Data Science Intern - Machine Learning (PhD)

At Discord, we offer a personalized experience for interns, and our aim is to offer an experience that mimics what it is like to actually work here. We match qualified interns with projects and groups, based on interests and skill sets and fully embed interns within those groups for the summer. Internships are paid and are staffed for a minimum of 12 weeks, targeting a start date in June to accommodate varying school calendars. Conditions permitting, our 2023 summer internships will be remote, with an opportunity to spend a week in the office at some point during the program. (Please limit positions to 1 application per role)

At Discord, Data Scientists on Ecosystems & Servers help shape our holistic understanding of Servers and their role in the Discord flywheel. We partner directly with key product areas improving the Discord Ecosystem. These include our Online Communities, Creator Revenue, Apps & API, and Activities Platform teams; each area an important component of the Discord Ecosystem and overall user experience.

What you'll be doing

• Apply state-of-the-art machine learning techniques to provide a deeper understanding of product, users, and communities 
• Deep dive into the data to understand and apply patterns, while maintaining a sense of the big picture.
• Apply rigorous mathematical/algorithmic foundations and creative solutions to solve challenging problems
• Collaborate with other data scientists,  product, engineering, and business teams to make sure the developed machine learning solutions/models achieve high leverage and drive impact.

You’ll Thrive In This Role If You Are/Have (Role Requirements)...

• Currently pursuing a PhD in Computer Science or related technical field 
• Experience with at least one of the following ML areas:
  
  • Segmentation and Clustering
  • Natural Language Understanding
  • Personalization & Recommender Systems
  • Causal Inference
  • Deep Learning Model Optimizations
  • Computer Vision, Graphics, image and video processing 
  • Search & Conversational AI
• Experience writing or shipping ML models as part of coursework, personal projects, internships, competitions or research
• Proficient programming in Python.
• Experience working with machine learning frameworks such as TensorFlow, PyTorch, Spark ML, scikit-learn, or related frameworks
• Curious, passion for learning, self-motivated, and excited about solving open-ended challenges.
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to deliver complicated findings and explain technical approaches to a variety of audiences

Salary of $89/hour*

*Note: Disclosure as required by NYC Pay Transparency Law and CO Disclosure as required by sb19-085(8-5-20)

*Benefits listed below may differ from those available depending on terms of employment*

Benefits and Perks

• Comprehensive medical insurance including Health, Dental and Vision (plus up to $20,000 for gender affirmation procedures)
• Mental health resources and quarterly wellness stipends
• 16+ paid holidays, 4 weeks of PTO + use-what-you-need sick days 
• Paid parental leave (plus fertility, adoption and other family planning benefits)
• Flexible long-term work options (remote and hybrid)
• Volunteer time off
• A diverse slate of Employee Resource Groups 
• Plus commuter contributions and other perks for office-based employees

About Us

Discord is a voice, video and text app that helps friends and communities come together to hang out and explore their interests — from artists and activists, to study groups, sneakerheads, plant parents, and more. With 150 million monthly users across 19 million active communities, called servers, Discord has grown to become one of the most popular communications services in the world. Discord was built without selling ads or user data and instead, offers a premium subscription called Nitro that gives users special perks like higher quality streams and fun customizations.

We’re working toward an inclusive world where no one feels like an outsider, where genuine human connection is a click, text chat, or voice call away. A place where everyone can find belonging. Challenging? Heck yes. Rewarding? Double heck yes. It’s a mission that gives us the chance to positively impact millions of people all over the world. So if this strikes a chord with you, come build belonging with us!