AI Research Intern (PhD)

Life in Pittsburgh; New York, Pittsburgh (NY, Allegheny County); On-site; USD 92,000 - 95,000; Part time

Job summary

Duolingo is seeking a PhD candidate for a demanding AI/ML internship. You will apply methods to large real-world datasets, prototype models, and productionize solutions with a cross-functional team.

You may relocate to Pittsburgh, PA or New York, NY for a 12-week internship lasting May 24, 2027 – August 13, 2027 or June 14, 2027 – September 3, 2027. Ideal candidates have publications in major conferences, strong Python/Java/Scala/C/C++ experience, and a portfolio of AI work.

Qualifications

• Pursuing a PhD in artificial intelligence, machine learning, natural language processing, or related field.
• Graduation expected by August 2028.
• Contributions to research communities and papers at ACL, CVPR, EDM, ICML, NeurIPS, etc.
• Portfolio of impactful work: publications, open-source projects, or AI internships.
• Experience implementing AI systems in Python, Java, Scala, or C/C++ (not just R or MATLAB).
• Creative, interdisciplinary, and entrepreneurial approach to R&D.
• Strong debugging and critical thinking skills.
• 12 week consecutive availability with specific dates.

Responsibilities

• Apply AI methods to massive real-world datasets.
• Prototype new models and evaluate with small-scale experiments.
• Productionize solutions at scale.
• Collaborate with researchers, engineers, and others to build new features or publish findings.
• Solve ambitious problems with appropriate tools and solutions.
• Identify problems, prototype, evaluate ROI, and implement the best solution at scale.

Skills

Python

Java

Scala

C/C++

Education

PhD in AI/ML/NLP

Job description

Our mission at Duolingo is to develop the best education in the world and make it universally available. It’s a big mission, and that’s where you come in!

At Duolingo, you’ll join a team that cares about educating our users, experimenting with big ideas, making fact-based decisions, and finding innovative solutions to complex problems. You’ll have limitless learning opportunities and daily collaborations with world-class minds — while doing work that’s both meaningful and fun.

Join our life-changing mission to develop education for our half a billion (and growing!) learners around the world.

Read our blog to learn more.

You Will...

• Apply AI methods to massive real-world datasets
• Prototype new models, evaluate with small scale experiments, and/or productionize solutions at scale
• Work with a cross-functional team of world class researchers, engineers, and others to build new product features and/or publish state-of-the-art findings
• Solve our most ambitious problems with the right tool for the task
• Collaborate cross-functionally to bring your ideas to life in the product
• Identify problems, prototype solutions, evaluate their return on investment, and then implement the best solution at scale to improve the lives of our millions of learners each day

You Have...

• Pursuing a PhD in artificial intelligence, machine learning, natural language processing, or related field
• Graduation expected by August 2028
• Contributions to research communities and efforts, including publishing papers at conferences such as ACL, CVPR, EDM, ICML, NeurIPS, etc.
• A portfolio of impactful work, in the form of (for example) publications, open-source projects, or AI internships
• Experience implementing AI systems in Python, Java, Scala, or C/C++ (i.e., not just R or MATLAB)
• A creative, interdisciplinary, and entrepreneurial approach to R&D
• Strong debugging and critical thinking skills
• 12 week consecutive availability
  • May 24, 2027 - August 13, 2027
  • June 14, 2027 - September 3, 2027
• Ability to relocate to Pittsburgh, PA or New York, NY

What you can expect...

• Language learning opportunities
• Catered in-house lunches, and breakfast and dinner options
• Company-wide Hackathon
• PTO and company holidays
• Frequent company-wide dinners, monthly celebrations, social clubs, and so much more!

Hourly Range for this internship is:$67—$69 USD

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Accommodations: We will do everything we can within reason to make sure that your interview takes place in an environment that fairly and accurately assesses your skills. If you need assistance or accommodation, please contact [e-mail].
Equal Employment Opportunity: Duolingo is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. We do not discriminate based upon race, religion, color, national origin, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, or other applicable legally protected characteristics.
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