Internship Cybersecurity Researcher Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Job Summary:
The National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR) is a leading institution dedicated to energy systems research and development. They are seeking a mid-career Adversarial Cybersecurity Researcher to contribute to the Cybersecurity Research Center, focusing on applied research to secure the nation’s energy infrastructure through innovative methodologies and tools.
Responsibilities:
• Lead adversarial research initiatives targeting energy sector systems, including threat emulation, cyber range experimentation, and model-based simulation, defining experimental objectives and strategies.
• Independently design, execute, and evaluate complex adversary–defender studies, including multi-stage attack-chain modeling, vulnerability exploration, and defense validation, ensuring reproducible and rigorous research outcomes.
• Lead development and validation of cybersecurity research tools, simulation frameworks, and automation scripts, ensuring integration with multiple projects and broader laboratory initiatives.
• Extend and operationalize threat modeling methodologies (e.g., MITRE ATT&CK, ATT&CK for ICS) for large-scale experimental design and system-level defense evaluation.
• Integrate research outcomes into system-level risk, resilience models, and quantitative performance metrics, influencing laboratory-wide strategies and priorities.
• Conduct advanced adversarial analysis and vulnerability assessments of IT, OT, and hybrid energy systems, producing insights for architecture improvement and defense strategies.
• Lead the preparation of research proposals, technical publications, and conference presentations, shaping research directions and laboratory reputation in the field.
• Drive interdisciplinary collaboration across power systems, controls, and modeling teams, bridging cyber-physical domains and guiding project execution.
• Support and expand NLR’s adversarial research infrastructure, including cyber ranges, digital twins, and experiment orchestration frameworks, through leadership and mentorship.
• Mentor and guide junior and mid-level researchers, promoting professional development, fostering a positive research culture, and building laboratory-wide capability in adversarial modeling and defense research.
• Conduct adversarial research on energy sector systems, including threat emulation, cyber range experimentation, and model-based simulation, with guidance from senior researchers.
• Design, execute, and evaluate controlled adversary–defender studies, such as attack-chain modeling, vulnerability exploration, and defense validation experiments, contributing to reproducible research outputs.
• Develop and validate cybersecurity research tools, simulation frameworks, and automation scripts to support quantitative analysis of cyber-physical dynamics.
• Apply and extend threat modeling methodologies (e.g., MITRE ATT&CK, ATT&CK for ICS) to inform experimental design and system-level defense evaluation.
• Integrate research outcomes into system-level risk and resilience models, simulation environments, and performance metrics, under supervision as needed.
• Conduct adversarial analysis and vulnerability assessments of IT, OT, and hybrid energy systems, identifying insights for defense design improvements.
• Contribute to research proposals, technical publications, and conference presentations, supporting team-level advancement of cybersecurity science.
• Collaborate with interdisciplinary teams in power systems, controls, and modeling to bridge cyber and physical domains in experiments and model development.
• Support the growth of NLR’s adversarial research infrastructure, including cyber ranges, digital twins, and experiment orchestration frameworks, through direct contributions and process improvement.
• Provide mentorship to junior staff, including interns or early-career researchers, supporting skill development and laboratory capabilities.
Qualifications:
Required:
• Relevant PhD and 4 or more years of experience. Or, relevant Master's Degree and 7 or more years of experience. Or, relevant Bachelor's Degree and 9 or more years of experience.
• Demonstrated in-depth knowledge of laws, regulations, principles, procedures and practices related to specific field.
• Excellent leadership, communication, problem solving and project management skills.
• Ability to use various computer software programs.
• Must be able to obtain and maintain a DOE security clearance at the Q/TS/SCI level. A polygraph may be required.
• Understanding and application of project management principles, concepts, practices, and standards.
• Ability to travel as needed up to 25%
Preferred:
• Proven leadership in offensive cybersecurity research, including planning and executing complex experiments with strategic impact.
• Deep expertise in cyber modeling and simulation for applied R&D, including digital twins, discrete-event simulation, and hardware-in-the-loop testbeds.
• Advanced proficiency in Python, PowerShell, C/C++, or other languages, enabling automation, data-driven analysis, and modeling integration across projects.
• Expert-level knowledge of ICS, OT, and energy sector systems, including protocols, architectures, and security considerations.
• Demonstrated ability to lead reproducible cyber experiments, applying scientific rigor and guiding project teams in methodology, analysis, and validation.
• Established record of publications, technical reports, and funded proposals, with experience translating findings into actionable outcomes for sponsors.
• Excellent communication, presentation, and stakeholder engagement skills, influencing cross-disciplinary teams and external partners.
• Demonstrated ability to independently lead projects, mentor junior staff, and develop laboratory-wide adversarial research capabilities.
• Demonstrated experience conducting offensive cybersecurity research, including penetration testing, exploit development, threat emulation, or vulnerability analysis, with an applied understanding of defensive evaluation.
• Working knowledge of cyber modeling and simulation approaches, including digital twins, discrete-event simulation, and hardware-in-the-loop testbeds for energy systems.
• Proficiency in Python, PowerShell, C/C++, or other scripting/programming languages to support experiments, data analytics, and modeling workflows.
• Applied understanding of ICS, OT, and energy sector architectures, including communication protocols and configurations.
• Ability to design and execute reproducible cyber experiments, applying scientific rigor to data collection, analysis, and validation.
• Contributed to peer-reviewed publications, technical reports, and sponsored research proposals.
• Strong technical writing and presentation skills, capable of communicating results to internal and external stakeholders.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively across multiple projects, contributing to mission-driven research.
• Interest in mentoring junior staff and supporting team development.
Company:
The U.S. Department of Energy's primary national laboratory for energy systems research and development. Founded in 1977, the company is headquartered in Golden, USA, with a team of 1001-5000 employees. The company is currently Late Stage.