Research Engineer Intern

Who Are We?  
We are a team that brought you Norton, Avast, LifeLock, Avira, AVG, ReputationDefender, and CCleaner, dedicated to providing cybersecurity, privacy, and identity protection to over 500 million users in 150 countries. At Gen, we offer flexible working options, generous time off, and competitive benefits in a diverse and inclusive environment where every team member is valued and celebrated. If you are smart, fearless, and dedicated, join us to power Digital Freedom and help consumers take control of their digital lives. 

Mission and goals

Enhance our internal system that identifies cases of domain impersonation through typographical errors and related tactics. Under the mentorship of a senior employee, the project aims to develop classification algorithms or models, extend functionality beyond basic domain checks, and automate the maintenance of keyword lists. The goal is to improve the system's accuracy but also expand its use to areas like social media and phishing categorization.

What you will do in this role:

• Analyze and benchmark existing string similarity methods.

• Develop a robust algorithm or model for impersonation detection with support for explainability.

• Extend detection capabilities to assess URL paths, individual subdomains, and social media handles.

• Design and implement automation for keyword list updates from various data sources.

• Test and validate system improvements to reduce false positives and negatives.

What you’ll need to be successful in this role:

• Proficiency in programming (preferably Python) and algorithm optimization.

• Proficiency in machine learning and data analysis.

• Familiarity with string similarity techniques (e.g., Levenshtein, Jaro-Winkler, cosine similarity).

• Basic understanding of web URL structures and domain naming conventions.

• Interest in cybersecurity concepts, especially in fraud and phishing detection.

• Strong analytical skills and ability to work independently while learning from experienced mentors.

Gen is proud to be an equal-opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive and accessible environment for all employees. All employment decisions are based on merit, experience, and business needs, without regard to race, color, national origin, age, religion, sex, pregnancy (including childbirth or related medical conditions), genetic information, disability (physical or mental), medical condition, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression, military or veteran status, or any other consideration made unlawful by federal, state, or local law. Gen strictly prohibits unlawful discrimination based on such protected characteristics and seeks to recruit the most talented candidates from diverse cultures and backgrounds. 

We also consider employment-qualified individuals with arrest and conviction records. In addition, we will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. Learn more about pay transparency. 

Gen complies with all anti-discrimination laws. 

To conform to U.S. export control regulations, applicant should be eligible for any required authorizations from the U.S. Government.