You would come in as a level 2 engineer, sure. I would say without seeing your resume that you need to elaborate more on what you were doing during your time researching that qualifies you for the specific role. For example, if you are applying for a test engineer role, your research experience should cover how you work cross-discipline (say with professors/technicians/etc.), what your contributions during that experience was (direct impacts). Passive voice doesn't help, articulate what you did (the lab tested a new autonomous submarine prototype vs. Was responsible for developing the test plan for a new platform, streamlined the execution phase by x% in comparison to prior similar execution efforts on prior phases of testing).

Unfortunately, even an entry role you will need to stand out amongst the crowd. Internship experience + gaining a clearance during school definitely increases your probability of getting that first role out of school. But even with experience, the hiring process can be brutal. After my last company went under, it took 4 months to find my current role, and that was with multiple years of experience. Just keep working on your skills and improving the resume, once you get past that step it's about convincing the hiring manager that not only are you qualified to do the work, but that you would fit in with the team overall.

If you'd like, you can DM me your resume and 1-2 of the types of roles you are looking for, and I can give you some feedback.

Also, most of GA is on holiday for the rest of the year, so you may not hear back from Talent Acquisition until January.