Research Sciences INTERN

About the Role

As a Research Sciences Intern on the FoSSE team, you will dive into real‑world software engineering challenges, working on code migration, translation, and static analysis projects that leverage AI and formal methods. Your daily tasks will involve prototyping algorithms, running experiments on large codebases, and collaborating with senior researchers to refine research questions into publishable results. You’ll also contribute to documentation and presentations that help the team communicate findings to both technical and non‑technical stakeholders.

Key Responsibilities

• Design and implement prototype tools for automated code translation between languages such as C++ and Python.
• Develop static analysis pipelines that detect bugs or security vulnerabilities in open‑source repositories.
• Experiment with machine‑learning models to predict code migration effort and validate results against ground‑truth datasets.
• Collaborate with formal methods experts to encode program properties and verify them using SMT solvers.
• Collect, clean, and annotate large code corpora for training data, ensuring reproducibility of experiments.
• Document experimental setups, results, and insights in technical reports and slide decks.
• Participate in weekly research meetings, presenting progress and receiving feedback from peers and mentors.

Skills & Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a related field (ongoing or completed).
• Proficiency in at least one programming language (Python, C++, Java) and experience with version control (Git).
• Familiarity with AI/ML frameworks (TensorFlow, PyTorch) or static analysis tools (clang‑based analyzers, Infer).
• Basic understanding of formal verification concepts (SMT, model checking) and experience with tools like Z3 or CVC4.
• Strong analytical skills and ability to translate research papers into implementable prototypes.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills for writing reports and presenting findings.
• Self‑motivated, comfortable working in a fast‑paced research environment and eager to learn new techniques.

What You’ll Learn

In this role you’ll gain hands‑on experience at the intersection of programming languages, AI, and formal methods—areas that are shaping the future of software reliability. You’ll learn how to turn theoretical research into production‑ready prototypes, manage large code datasets, and collaborate with multidisciplinary teams. The internship also offers exposure to Microsoft’s research culture, including publishing papers, attending conferences, and networking with industry experts.

Resume Tip

Include a concise “Project Snapshot” section that lists a small research‑style project you completed (e.g., a static‑analysis prototype or a simple ML model for code classification). Highlight the problem you solved, the tools you used, and the measurable impact (e.g., 15% reduction in false positives). This demonstrates your ability to apply research concepts to real codebases.