Summer 2027 Data Science R&D Graduate Intern

Highmark Health; Olympia (WA); On-site; USD 34,000 - 48,000; Full time

Job summary

Highmark Health invites applicants for the Summer 2027 Data Science Research & Development (DSRD) Graduate Internship. This program lets graduate students apply advanced data science, ML, AI, and software engineering to solve healthcare challenges.

Interns collaborate with researchers, data scientists, ML engineers, and developers to build solutions using healthcare data. Four research tracks guide work: Knowledge Graphs, Medical Imaging, Predictive Modeling, and AI Applications.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a relevant field.
• Pursuit of a graduate degree full or part-time in an accredited college or university.
• Strong programming experience in Python.

Responsibilities

• Communicate effectively with colleagues and stakeholders.
• Under supervision, provide professional services aligned with day-to-day objectives.
• Undertake and participate in projects to develop professional skills and expertise.
• Participate in planning and implementation of unit projects within area of expertise.
• Conduct research and reporting with recommendations for action.
• Undertake related studies or enrichment programs as appropriate.
• Perform miscellaneous job-related duties as assigned.

Skills

Python

SQL

Education

Bachelor's degree

Pursuing graduate degree (full/part-time)

Tools

NumPy

Pandas

Scikit-learn

PyTorch

TensorFlow

Job description

Company :

Highmark Health

Job Description :

Applicants must be authorized to work in the U.S. independently. At this time, we do not offer visa sponsorship for this role.

The Summer 2027 Data Science Research & Development (DSRD) Graduate Internship offers an exciting opportunity for graduate students to apply advanced data science, machine learning, artificial intelligence, and software engineering techniques to solve complex clinical and healthcare challenges.

This internship is designed for highly motivated individuals who are passionate about leveraging cutting-edge technology to improve healthcare outcomes, advance medical research, and drive innovation across the healthcare industry.

As a member of the Data Science Research & Development team, the intern will collaborate with a multidisciplinary group of researchers, data scientists, machine learning engineers, and software developers to develop innovative solutions utilizing clinical, medical, and healthcare insurance data. Interns will gain hands‑on experience working on high‑impact research initiatives that directly support healthcare transformation through advanced analytics, predictive modeling, artificial intelligence, graph technologies, computer vision, and generative AI.

The internship is structured around four specialized research tracks, allowing participants to align their work with their technical background and research interests:

• Knowledge Graphs : Design and optimize graph‑based healthcare data models, develop GraphQL interfaces, and leverage Graph Neural Networks (GNNs) and GraphRAG architectures to enhance predictive analytics and knowledge discovery.

• Medical Imaging : Build image processing pipelines and develop computer vision models for clinical image analysis, anatomical segmentation, and pathology classification.

• Predictive Modeling : Develop machine learning models focused on healthcare risk prediction, disease progression, and patient outcome forecasting while ensuring model explainability and fairness.

• AI Applications : Design and evaluate advanced AI agent frameworks, natural language processing solutions, prompt engineering strategies, and clinical information extraction workflows using emerging generative AI technologies.

Participants will contribute to innovative research projects, assist with the design and development of analytical solutions, conduct model evaluation and experimentation, and communicate findings to technical and business audiences. Through mentorship, collaboration, and applied research, interns will strengthen their technical expertise while gaining valuable exposure to healthcare data science, artificial intelligence, and enterprise‑scale innovation.

SUMMARY OF JOB RESPONSIBILITIES

This job has the goal of providing the opportunity to acquire practical experience through direct exposure to the related business line(s) and to develop the next generation of diverse business professionals. To that end, the program will provide hands‑on training and experience in the business line, expose the various career opportunities in the business line and related areas, and prepare participants for positions in the business.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree.
• Pursuance of a graduate degree full or part‑time in an accredited college or university.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Currently pursuing a Master's or Ph.D. degree in Computer Science, Biomedical Informatics, Data Science, Electrical Engineering, Applied Mathematics , or a related quantitative discipline.
• Strong programming experience in Python .
• Experience utilizing modern data science libraries such as NumPy, Pandas, Scikit-learn, PyTorch, and/or TensorFlow .
• Proficiency in SQL and relational database concepts.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS

1. Communicate effectively. This position displays effective communication skills while interacting directly with colleagues, clientele, and/or other internal or external constituencies in the planning of assignments and the resolution of day‑to‑day operational problems.
2. Under supervision, provide professional services as appropriate to the day‑to‑day operating objectives of the area. Receives guidance, training, and mentoring from senior personnel in planning and carrying out activities and assignments.
3. Undertake and/or participate in projects and programs designed to develop professional skills and expertise appropriate to the needs of the organization.
4. Participate in the planning and implementation of unit projects and initiatives within area of expertise and ability.
5. As specifically requested by management, conducts research and reporting inclusive of recommendations or alternative proposals for action.
6. Undertake related studies or enrichment programs as appropriate to the specific objectives of the operating unit.
7. Perform miscellaneous job‑related duties as assigned.

Disclaimer: The job description has been designed to indicate the general nature and essential duties and responsibilities of work performed by employees within this job title. It may not contain a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities, and qualifications required of employees to do this job.

Compliance Requirement: This position adheres to the ethical and legal standards and behavioral expectations as set forth in the code of business conduct and company policies

As a component of job responsibilities, employees may have access to covered information, cardholder data, or other confidential customer information that must be protected at all times. In connection with this, all employees must comply with both the Health Insurance Portability Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) as described in the Notice of Privacy Practices and Privacy Policies and Procedures as well as all data security guidelines established within the Company’s Handbook of Privacy Policies and Practices and Information Security Policy. Furthermore, it is every employee’s responsibility to comply with the company’s Code of Business Conduct. This includes but is not limited to adherence to applicable federal and state laws, rules, and regulations as well as company policies and training requirements.

Pay Range Minimum:

Pay Range Maximum:

Base pay is determined by a variety of factors including a candidate’s qualifications, experience, and expected contributions, as well as internal peer equity, market, and business considerations. The displayed salary range does not reflect any geographic differential Highmark may apply for certain locations based upon comparative markets.

Highmark Health and its affiliates prohibit discrimination against qualified individuals based on their status as protected veterans or individuals with disabilities and prohibit discrimination against all individuals based on any category protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.

California Consumer Privacy Act Employees, Contractors, and Applicants Notice (https://dokumfe7mps0i.cloudfront.net/oms/4391/document/2026/1/doclib_458575_QLVK9_1769448333304228022_1769448333396/1769448333396.pdf)