Usage of "as a ___,"
Good question.
It's sloppy. It's saying that interns are a lab. And that's obviously not what the writer meant. (In fact, it's so obvious that you're the first person who didn't just glide right over it. Good call!)
Better:
"As a research-intensive lab, we require interns . . . ."
"Because the lab does research, interns are required . . . ."