Independent AI Research Fellowship — Real-World Ops

DoorDash ANZ; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 95,000 - 179,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Relocation support

Housing stipend

Wellness reimbursement

Job summary

DoorDash Research Fellowship offers a 3-month program (extendable to 6 months) for Summer and Fall 2026 cohorts, inviting researchers and engineers to tackle challenging applied ML and AI problems in local commerce. Fellows operate as independent researchers, choosing problems within priority areas and publishing or shipping outcomes.

The fellowship includes dedicated compute, access to DoorDash’s research infra, real-world data, mentorship from senior researchers, a cohort of peers, publication

Qualifications

• Researchers with PhD candidates (rising 4th year or beyond) or recent PhDs, or independent researchers with published work at top ML venues or equivalent output.
• Engineers with deep research instincts who have shipped ambitious ML or systems work and want dedicated time to pursue research direction.
• You can operate independently — set a research agenda, scope it, and execute without heavy supervision.
• Strong written and verbal communication; comfortable presenting to mixed research and engineering audiences.

Job description

DoorDash Research Fellowship offers a 3-month program (extendable to 6 months) for Summer and Fall 2026 cohorts, inviting researchers and engineers to tackle challenging applied ML and AI problems in local commerce. Fellows operate as independent researchers, choosing problems within priority areas and publishing or shipping outcomes.

The fellowship includes dedicated compute, access to DoorDash’s research infra, real-world data, mentorship from senior researchers, a cohort of peers, publication