2022-09-21T13:53:12-04:00 X, The Moonshot Factory
PhD Residency - AI / Plant Biology
Internship
Mountain View, CA

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:

  • 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.

Apply Now

Fields marked with * are required

Resume/CV*
Cover Letter
Are you actively enrolled in a PhD Program?*
Select the closest target for your graduation*
What general programming languages are you comfortably proficient in?*
Do you have prior experience interning / working in a data-secure environment. ex. Health data, government, corporate Fortune 500, or prior Google internships?*
Are you currently or were you previously an Alphabet employee, contractor, or intern?*
Application consent for X*

By clicking the “I Accept” button you expressly give your consent for the collection and use of your information as described at https://www.google.com/about/careers/privacy/.  I consent to the processing of my information as described in that policy including that, in limited circumstances, my information may be shared with trusted third parties to assist in certain phases of the hiring process (such as conducting background checks).

Voluntary Self-Identification

For government reporting purposes, we ask candidates to respond to the below self-identification survey. Completion of the form is entirely voluntary. Whatever your decision, it will not be considered in the hiring process or thereafter. Any information that you do provide will be recorded and maintained in a confidential file.

As set forth in X, the moonshot factory’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy, we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.

Gender
Race

If you believe you belong to any of the categories of protected veterans listed below, please indicate by making the appropriate selection. As a government contractor subject to the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA), we request this information in order to measure the effectiveness of the outreach and positive recruitment efforts we undertake pursuant to VEVRAA. Classification of protected categories is as follows:

A "disabled veteran" is one of the following: a veteran of the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service who is entitled to compensation (or who but for the receipt of military retired pay would be entitled to compensation) under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; or a person who was discharged or released from active duty because of a service-connected disability.

A "recently separated veteran" means any veteran during the three-year period beginning on the date of such veteran's discharge or release from active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval, or air service.

An "active duty wartime or campaign badge veteran" means a veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service during a war, or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized under the laws administered by the Department of Defense.

An "Armed forces service medal veteran" means a veteran who, while serving on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service, participated in a United States military operation for which an Armed Forces service medal was awarded pursuant to Executive Order 12985.

Veteran Status
Why are you being asked to complete this form?

We are a federal contractor or subcontractor required by law to provide equal employment opportunity to qualified people with disabilities. We are also required to measure our progress toward having at least 7% of our workforce be individuals with disabilities. To do this, we must ask applicants and employees if they have a disability or have ever had a disability. Because a person may become disabled at any time, we ask all of our employees to update their information at least every five years.

Identifying yourself as an individual with a disability is voluntary, and we hope that you will choose to do so. Your answer will be maintained confidentially and not be seen by selecting officials or anyone else involved in making personnel decisions. Completing the form will not negatively impact you in any way, regardless of whether you have self-identified in the past. For more information about this form or the equal employment obligations of federal contractors under Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act, visit the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) website at www.dol.gov/ofccp.

How do you know if you have a disability?

You are considered to have a disability if you have a physical or mental impairment or medical condition that substantially limits a major life activity, or if you have a history or record of such an impairment or medical condition.

Disabilities include, but are not limited to:

  • Autism
  • Autoimmune disorder, for example, lupus, fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, or HIV/AIDS
  • Blind or low vision
  • Cancer
  • Cardiovascular or heart disease
  • Celiac disease
  • Cerebral palsy
  • Deaf or hard of hearing
  • Depression or anxiety
  • Diabetes
  • Epilepsy
  • Gastrointestinal disorders, for example, Crohn's Disease, or irritable bowel syndrome
  • Intellectual disability
  • Missing limbs or partially missing limbs
  • Nervous system condition for example, migraine headaches, Parkinson’s disease, or Multiple sclerosis (MS)
  • Psychiatric condition, for example, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, PTSD, or major depression
Disability Status

PUBLIC BURDEN STATEMENT: According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless such collection displays a valid OMB control number. This survey should take about 5 minutes to complete.

Something went wrong. Please try again later.

Thank you for applying to X, the moonshot factory!

Your application has been received. We appreciate your interest in the open roles at X. Our team will review your materials and if there is a fit, a member of our team will contact you with more information.

X, a division of Google LLC. All rights reserved.