Research Intern - Office AI

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.

This position is for a Research Internship with the Experiences + Devices (E+D) group in Microsoft.

You will be working on a team of AI Engineers, Applied Scientists, and Software Engineers working on cutting-edge problems in the field of applied AI for Office applications such as Word, Excel and PowerPoint.

Your project will focus on researching, designing, building, and evaluating a solution for intelligent model routing. This project aims to create an intelligent model router to evaluate incoming API requests and determine the most suitable model (LLM or SLM) for Office tasks like summarization, compose, and data analysis. The project involves designing the routing algorithm, integrating it with existing APIs, and testing performance to balance cost and quality effectively.

You will be working closely with other researchers, applied scientists, engineers, and product teams on this project.

We value your ideas and unique viewpoints on these topics, as well, and hope that our partnership and collaboration will shape initial directions into exciting, ambitious, and impactful research contributions that only you could have crafted.

Required Qualifications

• Accepted or currently enrolled in a PhD program in Computer Science, Machine Learning, or 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

• At least 1 year experience conducting original research in (or closely related to) generative AI, model routing, or small language models, and further be able to document their research contributions with publicly available resources (e.g. by linking to papers, pre-prints, videos, demonstrations, repositories, articles, press coverage, or research.
• 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.