2027 Internship - Cybersecurity Engineer - Critical Infrastructure Protection

Job Description

Description
Our mission in the Critical Infrastructure Protection
Group
is to protect the United States' Infrastructure from persistent threats.

Our group is a team of computer, system, and cybersecurity engineers creating game-changing capabilities that enable U.S. infrastructure to be robust in the face of complex and persistent threats. We design, build, hack, destroy, and invent to advance the state of the art. We are not satisfied with producing laboratory-only capabilities. We are continuously deploying our work in operational facilities to truly support our missions. Our group's work protects U.S. citizens on a daily basis as they fly in our national airspace and ensures resources such as water and power are delivered continuously and safely. As a member of our team, you will both be able to access and shape premier research facilities such as our CYPRESS
Laboratory
.

We champion creativity and boldness, empowering our staff to design, develop, and pursue in their own unique ways. We embrace a high-performing hybrid work environment, allowing our team to work flexibly so long as the job gets done. We are a caring and fun community that works hard because we love what we do and we want to make a difference.

We are looking to find dedicated
Cybersecurity Interns
. In this role at APL, you will...
Collaborate
with sponsors to understand their missions and what it means to be successful
Contribute
to interdisciplinary teams designing and engineering cutting edge resilience solutions for cyber-physical systems.
Develop
proof-of-concepts and prototypes of novel control systems and technologies
Conduct
independent research and development to advance state of the art for cyber-physical systems to be self-aware, self-organized, self-healed, and self-optimized. Key research areas include virtualization, machine-to-machine trust, autonomic decision making.
Reverse engineer
control system network protocols
Analyze
control system hardware for cyber hardening
Engage
in red teaming exercises and adversary emulation
Design, integrate, test and scale-up
end-to-end cyber situational awareness capabilities
Test
cyber solutions on in-house hardware testbeds representing Critical infrastructure sectors

Qualifications
You will meet our minimum requirements if you have...
Pursuing a Bachelors, Masters, or PhD in Cybersecurity, Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, and Electrical & Computer Engineering.
3.0 GPA or above on a 4.0 scale
Intermediate skills and experience with scripting languages (Python, shell, etc.), Linux (command line)
Knowledge of IP networking, virtualization, Software Defined Networking (SDN), and Industrial Control Systems (ICS) protocols
Some experience with version control system, (preferably Git - including branching, pull‑requests, and basic conflict resolution)
To access APL's facilities and networks,
U.S. citizenship status is required
, subject to applicable laws
You will go above and beyond our minimum requirements if you have...
Hands-on cybersecurity skills and experience for Operational Technology (OT) and ICS are a plus
Experience with Agentic frameworks (ex: Langchain/LangGraph, PydanticAI, OpenAI Agents)
Strong interpersonal and communication skills (both verbal and written)
Experience with SIEMs (ELK, Splunk, etc.)
Familiarity with containerization and orchestration tools (Docker, Kubernetes, OpenShift)
Programming skills and experience with Matlab, C/C++, and JAVA
Interests in modeling and simulation, data mining and data science

About Us
Why Work at APL?
The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) brings world-class expertise to our nation's most critical defense, security, space and science challenges. While we are dedicated to solving complex challenges and pioneering new technologies, what makes us truly outstanding is our culture. We offer a vibrant, welcoming atmosphere where you can bring your authentic self to work, continue to grow, and build strong connections with inspiring teammates.
At APL, we celebrate our differences of perspectives and encourage creativity and bold, new ideas. Our employees enjoy generous benefits, including a robust education assistance program, unparalleled retirement contributions, and a healthy work/life balance. APL's campus is located in the Baltimore-Washington metro area. Learn more about our career opportunities at
https://www.jhuapl.edu/careers
.
All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, creed, color, religion, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, age, physical or mental disability, genetic information, veteran status, occupation, marital or familial status, political opinion, personal appearance, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. APL is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to individuals of all abilities, including those with disabilities. If you require a reasonable accommodation to participate in any part of the hiring process, please contact
Accessibility@jhuapl.edu
.
The referenced pay range is based on JHU APL's good faith belief at the time of posting. Actual compensation may vary based on factors such as geographic location, work experience, market conditions, education/training and skill level with consideration for internal parity. For salaried employees scheduled to work less than 40 hours per week, annual salary will be prorated based on the number of hours worked. APL may offer bonuses or other forms of compensation per internal policy and/or contractual designation. Additional compensation may be provided in the form of a sign-on bonus, relocation benefits, locality allowance or discretionary payments for exceptional performance. APL provides eligible staff with a comprehensive benefits package including retirement plans, paid time off, medical, dental, vision, life insurance, short-term disability, long-term disability, flexible spending accounts, education assistance, and training and development. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.

Minimum Rate
$22.60 Hourly
Maximum Rate
$47.95 Hourly

Our mission in the Critical Infrastructure Protection
Group
is to protect the United States' Infrastructure from persistent threats.

Our group is a team of computer, system, and cybersecurity engineers creating game-changing capabilities that enable U.S. infrastructure to be robust in the face of complex and persistent threats. We design, build, hack, destroy, and invent to advance the state of the art. We are not satisfied with producing laboratory-only capabilities. We are continuously deploying our work in operational facilities to truly support our missions. Our group's work protects U.S. citizens on a daily basis as they fly in our national airspace and ensures resources such as water and power are delivered continuously and safely. As a member of our team, you will both be able to access and shape premier research facilities such as our CYPRESS
Laboratory
.

We champion creativity and boldness, empowering our staff to design, develop, and pursue in their own unique ways. We embrace a high-performing hybrid work environment, allowing our team to work flexibly so long as the job gets done. We are a caring and fun community that works hard because we love what we do and we want to make a difference.

We are looking to find dedicated
Cybersecurity Interns
. In this role at APL, you will...
Collaborate
with sponsors to understand their missions and what it means to be successful
Contribute
to interdisciplinary teams designing and engineering cutting edge resilience solutions for cyber-physical systems.
Develop
proof-of-concepts and prototypes of novel control systems and technologies
Conduct
independent research and development to advance state of the art for cyber-physical systems to be self-aware, self-organized, self-healed, and self-optimized. Key research areas include virtualization, machine-to-machine trust, autonomic decision making.
Reverse engineer
control system network protocols
Analyze
control system hardware for cyber hardening
Engage
in red teaming exercises and adversary emulation
Design, integrate, test and scale-up
end-to-end cyber situational awareness capabilities
Test
cyber solutions on in-house hardware testbeds representing Critical infrastructure sectors

Minimum Qualifications

Pursuing a Bachelors, Masters, or PhD in Cybersecurity, Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, and Electrical & Computer Engineering. 3.0 GPA or above on a 4.0 scale Intermediate skills and experience with scripting languages (Python, shell, etc.), Linux (command line) Knowledge of IP networking, virtualization, Software Defined Networking (SDN), and Industrial Control Systems (ICS) protocols Some experience with version control system, (preferably Git - including branching, pull‑requests, and basic conflict resolution) To access APL's facilities and networks, U.S. citizenship status is required , subject to applicable laws You will go above and beyond our minimum requirements if you have... Hands-on cybersecurity skills and experience for Operational Technology (OT) and ICS are a plus Experience with Agentic frameworks (ex: Langchain/LangGraph, PydanticAI, OpenAI Agents) Strong interpersonal and communication skills (both verbal and written) Experience with SIEMs (ELK, Splunk, etc.) Familiarity with containerization and orchestration tools (Docker, Kubernetes, OpenShift) Programming skills and experience with Matlab, C/C++, and JAVA Interests in modeling and simulation, data mining and data science

Requirements

You will meet our minimum requirements if you have...
Pursuing a Bachelors, Masters, or PhD in Cybersecurity, Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, and Electrical & Computer Engineering.
3.0 GPA or above on a 4.0 scale
Intermediate skills and experience with scripting languages (Python, shell, etc.), Linux (command line)
Knowledge of IP networking, virtualization, Software Defined Networking (SDN), and Industrial Control Systems (ICS) protocols
Some experience with version control system, (preferably Git - including branching, pull‑requests, and basic conflict resolution)
To access APL's facilities and networks,
U.S. citizenship status is required
, subject to applicable laws
You will go above and beyond our minimum requirements if you have...
Hands-on cybersecurity skills and experience for Operational Technology (OT) and ICS are a plus
Experience with Agentic frameworks (ex: Langchain/LangGraph, PydanticAI, OpenAI Agents)
Strong interpersonal and communication skills (both verbal and written)
Experience with SIEMs (ELK, Splunk, etc.)
Familiarity with containerization and orchestration tools (Docker, Kubernetes, OpenShift)
Programming skills and experience with Matlab, C/C++, and JAVA
Interests in modeling and simulation, data mining and data science