Microsoft Research invites internship applications with monthly stipend of Rs 6 lakh to Rs 12 lakh

Tech company Microsoft has invited applications for internships. Notably, the stipend works out to more than the pay of a full-time job. The average annual salary in India is around Rs 10 lakh to Rs 12 lakh, while Microsoft will pay Rs 6 lakh to Rs 12 lakh every month during this internship.

The internship is with the Machine Learning and Statistics group of Microsoft Research New England, which has invited applications for several research internships. The internship will run for 12 weeks, and candidates will get the chance to work with researchers, applied scientists and engineers.

Selected candidates will have to work from the office three days a week. Travel will be less than 25 per cent. Projects include generative artificial intelligence (AI), large language models, reinforcement learning and other areas of research.

The internship will rest on applied and theoretical machine learning research. Areas of focus include generative models, transfer learning, domain adaptation, stochastic control, meta-learning, sign language modelling, statistics, approximate inference, distribution compression, weather and climate forecasting, chemistry and materials science, Monte Carlo methods, optimal transport, AI scientists, AI for science, causal inference, causal machine learning, machine learning for healthcare, adversarial machine learning, learning and incentives, deep learning, supervised learning and unsupervised learning.

Applicants must currently be enrolled in a doctoral degree programme in computer science or a related field of science, technology, engineering or mathematics. Research interns must be physically present at their manager's Microsoft worksite during the internship.

Applications must include at least two reference letters, a cover letter and samples of work or research. Microsoft has said that after an application is submitted, the listed referees may be contacted to request letters. Applicants cannot request these letters in advance through the application process, and reference requests cannot be sent automatically for each candidate. Candidates are therefore advised to inform their referees beforehand so that they have their letters ready.

The company is looking for a candidate who can develop an original research agenda and work well with researchers and product development teams. Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to work across different groups and cultures will also be preferred.

On the stipend, the monthly base pay starts at USD 6,810 (about Rs 6.46 lakh) and goes up to USD 13,480 (about Rs 12.79 lakh). For specific work locations in the San Francisco Bay Area and the New York City metropolitan area, monthly base pay ranges from USD 8,920 (about Rs 8.46 lakh) to USD 14,610 (about Rs 13.86 lakh).

According to Microsoft, some positions may also be eligible for benefits and additional pay. For more information, candidates can visit the company's "official internship pay and benefits page".