Research Scientist - R&D Internship – 2027 Yorktown Heights & Cambridge

IBM; Cambridge (MA); On-site; USD 48,000 - 69,000; Full time

Job summary

IBM Software's Software Innovation Lab seeks an AI Research Scientist Intern to advance state-of-the-art models across foundation and multimodal AI, process intelligence, and software engineering. You will tackle core challenges, prototype solutions, and validate them through rigorous experiments.

Work in small, mentored teams to shepherd projects from ideation to publication, with goals of disseminating results through venues and open innovation initiatives.

Qualifications

• Research Experience in Modern AI and Systems: Hands-on experience and theoretical foundations in one or more of the following areas: foundation and multimodal models, agentic systems, AI for software engineering, knowledge graphs, continual learning, process intelligence, or distributed systems.
• Strong Programming & Prototyping Skills: Proficiency in Python for rapid prototyping, experimental setup, and implementing large-scale machine learning systems.
• Rigorous Analytical & Problem-Solving Abilities: Demonstrated strength in quantitative analysis, designing experiments, and deconstructing complex research problems.
• Proven Research & Communication Skills: A track record of innovation (evidenced by peer-review publications or strong preprints) and the ability to clearly articulate complex technical concepts in both writing and presentations.
• Collaborative Research Mindset: A team-oriented approach with a commitment to rigorous, reproducible, and well-documented research practices.

Responsibilities

• Identify core challenges and design prototype solutions for AI systems.
• Validate approaches through rigorous experimentation.
• Advance research in foundation models and multimodal AI, process intelligence, and AI for software engineering.
• Collaborate in small, mentored teams to shepherd projects from ideation to completion.
• Disseminate significant results through publications and open innovation initiatives.

Skills

AI research

Python

Experiment design

Publications

Collaboration

Education

Doctorate Degree

Tools

PyTorch

Job description

Introduction

Join the pioneering Software Innovation Lab team at IBM Software and contribute to shaping the future foundations of artificial intelligence. Our group of scientists and engineers are dedicated to conducting end-to-end research that delivers real-world AI impact through a rigorous, responsible, and open innovation framework. We are the R&D team that is the innovation engine of IBM Software. We are shaping the technologies that IBM customers rely on – today and in the future. As an intern, you will advance state-of-the-art agent architectures and domain-specific models for business processes, IT and industrial automation, and software engineering across distributed and non-distributed environments, while developing responsible AI systems and enterprise-grade benchmarks that help enterprises personalize services, automate operations, optimize workflows, predict demand, and deliver effective outcomes. With a culture built on curiosity, creativity, and collaboration, this role offers the opportunity to grow your career while contributing to breakthroughs that transform industries and change the world.

Introduction

Join the pioneering Software Innovation Lab team at IBM Software and contribute to shaping the future foundations of artificial intelligence. Our group of scientists and engineers are dedicated to conducting end-to-end research that delivers real-world AI impact through a rigorous, responsible, and open innovation framework. We are the R&D team that is the innovation engine of IBM Software. We are shaping the technologies that IBM customers rely on – today and in the future. As an intern, you will advance state-of-the‑art agent architectures and domain‑specific models for business processes, IT and industrial automation, and software engineering across distributed and non‑distributed environments, while developing responsible AI systems and enterprise‑grade benchmarks that help enterprises personalize services, automate operations, optimize workflows, predict demand, and deliver effective outcomes. With a culture built on curiosity, creativity, and collaboration, this role offers the opportunity to grow your career while contributing to breakthroughs that transform industries and change the world.

Your Role And Responsibilities

As an AI Research Scientist Intern, you will engage in the full research lifecycle to pioneer new advancements in artificial intelligence. Your role will involve identifying core challenges, designing novel prototype solutions, and validating them through rigorous experimentation. You will help advance our research in foundation models and multimodal AI, business process intelligence and automation, IT and industrial automation, AI for software engineering, reliable and scalable agentic systems, AI security and trustworthiness, enterprise knowledge graphs, continual agent learning and adaptation, and knowledge‑guided workflow orchestration. Collaborating in small, mentored teams, you will be responsible for shepherding projects from ideation to completion. A key objective is to disseminate significant results through publications in leading conferences and patent applications, contributing to both the academic community and IBM's open innovation initiatives.

Program Dates:

Internship start dates vary based on your academic calendar.

• Semester System: May 24, 2027 – August 13, 2027
• Quarter System: June 14, 2027 – September 3, 2027 Candidates must be available to participate for the full duration of the internship corresponding to their academic schedule.

Location Flexibility:

By applying to this requisition, you acknowledge and agree to be considered for any of the listed locations associated with this position and are willing to work at the location where you are ultimately assigned.

Preferred Education

Doctorate Degree

Required Technical And Professional Expertise

• Research Experience in Modern AI and Systems: Hands‑on experience and theoretical foundations in one or more of the following areas: foundation and multimodal models, agentic systems, AI for software engineering, knowledge graphs, continual learning, process intelligence, or distributed systems.
• Strong Programming & Prototyping Skills: Proficiency in Python for rapid prototyping, experimental setup, and implementing large‑scale machine learning systems.
• Rigorous Analytical & Problem‑Solving Abilities: Demonstrated strength in quantitative analysis, designing experiments, and deconstructing complex research problems.
• Proven Research & Communication Skills: A track record of innovation (evidenced by peer‑reviewed publications or strong preprints) and the ability to clearly articulate complex technical concepts in both writing and presentations.
• Collaborative Research Mindset: A team‑oriented approach with a commitment to rigorous, reproducible, and well‑documented research practices.

Preferred Technical And Professional Experience

• Research Excellence: Strong publication record in top‑tier conferences (e.g., NeurIPS, ICML, ICLR, CVPR, AAAI).
• Technical Proficiency: Advanced expertise in ML frameworks (PyTorch) and full‑cycle development of algorithms and systems.
• Specialized Skills: Hands‑on experience with generative AI (LLMs) and multimodal models, from training to testing.
• Communication: Demonstrated ability to present complex research and build high‑impact technical demonstrations.