at NLR
NLR is located at the foothills of the Rocky Mountains in Golden, Colorado is the nation's primary laboratory for energy systems research and development.Join the National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR), where world-class scientists, engineers, and experts are accelerating energy innovation through breakthrough research and systems integration. From our mission to our collaborative culture, NLR stands out in the research community for its commitment to an affordable and secure energy future. Spanning foundational science to applied systems engineering and analysis, we focus on solving complex challenges to deliver advanced, secure, reliable, and cost-effective energy solutions. Our work helps strengthen U.S. industries, support job creation, and promote national economic growth.
At NLR, you'll find a mission-driven environment supported by state-of-the-art facilities, multidisciplinary research teams, and strong collaborations with industry, academia, and other national laboratories. We offer robust professional development opportunities, and a competitive benefits package designed to support your career and well-being.
Job Description
NLR’s internship program aims to bridge gaps in education, research, and public service to create career pathways for students to deliver collaborative research opportunities. This is a summer program that provides students with a unique introduction to hands-on research in the cybersecurity for clean energy industry. The student intern will work with a wide variety of experts working in emerging field of cybersecurity and artificial intelligence in critical infrastructure like energy systems. Depending on the student intern’s expertise and project’s need the student might be involved in projects relevant to advanced adoption/application of AI (especially large language models/ foundation models for critical infrastructure cybersecurity) in grid cybersecurity.
As a Generative AI for Cybersecurity Intern, the student will be at the forefront of securing the next generation of artificial intelligence and adopting this practice for grid security enhancement. The student’s work will involve creatively finding and understanding vulnerabilities in AI systems to help us build more robust and secure technologies.
The student’s duties would include:
Develop and execute novel attack scenarios targeting generative AI models.
Utilize LLMs to generate realistic adversarial inputs for security testing and system evaluation.
Employ Explainable AI (XAI) techniques to analyze and document the root causes of model vulnerabilities.
Research emerging threats and attack vectors in the field of AI security.
Collaborate with our cybersecurity and AI development teams to report findings and recommend mitigation strategies.
Document your testing methodologies, results, and insights in clear and concise reports.
The internship will include exposure to cybersecurity subject matter experts across the DOE lab complex, academia, and others. This internship offers a unique opportunity to gain hands-on experience in the cutting-edge field of offensive AI, providing you with highly sought-after skills at the intersection of generative AI and cybersecurity. You will not only learn to think like an adversary but also contribute to the critical mission of building more trustworthy and secure AI systems.
.
Basic Qualifications
Minimum of a 3.0 cumulative grade point average.Undergraduate: Must be enrolled as a full-time student in a bachelor’s degree program from an accredited institution.
Post Undergraduate: Earned a bachelor’s degree within the past 12 months. Eligible for an internship period of up to one year.
Graduate: Must be enrolled as a full-time student in a master’s degree program from an accredited institution.
Post Graduate: Earned a master’s degree within the past 12 months. Eligible for an internship period of up to one year.
Graduate + PhD: Completed master’s degree and enrolled as PhD student from an accredited institution.
Please Note:
• Applicants are responsible for uploading official or unofficial school transcripts, as part of the application process.
• If selected for position, a letter of recommendation will be required as part of the hiring process.
• Must meet educational requirements prior to employment start date.
* Must meet educational requirements prior to employment start date.
Additional Required Qualifications
Applicants must be currently pursuing or have completed a Bachelor's, Master's, or Ph.D. degree in a relevant technical field. Acceptable fields of study include:
Computer Science
Cybersecurity
Information Security
Artificial Intelligence
Computer Engineering
Software Engineering
Applied Mathematics
Required Skills & Research Experience:
Strong programming proficiency in Python.
Hands-on experience with generative AI models, particularly Large Language Models (LLMs), through methods like API integration, prompt engineering, or fine-tuning.
Experience with common machine learning libraries and platforms (e.g., PyTorch, TensorFlow, Hugging Face).
Familiarity with offensive cybersecurity concepts and methodologies. Experience from Capture The Flag (CTF) competitions, penetration testing coursework, or personal projects is highly relevant.
Demonstrable research or substantial project experience in generative AI is required.
Prior research or project work in adversarial machine learning, AI security, or "AI Red Teaming" is strongly preferred and will be a key differentiator for applicants.
Preferred Qualifications
While not required, the following qualifications are highly desirable and will strengthen your application:
Research paper(s) published in a top-tier cybersecurity or AI conference (e.g., USENIX Security, IEEE S&P, CCS, NeurIPS, ICML, ICLR, AAAI) is a significant plus.
Experience with Explainable AI (XAI) libraries or techniques (e.g., LIME, SHAP) to interpret and analyze model behavior.
Knowledge of cloud computing platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP) and their machine learning services.
Contributions to open-source cybersecurity or AI projects.
.
Job Application Submission Window
The anticipated closing window for application submission is up to 30 days and may be extended as needed.
Annual Salary Range (based on full-time 40 hours per week)
Job Profile: Graduate / Annual Salary Range: $51,200 - $81,900NLR takes into consideration a candidate’s education, training, and experience, expected quality and quantity of work, required travel (if any), external market and internal value, including seniority and merit systems, and internal pay alignment when determining the salary level for potential new employees. In compliance with the Colorado Equal Pay for Equal Work Act, a potential new employee’s salary history will not be used in compensation decisions.
Benefits Summary
Benefits include medical, dental, and vision insurance; 403(b) Employee Savings Plan with employer match*; and sick leave (where required by law). NLR employees may be eligible for, but are not guaranteed, performance-, merit-, and achievement- based awards that include a monetary component. Some positions may be eligible for relocation expense reimbursement. Internships projected to be less than 20 hours per week are not eligible for medical, dental, or vision benefits.* Based on eligibility rules
Badging Requirement
NLR is subject to Department of Energy (DOE) access restrictions. All employees must also be able to obtain and maintain a federal Personal Identity Verification (PIV) card as required by Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12 (HSPD-12), which includes a favorable background investigation. Intern assignments extending beyond six months will be subject to this requirement.Drug Free Workplace
NLR is committed to maintaining a drug-free workplace in accordance with the federal Drug-Free Workplace Act and complies with federal laws prohibiting the possession and use of illegal drugs. Under federal law, marijuana remains an illegal drug.
If you are offered employment at NLR, you must pass a pre-employment drug test prior to commencing employment. Unless prohibited by state or local law, the pre-employment drug test will include marijuana. If you test positive on the pre-employment drug test, your offer of employment may be withdrawn.
Submission Guidelines
Please note that in order to be considered an applicant for any position at NLR you must submit an application form for each position for which you believe you are qualified. Applications are not kept on file for future positions. Please include a cover letter and resume with each position application.
.
Equal Opportunity Employer
All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard basis of age (40 and over), color, disability, gender identity, genetic information, marital status, domestic partner status, military or veteran status, national origin/ancestry, race, religion, creed, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding), sexual orientation, and any other applicable status protected by federal, state, or local laws.
E-Verify www.dhs.gov/E-Verify For information about right to work, click here for English or here for Spanish.
E-Verify is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. This business uses E-Verify in its hiring practices to achieve a lawful workforce.