Research Internship in Redmond, WA

Overview

Microsoft Research Internships offer a dynamic setting for research careers, with a network of world-class research labs led by globally recognized scientists and engineers. They pursue innovation across scientific and technical disciplines, tackling complex challenges in areas such as computing, healthcare, economics, and the environment.

Gray Systems Lab (GSL) is an applied research lab within Azure Data. The team conducts research and development in databases, big data, and cloud systems, working closely with product teams to design solutions for real-world problems. The team is friendly and inclusive.

Research areas include machine learning for systems, reinforcement learning, fine-tuning and post-training techniques, agentic workflows, resource management, query optimization and execution, workload optimization, graph analytics, data storage formats and governance, and modern hardware such as GPUs, NVMe, and FPGAs. The lab also works on program analysis, data provenance, and ontologies. Its work spans Microsoft internal and open-source systems, including Fabric, Spark, SQL Server, MySQL, Apache Iceberg, and others. The lab draws ideas from internal collaborations and external university partnerships while staying active in the research community.

Responsibilities

Research Interns apply inquiry and theory in practice, working alongside doctoral candidates and leading researchers. Interns advance their own careers while contributing to research and development progress.

During the 12-week internship, interns are paired with mentors and are expected to collaborate with other interns and researchers, present findings, and take part in the life of the research community. Research internships cover all areas of research and are offered year-round, though they typically begin in the summer.

Qualifications

Required: Currently enrolled in a Doctorate Degree program in computer science, statistics, mathematics, or a relevant field.

Other requirements: Interns must be physically located at their manager's Microsoft worksite for the duration of the internship. Applicants must submit at least two reference letters, a cover letter, and any relevant work or research samples. Reference letters can only be requested after the application is submitted, and they may not be requested for every candidate.

Preferred:

• Experience with one or more general purpose programming languages, such as Python, Java, C#, C++, or Rust.
• Experience with PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQL Server, Spark, Apache Iceberg, CUDA, or other database or big data systems.
• Experience contributing to research communities, including publishing papers as an author at academic conferences.
• Ability to take initiative, follow a research or productization plan, and work well in a team.
• Strong critical thinking and communication skills.

Applicants should show a track record in one or more areas of systems, databases, or data science, along with an aptitude for hands-on system building and rigorous experimental design, including running and analyzing experiments at scale.

Pay

The base pay range for this internship is USD $6,810 to $13,480 per month. In the San Francisco Bay Area and New York City metropolitan area, the base pay range is USD $8,920 to $14,610 per month.

Certain roles may be eligible for benefits and other compensation. Additional benefits and pay information is available on the Microsoft careers site.

Microsoft accepts applications and processes offers on an ongoing basis throughout the academic calendar (September to April). The position will remain open for a minimum of 5 days, with applications accepted until it is filled.

Microsoft is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, citizenship, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, immigration status, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran or military status, race, ethnicity, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable local laws. Applicants needing accommodations during the application process can read more about requesting accommodations.