AI Researcher Intern at Proofpoint in Illinois

AI Researcher Intern Location: Illinois About Us: Proofpoint is a global leader in human- and agent-centric cybersecurity. We protect how people, data, and AI agents connect across email, cloud, and collaboration tools. Over 80 of the Fortune 100, 10,000 large enterprises, and millions of smaller organizations trust Proofpoint to stop threats, prevent data loss, and build resilience across their people and AI workflows. Our mission is simple: safeguard the digital world and empower people to work securely and confidently. Join us in our pursuit to defend data and protect people. How We Work: At Proofpoint you’ll be part of a global team that breaks barriers to redefine cybersecurity guided by our BRAVE core values: Bold in how we dream and innovate Responsive to feedback, challenges and opportunities Accountable for results and best in class outcomes Visionary in future focused problem-solving Exceptional in execution and impact About the role We are looking for a highly motivated AI Engineer Intern to join us for a 10-week internship focused on building and evolving a multi-agent AI research platform. This tool aims to provide a rich, structured discovery layer of the AI ecosystem—covering domains, plugins, web extensions, assistants, models, and emerging tools. You will work at the intersection of AI research, agent systems, and product development, contributing to a system that maps and makes sense of the rapidly evolving AI landscape. Key Responsibilities Contribute to the design and development of a multi-agent AI system for automated discovery and analysis Research and categorize AI tools, models, frameworks, and ecosystems Build pipelines for data collection, enrichment, and structuring (APIs, scraping, embeddings, etc.) Experiment with LLMs, agents, and tool-use frameworks to automate research workflows Evaluate and iterate on agent performance, reasoning, and output quality Stay on top of the latest trends in AI and integrate relevant innovations into the platform Required Qualifications Recent graduate (or final year student) in Data Engineering / Data Science Strong interest in AI, LLMs, and autonomous agents Hands-on experience with modern AI tools (e.g., GPT, Claude, open-source models, LangChain, etc.) Comfortable with Python and working with APIs Familiarity with concepts like embeddings, vector databases, or knowledge graphs is a plus Proactive mindset: you explore, test, and adopt new AI tools independently Preferred Skills Experience with multi-agent systems or orchestration frameworks Exposure to web scraping, data pipelines, or search systems Interest in AI product design or developer tools Contributions to side projects, GitHub repos, or research work Why Proofpoint? At Proofpoint, we believe that an exceptional career experience includes a comprehensive compensation and benefits package. Here are just a few reasons you’ll love working with us: Competitive compensation Comprehensive benefits Career success on your terms Flexible work environment Annual wellness and community outreach days Always on recognition for your contributions Global collaboration and networking opportunities Our Culture: Our culture is rooted in values that inspire belonging, empower purpose and drive success-every day, for everyone. We encourage applications from individuals of all backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives. If you need accommodation during the application or interview process, please reach out to accessibility@proofpoint.com. How to Apply Interested? Submit your application along with any supporting information- we can’t wait to hear from you!