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Science of Security & Internship Program, Summer 2021, National Security Agency, Fort Meade, MD

Posted August 14, 2020

Responsibilities:

The National Security Agency (NSA) Science of Security (SoS) & Privacy Lablets Summer Internship Program is for undergraduate and graduate students currently enrolled at U.S. universities and colleges. The program provides an opportunity for exceptional science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) students to work directly with NSA SoS Champions on mission-critical hard problems and experience the excitement of the NSA research community first-hand.

Over the course of the summer, the students participating in this program will work on SoS five hard problems:

  1. Resilient Architectures;
  2. Scalability and Composability;
  3. Security-Metrics-Driven Evaluation, Design, Development, and Deployment;
  4. Policy Governed Secure Collaboration; and
  5. Understanding and Accounting for Human Behavior.

Within each hard problem section are areas where there is extension into privacy and cyber-physical systems. Under the guidance of NSA SoS Champions, selected students will work in collaboration with ongoing cybersecurity and privacy research projects led by the below current six Lablets (https://cps-vo.org/group/sos/projects).

  • Carnegie Mellon University
  • International Computer Science Institute ‘ Berkeley
  • North Carolina State University
  • University of Illinois-Champaign
  • University of Kansas
  • Vanderbilt University


Job Summary

Join students from across the country and lend your knowledge to national security in one of NSA’s over 25 summer internship programs. These 12 week paid programs run from mid-May to mid-August and are open to undergraduate freshman up to Ph.D. students depending on internship requirements. These internships are open to a wide variety of majors and give students the opportunity to work directly with mission-critical problems and experience the excitement of working directly in NSA spaces.

Qualifications:

  • Must be a U.S. citizen.
  • Must be eligible to be granted a security clearance.
  • Must be available for an operational interview and other applicable processing between the months of November 2020 and March 2021.
  • Applicants should have demonstrated superior STEM aptitude and problem-solving skills. Evidence of successful work on an independent STEM project is desirable. Applicants may be at any stage in their undergraduate or graduate careers and working, or intending to work, in any STEM area.
  • Desired majors include, but not restricted to, the following: computer science, cybersecurity, engineering, human behavior, information technology, math, and psychology.


Pay, Benefits, & Work Schedule:

  • Students are paid a competitive salary commensurate with their education level.
  • Receive annual leave, sick leave and paid federal holidays.
  • Participation in agency-wide extracurricular programs.
  • Students who attend schools in excess of 75 miles from Ft. Meade, MD, are eligible for a round trip airfare ticket to and from school or mileage reimbursement up to the cost of a government-issued airline ticket.
  • Daily transportation to and from work is not provided. Students participating in the program are highly encouraged to bring a vehicle. Carpooling with other students MAY be available but NOT guaranteed.
  • Subsidized housing accommodations are available upon request if school is located in excess of 75 miles from NSA main HQs campus.


How to Apply:

Applications must be submitted online on or before 15 October 2020. Similarly, the letters of recommendation and transcripts being mailed MUST be postmarked by 15 October 2020. Applications received after the deadline, as well as incomplete packages, will not be considered. Please note that you will receive a confirmation email once your online application has successfully been submitted.

Early Acceptance Incentive The application period runs from 1 May – 15 October 2020. However, the Agency will determine selections for early acceptance into the program on a rolling basis throughout the application period and anticipates filling approximately 1/3 of the available positions prior to the closing of the application period.

To be considered, you must submit a complete application package that includes:

  • A resume
  • Two letters of recommendation (LORs) from faculty members who can speak directly to your cybersecurity, computer science, or engineering background (Professors may email LORs directly to [email protected]).
  • Transcripts from ALL colleges and universities attended through current academic year, to include transferred credits.

If you have questions about the Science of Security Intern Program, please contact us at the email address above or call 1-844-ICHIRES. You may also e-mail [email protected] for application questions.

***PLEASE NOTE: U.S. Citizenship is required for all applicants. Reasonable accommodations provided to applicants with disabilities during the application and hiring process where appropriate. NSA is an equal opportunity employer and abides by applicable employment laws and regulations. All applicants and employees are subject to random drug testing in accordance with Executive Order 12564. Employment is contingent upon successful completion of a security background investigation and polygraph.

This position is a Defense Civilian Intelligence Personnel System (DCIPS) position in the Excepted Service under 10 U.S.C. 1601. DoD Components with DCIPS positions apply Veterans’ Preference to eligible candidates as defined by Section 2108 of Title 5 USC, in accordance with the procedures provided in DoD Instruction 1400.25, Volume 2005, DCIPS Employment and Placement. If you are a veteran claiming veterans’ preference, as defined by Section 2108 of Title 5 U.S.C., you may be asked to submit documents verifying your eligibility.

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