2022-03-23T12:35:00-04:00 X, The Moonshot Factory
PhD Residency - AI / Plant Biology
Internship
Virtual

X is Alphabet’s moonshot factory. We are a diverse group of inventors and entrepreneurs who build and launch technologies that aim to improve the lives of millions, even billions, of people. Our goal: 10x impact on the world’s most intractable problems, not just 10% improvement. We approach projects that have the aspiration and riskiness of research with the speed and ambition of a startup.

THE FOUNDATION OF AN AMAZING JOURNEY

Our goal at X is to make the world a radically better place. In order to do that we seek fresh unexpected perspectives, from different fields, and that’s why we’re excited about you. 

Life here isn’t easy, but it’s fun. We’re trying to build things most people can’t even imagine, and we’re doing it with the hope of making a huge, positive impact on the world. You’ll be embedded into a moonshot project, where you’ll partner with team members to solve key challenges. 

This isn’t your ordinary internship. You’ll be positively challenged and pushed professionally, in ways that you may have never experienced. If this excites you - keep reading.

ABOUT THE TEAM:

We are an early stage X moonshot attempting to develop a plant biology aware AI system to inform plant design and engineering experiments. We aim to enable a new era of agriculture - one that will not only feed the world, but also be energy, nitrogen, water, and land-use efficient, sequester carbon, and create new high-impact applications for plant-based products.

Note that early stage X projects function like startups. There will be significant ambiguity, shifting priorities, occasional sprints towards deadlines, but also a team atmosphere, dedicated team lead, and big vision.

DURING YOUR INTERNSHIP YOU CAN EXPECT:

  • To be placed on one of our confidential or public X projects
  • To get paid competitively and with Google benefits
  • To be part of a lively community of other Interns and Residents 
  • To addend colloquium and discussions with team leads from across Google, DeepMind and external organizations

DETAILS:

  • Due to Covid-19, internships are held remotely through 2022
  • Laptops and equipment will be provided
  • Duration: 6 months

REQUIREMENTS:

  • Must be enrolled in an academic program and working towards completing a PhD degree

WHAT YOU'LL BE WORKING ON:

  • Collaborating with confidential X Project team to applying AI to their project's mission
    • Understanding the project’s challenges
    • Suggesting a number of ways in which AI can apply to those challenges
    • Prototyping solutions
    • Work closely with team members to implement solutions
  • Learning Moonshot thinking, attending colloquium and tech talks
  • Engaging with the X Internship community during the program
  • Having fun!

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

  • Currently enrolled in PhD program in a quantitative discipline such as Machine Learning, Computer Science, Bioinformatics, Statistics, or Physics. You should not be planning to graduate or leave your academic program during the residency
  • Experience with one or more machine learning frameworks, such as TensorFlow, JAX, or PyTorch
  • Fluency with Python and Linux operating systems
  • Ability to dedicate 100% of your time to the project for 6 months, either starting in March/April , Aug/Sept or Jan/Feb. 
  • Perseverance, positive attitude, and a strong desire to improve the world through technology

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

  • Interest in learning or prior experience with molecular, systems, or plant biology
  • Interest in learning or prior experience with plant breeding, or the agricultural systems
  • Experience with interpretable machine learning techniques for one or more of the following transfer learning, continuous learning, deep-multi-kernel learning, generative models, and Bayesian Optimization
  • Practical experience with applying machine learning on scientific data
  • Track record of publications in major machine learning conferences or relevant scientific journals

In your cover letter, please include a one-page statement describing your research or relevant work experience.

At X, we don't just accept difference - we celebrate it, we support it, and we thrive on it for the benefit of our employees, our products and our community. We are proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and is an affirmative action employer. We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity or Veteran status. We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements.

If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please contact us at: x-accommodation-request@x.team.

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