Undergraduate Research Intern - Summer 2025

Open Source has taken over the world of software development; however, the largest trade-off still persists: security. Companies spend an enormous amount of time and resources patching and fortifying open source software in order to ship with confidence & compliance.

Founded by the industry's leading experts on open source software, security and cloud native development, Chainguard has built the largest library of open source software that is secure by default. Customers including Snowflake, Canva, and HPE rely on Chainguard to build securely with open source software across the organization.

Chainguard is the safe source for open source.

About Us

We live and breathe our company values:

We are customer obsessed - Our true advantage is the strength of our relationships with customers through collaboration, empathy, and responsiveness. We establish trust as we educate, advocate, and listen to their needs. Our focus is on delivering solutions to our customers that create value and make their lives better.

We have a bias for intentional action - We’re a start-up and we need to move fast. However we need to move fast through intentional action to make sure we’re able to deliver quickly and efficiently on what is most impactful to our collective success. We prioritize, plan, try things, and fail fast. We think about how what we do impacts other teams and communicate our progress - owning the whole solution from start to finish. If we move fast enough, we can make two or three mistakes, learn, and correct them before competitors even make their first decision.

We don’t take ourselves too seriously (but we do serious work) - Though we are solving an important problem which takes focus and a degree of seriousness, we don’t take ourselves too seriously while we do. We laugh, have fun, embrace uniqueness, and enjoy the journey. Together.

We trust each other and assume good intentions - We hire great team members and trust them to do their work. We’re transparent with data, news, and decisions - positive or negative - to empower team members to make well informed decisions. Showing up for each other fully means we celebrate each other’s accomplishments as well as give compassionate direct feedback when needed. We always default to assuming good intentions.

Role Overview

Chainguard Labs, a leading software supply chain security research lab, is offering a Summer 2025 Research Internship. We welcome applicants from all backgrounds to apply, including those who have been historically underrepresented in tech and research roles. This internship, running from June to August 2025, provides the opportunity to gain hands-on experience in the field while collaborating with professionals from diverse departments such as product, engineering, and marketing.

As a valued intern, you will work on 2-3 research projects aligned with the ongoing research agenda at Chainguard Labs. You will be mentored and supported by experienced researchers, and your growth and contributions will be integral to the team.

Key Responsibilities

• Conduct research tasks such as designing research protocols, developing data collection systems, analyzing data, reviewing relevant literature, and documenting your results.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams, providing insights and gaining exposure to product, engineering, and marketing functions.
• Share your findings through inclusive and accessible written reports, blog posts, and presentations.

Preferred Qualifications

• Currently pursuing an undergraduate degree in computer science, software engineering, or a related field. We encourage applications from all majors with interest in software security.
• Interest in or experience with software supply chain security research. Prior research experience is a bonus but not required—curiosity and a passion for learning matter most.
• Comfortable with Python (and/or Go, C/C++), or the willingness to learn.
• Experience with Git, GitHub, and an interest in open-source software development.
• Ability to collect, analyze, and interpret data.
• A commitment to diversity and openness in software ecosystems, with interest in understanding topics such as Linux distributions, package management, and software vulnerabilities.

Hourly rate: $30-35 USD | 40 hours a week

A few of the benefits we offer (for our full time employees):

• Equity/stock options
• Unlimited PTO
• Remote work with flexible coworking and team meetup opportunities
• Home office and internet stipend
• 100% health/dental/vision insurance coverage for you and your family
• Monthly Wellness budget

If your experience is close but doesn’t fulfill all requirements, please apply. Chainguard is on a mission to build the best team. To achieve our goal, we are focused on hiring “Guardians'' with unique backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences.

Chainguard is an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate based upon race, religion, color, national origin, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, reproductive health decisions, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, genetic information, political views or activity, or other applicable legally protected characteristics. We also consider qualified applicants with criminal histories, consistent with applicable federal, state and local law.

For US based roles - Chainguard participates in E-Verify and will provide the federal government with employee Form I-9 Information to confirm authorization to work in the U.S. Chainguard, Inc. only uses E-Verify once a candidate has accepted a job offer and completed the Form I-9. If E-Verify cannot confirm that an employee is authorized to work, Chainguard, Inc. will give the employee written instructions and an opportunity to contact the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) or Social Security Administration (SSA) so the employee can begin to resolve the issue before any adverse employment action is taken. For more information about your right to work, please see the Notice of Right to Work.

By submitting your application, you acknowledge that Chainguard will process your personal data in accordance with Chainguard’s Privacy Policy.