Research Intern - AI Evaluation and Alignment

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.

MicrosoftResearchand Copilot StudioteamareseekingResearchInterns tohelpadvancethe quality,reliabilityand evaluationof Large Language Model (LLM)-based systems.Research Interns will collaborate withapplied scientistsand engineers toexplore new machine learning methods that improve how Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems assess and align with human expectations.

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.

Additional Responsibilities

We are looking for candidateswith proficientintellectual curiosity and passion to solve real-world problems using machine learning. Responsibilities include:

• Co-developingaresearchproject in collaboration with the supervisorand research mentors.
• Designing andimplementingmachine learningapproaches, includingtrainingandfine-tuningusing real-world datasets.
• Developing evaluation frameworks and benchmarking methods to assess model quality, robustness, and generalization.
• Presentation and communication of research findings

Required Qualifications

• Currentlyenrolled in a PhD program in Statistics, Computer Science, Physics, Operations Research, or a related technical field.
• At least 1 year of hands-on experience working on LLM-relatedprojects (e.g., prompt engineering,buildingand evaluating LLM-based systems,rewards modelingetc.).
• 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.

Additional Information

Pleasesubmita list of 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.

Preferred Qualifications

• Prior experienceinrewardmodels for large language modelsor LLM-as-a-Judge.
• Strong experience withdeep learning frameworks (e.g.,PyTorch, TensorFlow) and familiarity with software engineering best practices(e.g.git).
• Experience with LLM post-training and evaluation or LLM-based judge systems.
• Research experiencedemonstratedthroughpublications or projects.
• Ability to work independently in ambiguous orrapidly evolving situations and collaborate effectively across disciplines.

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.