# Machine Learning Engineer, PhD Intern

**Company:** [Instacart](https://hotfix.jobs/companies/instacart)
**Location:** Remote
**Role:** ML Engineering
**Experience:** 0+ years
**Skills:** Python, Go, Machine Learning, PyTorch, TensorFlow, vLLM, LLMs, Algorithms, Optimization, Knowledge Graphs
**Posted:** 2026-06-10

> PhD intern role focused on LLM research, large-scale ML systems, and e-commerce applications including search, recommendations, and knowledge graphs. Requires strong ML foundations and programming skills.

## Job Description

## Responsibilities
- Work on high-impact problems at the intersection of LLM research, large-scale ML systems, and real-world e-commerce applications
- Query understanding: Use cutting-edge AI and LLM-based techniques to understand user intent, refine queries, and support downstream retrieval and ranking
- Search relevance and ranking: Improve search relevance by incorporating signals from user behavior, catalog knowledge, and generative models, including hybrid retrieval and ranking systems
- Generative recommendations: Push boundaries of generative and traditional models intersection across retrieval and ranking systems; develop scalable feedback and reward modeling approaches for closed-loop learning (RFT)
- LLM evaluation and AIQA systems: Build LLM-based evaluation frameworks (e.g., LLM-as-a-Judge, self-critique) to improve quality and reliability of generative and agentic systems
- Low-latency and scalable LLM systems: Research techniques to deploy LLMs in high-traffic, latency-sensitive production environments, balancing quality, cost, and latency through cascading, distillation, and selective generation
- Knowledge graphs: Work on graph data management and knowledge discovery over one of the world's largest grocery catalogs, integrating structured knowledge with LLM-based reasoning and natural language interfaces
- Sequence modeling: Build temporal models for user behavior prediction

## Requirements
- Ph.D. student in computer science, mathematics, statistics, economics, or related areas
- Strong programming (Python, Golang) and algorithmic skills
- Solid foundations in machine learning, algorithms, or optimization
- Curious, self-motivated, and comfortable working on open-ended problems

## Nice-to-Haves
- Ph.D. student at a top tier university in the United States
- Hands-on experience with generative or traditional modeling frameworks (PyTorch, Tensorflow, vLLM)
- Prior industry or research internship in machine learning or AI
- Interest and experience in translating research ideas into scalable production systems

## Compensation
- CA, NY, CT, NJ: $50/hour
- WA: $47.50/hour
- OR, DE, ME, MA, MD, NH, RI, VT, DC, PA, VA, CO, TX, IL, HI: $44/hour
- All other states: $42/hour

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**Apply:** https://hotfix.jobs/jobs/9041db98-7dee-4e55-aadd-04433c122912
**Canonical:** https://hotfix.jobs/jobs/9041db98-7dee-4e55-aadd-04433c122912