Research Intern

Overview

Microsoft Research (MSR) provides a dynamic environment for research careers with a network of world-class research labs led by globally recognized scientists. Our researchers pursue innovation in a range of scientific and technical disciplines to help tackle complex problems in diverse fields, including computing, healthcare, economics, and the environment.

We are seeking Research Interns to join our team and contribute to the advancement of key projects and agenda pursued in the Montreal lab. Candidates will get an opportunity to interact with other MSR labs, and especially with the New York lab, New England lab and Redmond lab.

As a Research Intern, you will play a crucial role in developing, improving, and exploring the capabilities of AI models. Your work will have a significant impact on the development of cutting-edge technologies, advancing state-of-the-art and providing practical solutions to real-world problems.

Our Goal

Our goal is to advance research on Large Language Models (LLM), with a particular focus on Agentic Coding LLMs, along three axes:

• Reasoning: Decomposing hard problems into smaller steps, efficiently searching for solutions to hard problems, and handling memory.
• Interaction: Reinforcement Learning training models that can interact with textual environments, gather, and learn from feedback.
• Modularity: Building plug-and-play language architectures enabling efficient customization and more efficient deployments.

Microsoft Research Montreal offers a supportive environment for cutting-edge research, an open publications policy, and close links to top academic institutions in the Montreal AI community, such as Montreal Institute of Learning Algorithms, and around the world.

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 Computer Science or a related STEM field.

Other Requirements:

• Research Interns are expected to be physically located in their manager’s Microsoft worksite location for the duration of their internship.
• Submission of a minimum of two reference letters, a cover letter, and any relevant work or research samples.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience in running large scale experiments with transformers/LLMs pre-training and/or finetuning, more specifically for coding.
• Experience with reinforcement learning, including large scale behavior cloning and policy optimization.
• Experience in creating, optimizing, and running large scale machine learning pipelines.
• Experience in building data collection and curation pipelines.
• Ability to collaborate, communicate effectively, and work as part of a multi-disciplinary team.
• Interest in real-world applications and impact.
• Experience fostering diversity, inclusion and belonging in a research environment.

Key skills/competency

• Machine Learning
• Deep Learning
• AI Models
• Large Language Models
• Reinforcement Learning
• Data Pipelines
• Research Methodology
• Computer Science
• Collaboration
• Problem Solving