Research Intern - Advancing Scientific Discovery using Language Models

Overview

Research Internships at Microsoft provide a dynamic environment for research careers within a network of world‑class research labs led by globally‑recognized scientists and engineers, spanning computing, healthcare, economics, and the environment.

In this interdisciplinary team of scientists, engineers, designers, and physicians, academic research, enterprise software development, and real‑world delivery converge, creating opportunities for rapid iteration and continuous learning.

The selected Research Intern will collaborate with our team on a project centered around the use of Large Language Models (LLMs) and related technologies to analyse extensive research data in a scientific field. The goal is to uncover the “known‑unknowns” of the field through synthesising up‑to‑date knowledge, formulating meaningful questions, and aiding researchers in developing novel hypotheses.

LLMs provide a unique advantage for analysing human‑written language. By leveraging this capability, we aim to construct a comprehensive worldview of the chosen field, mapping current breakthroughs, their links to prior works, and potential future innovations, ultimately enabling researchers to focus on significant advancements.

Required Qualifications

• Currently enrolled in a graduate program in Computer Science or a related engineering field
• 1+ years of experience working in Python

Other Requirements

• Research Interns must be physically located at their manager’s Microsoft worksite throughout the internship
• Submit a minimum of two reference letters

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working with GPT‑4 and beyond
• Built apps or experiences leveraging natural language processing, data science, and machine learning
• Fast, self‑starter attitude

The base pay range for this internship is USD $6,290 – $12,170 per month. In the San Francisco Bay Area and the New York City metropolitan area, the range is USD $8,060 – $13,240 per month.

Certain roles may be eligible for additional benefits and compensation. For further information, see

Research Interns translate theory into practice by collaborating with doctoral candidates and leading researchers, contributing to research and development strides over a 12‑week period. Interns are paired with mentors, collaborate with peers, present findings, and engage with the community.

• Utilise LLMs to analyse vast amounts of scientific research
• Develop techniques that identify gaps in current scientific knowledge
• Leverage literature to propose new hypotheses or techniques for addressing those gaps
• Create personalised knowledge dashboards to help researchers stay updated and navigate extensive research data efficiently
• Build a personalised research copilot that accelerates productivity and findings worldwide
• Design an approach to augment experimentation capabilities by helping researchers rule out ideas quickly using scientific knowledge
• Collaborate with Microsoft teams across domains such as Materials Science, Chemistry, and Health Futures to explore diverse solutions to the scientific discovery problem

These opportunities illustrate the many impacts a Research Intern can achieve.