Research Intern – Machine Learning and Statistics
Microsoft is accepting applications for its Research Intern – Machine Learning and Statistics opportunity with Microsoft Research New England. This paid research internship is intended for students currently enrolled in a doctorate programme in Computer Science or a related STEM field. The official listing was posted on 14 October 2026 and identifies Cambridge, Massachusetts, and Redmond, Washington, as locations in the United States.
Important for applicants in India: this is not an India-based or work-from-home internship. Microsoft lists three days per week in-office and requires research interns to remain physically located at their manager's Microsoft worksite location for the internship's duration. The listing does not confirm visa sponsorship, relocation funding or a separate application route for Indian candidates. Check those arrangements directly with Microsoft rather than assuming that international participation is guaranteed.
Microsoft Research internship: key details
| Organisation | Microsoft |
|---|---|
| Role | Research Intern – Machine Learning and Statistics |
| Job number | 200061780 |
| Locations | Cambridge, Massachusetts, and Redmond, Washington, United States |
| Work site | 3 days per week in-office; physical presence at the manager's worksite location required throughout |
| Duration | 12 weeks |
| Advertised base pay | USD 6,810–13,480 per month, subject to the applicable role/location terms |
| Required education | Currently enrolled in a doctorate degree in Computer Science or a related STEM field |
| Travel | Less than 25% |
| Posted | 14 October 2026 |
| Closing date | No fixed date disclosed; applications accepted until the position is filled |
What the research group works on
The Machine Learning and Statistics group is recruiting multiple research interns to work with researchers, applied scientists and engineers on theoretical and applied machine-learning questions. Its published scope is broad: examples include generative models, transfer learning, domain adaptation, approximate inference, reinforcement learning, causal inference, large language models and adversarial machine learning.
The source also mentions applications in health, weather and climate forecasting, chemistry, materials science and AI for science. These are examples of the group's research interests, not a promise that every intern will work on every topic. Applicants can use the official description to judge whether their existing research direction fits the group; a specific project allocation is not supplied in the notice.
Responsibilities and the 12-week structure
During the internship, research interns are paired with mentors. Microsoft expects them to collaborate with other interns and researchers, present their findings and participate in the research community. The role centres on turning research questions and theory into research work, rather than being a general introductory course or a certificate-only programme.
Microsoft says research internships are offered throughout the year, although they typically begin in summer. This listing does not give a confirmed start date for the selected candidate, so applicants should not treat a particular summer month or intake year as guaranteed. Availability and project timing should be clarified through the recruitment process.
Eligibility and preferred qualifications
The required qualification is current enrolment in a doctorate degree programme in Computer Science or a related STEM field. The notice does not describe this opening as available to every undergraduate, master's student or general fresher. Its worksite requirement is also material: the intern must be physically located at the manager's Microsoft worksite location for the duration of the internship, even though the work-site field specifies three in-office days per week.
Preferred qualifications include the ability to develop original research agendas, collaborate with researchers and product-development teams, and communicate effectively across groups and cultures. These are listed as preferences, separate from the required doctoral enrolment. As application preparation advice, choose work samples that clearly demonstrate your own research contribution and explain how it relates to the group's stated interests.
Monthly base pay and location-specific caveats
The advertised base-pay range is USD 6,810–13,480 per month. Microsoft separately states that certain locations in the San Francisco Bay area and New York City metropolitan area use a different range of USD 8,920–14,610 per month. That separate geographic range should not be presented as the standard pay for the Cambridge or Redmond locations shown for this opening.
Some roles may also be eligible for benefits or other compensation. Neither the top of a range nor any additional benefit is a guaranteed offer to every selected applicant. The listing does not establish take-home pay after tax, housing support or an INR stipend; applicants should review the applicable terms in Microsoft's official recruitment information and eventual offer.
Documents and reference letters
Applicants need a minimum of two reference letters, a cover letter and any relevant work or research samples. Microsoft explains that reference-letter requests may be sent after an application is submitted. Requests cannot be initiated before submission and may not be sent automatically for every candidate, so it is sensible to alert referees in advance and monitor any instructions from the employer.
The notice directs candidates to the Resume Manager section of their Microsoft careers profile for uploading other documents. It does not specify a universal publication-count requirement or a fixed interview sequence. Do not substitute an assumed screening process for instructions provided by Microsoft's recruitment team.
How to apply
- Open the official Microsoft listing using the link below and confirm job number 200061780.
- Read the current doctoral-enrolment, worksite, pay and document requirements.
- Use the listing's Apply now control and follow the Microsoft careers application process.
- Provide the requested cover letter, relevant samples and reference information, then check for follow-up document requests.
- Confirm location, timing and any immigration or relocation arrangements with Microsoft before making commitments.
Microsoft says applications and offers are processed on an ongoing basis through the September–April academic calendar, and this position remains open until filled. The minimum five-day posting statement is not a deadline or a guarantee that applications will remain open through April. Check the live page before applying.
