Research Intern - Systems for Scalable and Reliable AI Agents

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.

We are looking for Research Interns who share our passion for building reliable, safe, and efficient Artificial Intelligence (AI) agents that can perform useful tasks for users. Recent progress in generative AI promises powerful agents; however, there are still many systems research challenges to build reliable, safe, and efficient systems around the agents. We aim to tackle some of these challenges by exploring various topics at the intersection of systems and AI, such as:

• Developing agents that can efficiently handle complex tasks
• Formally modeling and verifying agent behavior
• Securing an agent's execution, with a guarantee that the agent is isolated and is performing only the tasks it is authorized to
• Guaranteeing agent's task execution reliability (i.e., no failure), safety (i.e., no unintended side-effects), and efficiency (e.g., minimizing interactions with expensive backends such as an LLM)
• Evaluating an agent on multiple dimensions: its accuracy, efficiency, reliability, safety, etc.
• Designing and building tools that can facilitate the rapid development of such agents

We are interested in systems research problems around the above problems. As a Research Intern, you will have the chance to work with leading researchers and engineers at Microsoft Research as well as various product teams in Microsoft, and create innovative solutions to challenging research problems in the above technical areas. You will also have the opportunity to publish your work in top conferences.

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.
• 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

• Experience of building scalable and reliable systems.
• Demonstrated ability to develop original research agendas.
• Ability to collaborate effectively with other researchers and product development teams.
• Proficient interpersonal skills, cross-group, and cross-culture collaboration.
• Ability to think unconventionally to derive creative and innovative solutions.

The base pay range for this internship is USD $6,550 - $12,880 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 $8,480 - $13,920 per month.

Certain roles may be eligible for benefits and other compensation. Find additional benefits and pay information here: 

Microsoft accepts applications and processes offers for these roles on an ongoing basis.

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.