Research Internships at Microsoft provide a dynamic environment for research careers with a network of world-class research labs led by globally-recognized scientists and engineers. Our researchers and engineers pursue innovation in a range of scientific and technical disciplines to help solve complex challenges in diverse fields, including computing, healthcare, economics, and the environment.

Microsoft Quantum has assembled a talented and diverse international team to create the world’s first scalable quantum computing system. Our full-stack approach involves exciting innovation from the physics at the quantum plane to providing global quantum services. The Microsoft Quantum program strives to fundamentally change the world of computing to help solve humankind’s problems that would otherwise take billions of years for today’s computers to solve! This has massive implications for research in healthcare, energy, environmental systems, smart materials, and more. We are on the cusp of an accelerated effort in quantum computing and aim to bring a scalable quantum system to the broadest set of customers, empowering every person and organization on the planet to experience quantum computing. For more information about Azure Quantum and the Microsoft Quantum team, please visit https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/quantum.

Do you want to be part of the quantum revolution in computing? Put curiosity and theory into practice and join our vibrant Microsoft Quantum team as an intern! During the 12-week internship, you will work alongside a diverse staff of theoretical and experimental physicists, computer scientists, hardware designers and software engineers around the world. You will learn new skills and will have opportunities to have a meaningful influence on revolutionary technology, to network and make connections for life.

Responsibilities

Interns put inquiry and theory into practice. Alongside fellow interns and some of the world’s best researchers, interns learn, collaborate, and network for life. Interns not only advance their own careers, but they also contribute to exciting research and development strides. During the 12-week internship, students are paired with mentors and expected to collaborate with other interns and researchers, present findings, and contribute to the vibrant life of the community. Research internships are available in all areas of research, and are offered year-round, though they typically begin in the summer.

We are looking for exceptional candidates for internships in research areas such as quantum algorithms and quantum fault-tolerance. Positions are available beginning in Spring/Summer/Fall of 2023.

• Areas that might be considered for internship projects include quantum algorithms, digital quantum simulation, optimization, fault-tolerant codes and their decoding algorithms, quantum circuit synthesis and optimization, quantum computational complexity, etc.
• Responsibilities include problem identification, formulation, identifying and falsifying/validating hypotheses, publishing results, and collaboration.
• Background in programming is helpful but not required.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications

In addition to the qualifications below, you’ll need to submit a minimum of two reference letters for this position. After you submit your application, a request for letters may be sent to your list of references on your behalf. Note that reference letters cannot be requested until after you have submitted your application, and furthermore, that they might not be automatically requested for all candidates. You may wish to alert your letter writers in advance, so they will be ready to submit your letter.

• Must be currently enrolled in a master's program in Physics, Mathematics, Computer Science, Electrical and Computer Engineering or related fields.

Interns are expected to be physically located in their manager’s Microsoft worksite location for the duration of their internship.

Preferred Qualifications

• Strong background and research experience in areas such as quantum algorithms, machine learning and optimization (classical and/or quantum), quantum error-correction and fault-tolerance, and physics device modeling.
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills.
• Detail oriented.
• Strong problem-solving skills.
• Coding skills, e.g., in Python, C#, C/C++, R, etc.
• Familiarity with git.

#Quantum

The base pay range for this internship is USD $5,090 - $10,120 per month. There is a different range applicable to specific work locations, within the San Francisco Bay area and New York City metropolitan area, and the base pay range for this role in those locations is USD $6,690 - $11,030 per month.

Benefits/perks listed here may vary depending on the nature of employment with Microsoft and the country work location. U.S.-based PhD, University, and Explore interns have access to medical and vision insurance, paid sick time (salaried interns accrue at 3.34 hours per pay period worked; hourly interns accrue at .03846 hour per hour worked), paid federal holidays, and software discounts. Puget Sound-based PhD, University, and Explore interns gain access to a bus pass and a fitness club membership. Discovery interns are not eligible for healthcare benefits or a fitness club membership, but they have access to paid sick time (accrued at .03846 hour per hour worked), paid federal holidays, software discounts, and a bus pass.

Our Commitment to Pay Equity
We are committed to the principle of pay equity – paying employees equitably for substantially similar work. To learn more about pay equity and our other commitments to increase representation and strengthen our culture of inclusion, check out our annual Diversity & Inclusion Report. ( https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/diversity/inside-microsoft/annual-report )

Understanding Roles at Microsoft​
The top of this page displays the role for which the base pay ranges apply – Applied Sciences IC2.
The way we define roles includes two things: discipline (the type of work) and career stage (scope and complexity). The career stage has two parts – the first identifies whether the role is a manager (M), an individual contributor (IC), an admin-technician-retail (ATR) job, or an intern. The second part identifies the relative seniority of the role – a higher number (or later letter alphabetically in the case of ATR) indicates greater scope and complexity.

Microsoft is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran status, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable laws, regulations and ordinances.  We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements. If you need assistance and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application or the recruiting process, please send a request via the Accommodation request form.

Benefits/perks listed below may vary depending on the nature of your employment with Microsoft and the country where you work.