R&D Data Scientist - Intern

Descartes Underwriting Group; United States; Remote; USD 28,000 - 41,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive internship stipend

Meal vouchers (Swile)

60% public transport reimbursement

Job summary

Descartes Underwriting is seeking an enthusiastic R&D Data Scientist Intern for a 6‑month end‑of‑studies internship. You will bridge academic research and real-world industrial application by exploring climate science and machine learning to build models that shape risk assessment and pricing.

Join a cross‑functional team, work on state‑of‑the‑art methods, and contribute to insurance solutions for natural perils and cyber risk in a dynamic, international environment.

Qualifications

• Student in university/engineering with a research‑oriented track in applied mathematics, physics, climate science or machine learning.
• Ideally a previous internship in data science, physics or climate modelling.

Responsibilities

• Translate open-research problems into valuable business assets by exploring literature, implementing and benchmarking state‑of‑the‑art machine learning methods and climate models.
• Leverage large-scale climate data to develop and evaluate new models quantifying natural perils (wildfires, hail, floods, tropical cyclones, etc).
• Collaborate with Underwriting and Software teams to deploy experimental models into production pricing tools.
• Refine algorithms to improve accuracy, speed, and reliability in assessing climate risks.

Skills

Python

Statistics

Applied mathematics

Machine learning

Attention to detail

English fluency

Education

University/Engineering program with research track in applied maths/physics/climate or ML

Tools

Pandas

scikit-learn

Job description

ABOUT DESCARTES UNDERWRITING

Join Descartes and contribute to our mission: Building Resilience in a World at Risk.

Descartes is a corporate insurance group for worldwide companies and institutions. Descartes was born from a conviction that the growing complexity of corporate and climate risks demands a new approach to insurance. At the forefront of AI and Data analysis, Descartes utilises cutting‑edge technology combined with a new generation of data sources, to model, assess and manage risks.

Since 2019, Descartes has secured a leading position in parametric (re)insurance combining scientific & technological expertise with a new approach. Parametric insurance , also known as index-based insurance, indemnifies clients within days based on pre-defined payout structures when a specific triggering event occurs, the payout process is both fast and transparent. The company has been financed with over $141M by investors including Highland Europe, BlackFin, Serena, Cathay, Eurazeo and Battery Ventures.

Our highly diverse and specialized team of 250+ people includes the largest modelling team in the industry featuring tech and modeling innovators, scientists in physics and climatology, as well as insurance veterans and underwriters. With a global footprint and strong US presence, Descartes serves a diverse portfolio of clients in more than 60 countries, with 20+ offices spread across Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin and North America.

Find out more on https://descartesunderwriting.com/careers .

ABOUT YOUR ROLE

We are looking for a R&D Data Scientist Intern to join our Research & Development team for a 6-month end-of-studies internship .

In this role, you will bridge the gap between academic research and real-world industrial application.
Operating with a long-term horizon, you will deep dive into state-of-the‑art research, cutting‑edge climate science and machine learning algorithms to build innovative models that directly shape how we assess and price risks.
This is a unique opportunity to discover the insurance industry and emerging risks (natural catastrophes, cyber), while working hand-in-hand with our Software, Product, and Underwriting teams.

At the core of our company’s R&D engine, your missions will focus on :

• - From Applied Research to Value Creation : Translate open-research problems into valuable business assets by exploring recent scientific literature, implementing, benchmarking, and improving state-of-the‑art machine learning methods and physical/statistical climate models.
• - Data Exploration & Prototyping from scratch : Leverage large-scale climate datasets to develop and evaluate new innovative models quantifying natural perils (wildfires, hail, floods, tropical cyclones, etc).
• - Model Integration : Collaborate with Underwriting and Software teams to transition successful experimental models into production-ready pricing tools.
• - Methodological Optimization : Refine existing algorithms to improve accuracy, speed, and reliability in assessing complex climate risks.

Your missions will evolve in the future as Descartes is growing fast and many exciting projects are waiting for you. It's a unique opportunity to take a closer look inside a fast-growing scale up with huge ambitions !

ABOUT YOU

EXPERIENCE & QUALIFICATIONS

• - Student from universities or engineering schools with a research-oriented track in applied mathematics, physics, climate & meteorological or machine learning;
• - Ideally a previous professional experience (internship) in data science, physics or climate modelling.

SKILLS

• - Proficiency in Python (e.g. pandas, scikit-learn);
• - Highly skilled in statistics, probabilities, applied mathematics and machine learning methods;
• - Eye for quality and attention to detail;
• - Fluency in English (written and verbal communication) is required ;
• - Good command of one additional language (e.g. Chinese, French, Italian, German, Spanish…) is valued.

MINDSET

• - Strong interest in climate change resilience and natural perils modelling (wildfires, hail, tsunamis, earthquakes, etc);
• - Excellent team player able to turn academic insights into tangible solutions and innovate from research papers;
• - Autonomous and comfortable taking complex technical problems of open-ended research topics in a dynamic and multi-cultural environment.

WHY JOIN DESCARTES UNDERWRITING?

• - Technical Excellence: Work and learn alongside top-tier scientists and engineers from world-class institutions and research labs;
• - Real Impact: Join a company with a true purpose and directly contribute to solving global climate resilience challenges using cutting‑edge data;
• - Dynamic Culture: Thrive in a collaborative, fast-growing scale‑up driven by our core value of diversity and openness across international teams;
• - Perks & Benefits: Competitive internship stipend, meal vouchers (Swile), 60% public transport reimbursement.

At Descartes Underwriting, we cherish value of diversity whatever it may be. We are committed to fighting against all forms of discrimination and for equal opportunities. We foster an inclusive work environment that respects all differences.

With equal skills, all our positions are open to people with disabilities.

RECRUITMENT PROCESS

• - Step 1: HR Interview with our Talent Recruiter
• - Step 2: Technical take-home test (Github repository)
• - Step 3: Remote technical interview with a Data Scientist
• - Step 4: In-person team interview to meet our team and discover our offices (held remotely if you are abroad)