IAE Research Support Assistant (Market Research) - Fall 2025

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.

• Plan, lead, and coordinate team-wide market research efforts by developing and implementing data query and collection strategies, managing a landing webpage, creating collection forms, and administering a database. 
• Use simple Excel functions and formulas to perform quantitative analysis on research submissions. 
• Conduct market research on USSOCOM areas of interest to find emerging technologies that would contribute to SOFWERX’s goals and projects. 
• Evaluate academic publications and technical reports to identify the characteristics, capabilities, and limitations of the science or technology. 
• Scout and source experts from academia, industry, and laboratories and consolidate findings into research reports. 
• Create Market Research curriculum, facilitate training, and develop new tools, techniques, and practices to optimize the Market Research process. 
• Present briefings and presentations to the SOFWERX team. 

• Must be eligible for a security clearance 
• Junior or Senior Collegiate Student, with a current GPA of 3.0 or above 
• Pursuing a bachelor’s degree related to STEM or Business 
• Proficient in Microsoft Office applications (Excel, Word, and PowerPoint) 
• Must be able to work independently or as a member of a team 
• Effective written and oral communication skills 
• Good planning and organizational skills 
• A high level of integrity, accuracy, dependability, enthusiasm, and confidentiality 
• Experience working with a variety of STEM efforts

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.  
   

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 

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