IAE Research Support Assistant (Mechanical Engineering) - Fall 2025

Organization Summary 

The US Institute for Applied Engineering (IAE) is a Florida not-for-profit corporation and US Direct Support Organization organized to support and benefit the University of South Florida including without limitation the US College of Engineering. IAE provides agile, best value engineering products and services to enhance the performance, effectiveness and safety of its customers, including the Department of Defense; other federal, state and local agencies; and industry. The Institute provides these engineering solutions in alignment with its core competencies: Autonomous Systems; Human Performance Enhancement; Data Analytics; Cyber and Electromagnetic Domain Security; and Transportation and Energy infrastructure.

SOFWERX is a venue operated under an agreement between the United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) and DefenseWERX, designed to increase collaboration and innovation to solve the most difficult warfighter problems. SOFWERX is a forum for accelerating delivery of innovative capability, and facilitating capability refinement through exploration, experimentation, and assessment of promising technology. SOFWERX is in the heart of Ybor City, at a neutral, easily accessible facility. 

The internship program is administered by USF Institute of Applied Engineering. Upon hire, you will be considered both a USF IAE Temporary Employee and a SOFWERX student intern. 
 

Opportunities 

• Engage in employee events, such as team building 
• Build resume and explore career options 
• Apply skills and knowledge to the workplace 
• Upon completion of the internship, a letter of recommendation can be provided upon request 
• Opportunity for follow-on internship based on performance 

Pay Rate 

$17.50/hour 

Assist the SOFWERX team in mechanical design of various projects, working closely with a small team on multidisciplinary engineering problems. 

Requirements 

• Must be eligible for a security clearance.  
• Pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering at a local accredited University 
• Junior or Senior level, with a current GPA of 3.0 or above 
• Must be comfortable operating general shop tools 
• Must have experience 3D printing and 3D modeling with Solidworks 
• Strong technical and organizational skills 
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills 
• Must have the ability to work in a dynamic, fast paced, rapidly changing environment 
• Must participate in weekly market research and submit minimum required entries for new capabilities, technologies, companies, organizations, etc. that could contribute to the innovative ideas needed to create solutions for the warfighter.
   

Time commitment 

• Hours of operation are 8:00am to 5:00pm Monday thru Friday.
• This position requires a minimum of 15 hours and a maximum of 20 hours per week during the Fall/Spring semesters and a minimum of 20 hours and a maximum of 29 hours per week during the Summer semester. 
• This internship is in-person with limited remote work opportunities.  

Working at USF

With approximately 16,000 employees, the University of South Florida is one of the largest employers in the Tampa Bay area. We are dedicated to cultivating a talented, engaged and driven workforce that strives to be bold. Employees excel in USF‘s rich academic environment, which fosters their development and advancement. In 2025, Forbes recognized USF as one of Florida’s best large employers, ranked No. 1 among the state’s 12 public universities. Our first-class benefits package includes medical, dental and life insurance plans, retirement plan options, employee and dependent tuition programs, generous leave, and hundreds of employee perks and discounts.

About USF 

The University of South Florida is a top-ranked research university serving approximately 50,000 students from across the globe at campuses in Tampa, St. Petersburg, Sarasota-Manatee and USF Health. USF is recognized by U.S. News & World Report as a top 50 public university and the best value in Florida. U.S. News also ranks the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine as the No. 1 medical school in Florida and in the highest tier nationwide. USF is a member of the Association of American Universities (AAU), a group that includes only the top 3% of unive