Software Engineering Intern, PhD, Summer 2026

Google; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 118,000 - 157,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

Life insurance

Disability insurance

401(k) with company match

Paid time off (20 days/year)

Job summary

Google is offering a Software Engineering Intern, PhD, Summer 2026 across multiple North American campuses, including Mountain View, Atlanta, and others. This paid internship lasts 12–14 weeks and provides opportunities to work on complex computer science projects.

As an intern you will design, test, deploy, and maintain software solutions, contribute to scalable distributed systems, and participate in an executive speaker series and community-building activities.

Qualifications

• Pursuing a PhD program in Computer Science or a related technical field.
• Experience coding in one of the following languages including but not limited to: C, C++, Java, or Python.

Responsibilities

• Develop scripts to automate routine tasks.
• Analyze information and evaluate results to choose the best solution to effectively solve issues.
• Apply knowledge gained in computer science courses to real world challenges.
• Create and support a productive and innovative team including working with peers, managers, and teams.

Skills

C/C++

Java

Python

Algorithms

Distributed systems

Education

PhD in Computer Science

Tools

Git

Linux

Job description

Software Engineering Intern, PhD, Summer 2026

corporate_fare Google place Mountain View, CA, USA; Atlanta, GA, USA; +28 more

This role may also be located in our Playa Vista, CA campus.

Applicants in the County of Los Angeles: Qualified applications with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers and the California Fair Chance Act.

Applicants in San Francisco: Qualified applications with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers and the California Fair Chance Act.

The application window will be open until at least September 7, 2026. This opportunity will remain online based on business needs which may be before or after the specified date.

In accordance with Washington state law, we are highlighting our comprehensive benefits package, which is available to all eligible US based employees. Benefits for this role include:

• Health, dental, vision, life, disability insurance
• Retirement Benefits: 401(k) with company match
• Paid Time Off: 20 days of vacation per year, accruing at a rate of 6.15 hours per pay period for the first five years of employment
• Sick Time: 40 hours/year (increased to 69 hours/year for Seattle) including 5 discretionary sick days per instance
• Maternity Leave (Short-Term Disability + Baby Bonding): 28-30 weeks
• Baby Bonding Leave: 18 weeks
• Holidays: 13 paid days per year

Note: By applying to this position you will have an opportunity to share your preferred working location from the following: Mountain View, CA, USA; Atlanta, GA, USA; Austin, TX, USA; Boulder, CO, USA; Cambridge, MA, USA; Bellevue, WA, USA; Chicago, IL, USA; Irvine, CA, USA; Kirkland, WA, USA; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Madison, WI, USA; New York, NY, USA; Palo Alto, CA, USA; Portland, OR, USA; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Raleigh, NC, USA; Durham, NC, USA; Reston, VA, USA; Redmond, WA, USA; Redwood City, CA, USA; San Diego, CA, USA; Goleta, CA, USA; San Bruno, CA, USA; Seattle, WA, USA; San Francisco, CA, USA; San Jose, CA, USA; Santa Cruz, CA, USA; South San Francisco, CA, USA; Sunnyvale, CA, USA; Washington D.C., DC, USA.

Minimum qualifications

• Pursuing a PhD program in Computer Science or a related technical field.
• Experience coding in one of the following programming languages including but not limited to: C, C++, Java, or Python.

Preferred qualifications

• Currently attending a degree program in the US and available to work full time for 12 weeks outside of university term time.
• In their penultimate academic year or returning to a degree program after completion of the internship.
• Experience conducting research in Algorithms, Architecture, Artificial Intelligence, Compilers, Database, Data Mining, Distributed Systems, Machine Learning, Networking, or Systems.
• Experience in computer science, data structures, algorithms, and software design.

This internship is intended for students in their penultimate academic year, who are currently pursuing a PhD degree program in Computer Science or a related field.

Participation in the internship program requires that you are located in the United States for the duration of the internship program.

Google is a global company and, in order to facilitate efficient collaboration and communication globally, English proficiency is a requirement for this internship program.

We offer a range of internships in either Software Engineering or Site-Reliability Engineering across North America, including the US and Canada. Our recruitment team will determine where you fit best based on your resume.

As a Software Engineering Intern, you will work on a specific project critical to Google’s needs. Google is working to advance the state of the art in computing and build the next generation of intelligent systems for all Google products. To achieve this, we work on projects that utilize the latest computer science techniques developed by skilled software developers. Whether we're shaping the future of sustainability, optimizing algorithms, or pioneering AI systems, our teams strive to continuously progress science, advance society, and improve the lives of billions of people.

Join us for a unique 12-14 week paid internship that offers personal and professional development, an executive speaker series, and community-building. The Software Engineering Internship program will give you an opportunity to work on complex computer science solutions, develop scalable, distributed software systems, and also collaborate on multitudes of smaller projects that have universal appeal.

Software Engineering Intern:

As a key member of a versatile team, you will work on a specific project critical to Google’s needs. We need our engineers to be versatile, and enthusiastic in addressing problems as we continue to push technology forward. You will design, test, deploy, and maintain software solutions as you grow and evolve during your internship.

Site Reliability Intern:

Our engineers create, fix, extend, and scale the code to keep it working and to harden it against all the bad actors of the internet. We drive reliability and performance on a massive scale. You will work on software development projects to keep important business generating-critical systems up and running, from code-level troubleshooting of traffic anomalies to maintenance of our services, from monitoring and alerts to building automation infrastructure.

Google is and always will be an engineering company. We hire people with a broad set of technical skills who are ready to address some of technology's greatest challenges and make an impact on millions, if not billions, of users. At Google, engineers not only revolutionize search, they routinely work on massive scalability and storage solutions, large-scale applications and entirely new platforms for developers around the world. From Google Ads to Chrome, Android to YouTube, Social to Local, Google engineers are changing the world one technological achievement after another.

Individual pay is determined by factors including job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training.

US: $118000 - $157000 (USD) + 0% bonus target

Responsibilities

• Develop scripts to automate routine tasks.
• Analyze information and evaluate results to choose the best solution to effectively solve issues.
• Apply knowledge gained in computer science courses to real world challenges.
• Create and support a productive and innovative team including working with peers, managers, and teams.