Overview

Research Internships at Microsoft provide a dynamic environment for research careers with a network of world-class research labs led by globally-recognized scientists and engineers, who pursue innovation in a range of scientific and technical disciplines to help solve complex challenges in diverse fields, including computing, healthcare, economics, and the environment.

Microsoft Research Special Projects is seeking interns to join us in pushing the boundaries of Large Language Model (LLM) capabilities. Examples of research areas of interest include, but are not limited to:

LLM memory representations and retrieval methods (e.g., GraphRAG)
Detecting temporal changes in memory representations
Improving LLMs’ ability to handle ambiguity
Detecting and mitigating hallucination

Responsibilities

Research Interns put inquiry and theory into practice. Alongside fellow doctoral candidates and some of the world’s best researchers, Research Interns learn, collaborate, and network for life. Research Interns not only advance their own careers, but they also contribute to exciting research and development strides. During the 12-week internship, Research Interns are paired with mentors and expected to collaborate with other Research Interns and researchers, present findings, and contribute to the vibrant life of the community. Research internships are available in all areas of research, and are offered year-round, though they typically begin in the summer.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications

Currently enrolled in a PhD program in Statistics, Computer Science, Linguistics, Physics, Operations Research, or a related technical field
At least 1 year of hands-on experience working on LLM-focused projects (e.g., prompt engineering, building and evaluating LLM-based systems, etc.)
At least 1 year of experience coding in Python

Other Requirements

Research Interns are expected to be physically located in their manager’s Microsoft worksite location for the duration of their internship.
In addition to the qualifications below, you’ll need to submit a minimum of two reference letters for this position as well as a cover letter and any relevant work or research samples. After you submit your application, a request for letters may be sent to your list of references on your behalf. Note that reference letters cannot be requested until after you have submitted your application, and furthermore, that they might not be automatically requested for all candidates. You may wish to alert your letter writers in advance, so they will be ready to submit your letter.

Preferred Qualifications

Programming skills, including ability to prototype ideas
Experience working with complex datasets to solve challenging problems
Demonstrated ability to work independently and make meaningful progress in ambiguous or rapidly evolving research environments
Willingness to embrace knowledge/techniques outside of your field of research
Familiarity with knowledge graphs and graph machine learning
Knowledge of probability and statistics
At least one publication as a first author in a top-tier conference or journal

Additional Information:

Please submit a list of all projects you worked on in the last 2 years with the following information:
Start and end date for the project.
Brief overview of what the project is about.
What you did on the project.
What technologies you used for the project.

You can upload documents by going to your profile on the career site and clicking on the Resume Manager tab in the top right of the page, and from there selecting Other Documents.

If you are having trouble submitting your application, please go to the bottom of the page and click "Support" and fill out the requested information.

The base pay range for this internship is USD $6,710 - $13,270 per month. There is a different range applicable to specific work locations, within the San Francisco Bay area and New York City metropolitan area, and the base pay range for this role in those locations is USD $8,760 - $14,360 per month.

Certain roles may be eligible for benefits and other compensation. Find additional benefits and pay information here: https://careers.microsoft.com/us/en/us-intern-pay

Benefits/perks listed below may vary depending on the nature of your employment with Microsoft and the country where you work.

This position will be open for a minimum of 5 days, with applications accepted on an ongoing basis until the position is filled.

Microsoft is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, citizenship, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, immigration status, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran or military status, race, ethnicity, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable local laws, regulations and ordinances. If you need assistance with religious accommodations and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application process, read more about requesting accommodations.

Research Intern - Microsoft Research Special Projects