Research Scientist—Generative AI in Sustainability Intern: 2025

Introduction

IBM Research takes responsibility for technology and its role in society. Working in IBM Research means you'll join a team who invent what's next in computing, always choosing the big, urgent and mind-bending work that endures and shapes generations. Our passion for discovery, and excitement for defining the future of tech, is what builds our strong culture around solving problems for clients and seeing the real world impact that you can make. IBM's product and technology landscape includes Research, Software, and Infrastructure. Entering this domain positions you at the heart of IBM, where growth and innovation thrive.

Your Role And Responsibilities

IBM Research Europe (UK) is seeking outstanding MSc and PhD students for its summer internship program. Our lab focuses on using cutting-edge Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) to advance scientific discovery in the high-impact themes of Climate and Sustainability, Sustainable Materials, and core mechanisms for generative AI.

During The Internship You Will Work Under The Mentorship Of Experienced Researchers, Addressing Problems At The Forefront Of AI. Potential Research Topics Include, But Are Not Limited To

• Developing advanced AI architectures and algorithms to train, fine-tune, and apply generative models for multi-modal tasks, directly influencing high-impact sectors.
• Enhancing foundation models for applications in climate science, materials discovery, and chemistry, with the goal of solving real sustainability challenges.
• Designing and testing single or multi-agent AI systems using cutting-edge benchmarks, or developing solutions tailored to business-critical use cases.
  
  

As part of the role, you will need to be comfortable with identifying and defining research challenges, prototyping solutions, designing experimental setups to test certain hypotheses, refining solutions, and communicating findings through patent applications and publications in top-tier conferences.

We seek creative, driven individuals who are comfortable tackling ambiguous challenges, eager to push the limits of what’s possible, and committed to shaping the future of AI and sustainability. Applicants should submit a CV and a one-page cover letter that highlights your experience and passion for the research themes outlined above.

Preferred Education

Master's Degree

Required Technical And Professional Expertise

• Candidates must be enrolled in a Masters or a PhD program in computer science, mathematics, statistics, or related disciplines.
• Strong programming skills in one or more widely used languages such as Python.
• Demonstrated experience in solving analytical problems using rigorous and quantitative approaches.
• Demonstrated experience in developing, training, and testing deep neural networks.
  
  

Preferred Technical And Professional Experience

• Experience with machine learning tools and frameworks such as PyTorch.
• Demonstrated experience in developing, training, and testing generative models, such as LLMs or multi-modal foundation models.
• Being able to clearly and effectively communicate research ideas as demonstrated by publications and presentations at top-tier AI conferences such as NeurIPs, ICLR, ICML, ACL, EMNLP, CVPR etc.