[Remote] Machine Learning Engineer, PhD Intern (Fall)

Note: The job is a remote job and is open to candidates in USA. Instacart is transforming the grocery industry by making grocery delivery convenient, affordable, and accessible. They are seeking talented Ph.D. students to join their machine learning teams to work on high-impact problems in areas such as query understanding, search relevance, and generative recommendations.ResponsibilitiesUsing cutting-edge AI and LLM-based techniques to understand user intent, refine queries, and support downstream retrieval and rankingImproving search relevance by incorporating signals from user behavior, catalog knowledge, and generative models, including hybrid retrieval and ranking systemsPushing the boundaries of where generative and traditional models intersect across retrieval and ranking systems; developing scalable feedback and reward modeling approaches for closed-loop learning (RFT)Building LLM-based evaluation frameworks (e.g., LLM-as-a-Judge, self-critique) to improve the quality and reliability of generative and agentic systemsResearching techniques to deploy LLMs in high-traffic, latency-sensitive production environments, balancing quality, cost, and latency through cascading, distillation, and selective generationWorking on graph data management and knowledge discovery over one of the world’s largest grocery catalogs, and integrating structured knowledge with LLM-based reasoning and natural language interfacesBuilding temporal models for user behavior predictionSkillsPh.D. student in computer science, mathematics, statistics, economics, or related areasStrong programming (Python, Golang) and algorithmic skillsSolid foundations in machine learning, algorithms, or optimizationCurious, self-motivated, and comfortable working on open-ended problemsPh.D. student at a top tier university in the United StatesHands-on experience with generative or traditional modeling frameworks (PyTorch, Tensorflow, vLLM)Prior industry or research internship in machine learning or AIInterest and experience in translating research ideas into scalable production systemsBenefitsInstacart is a Flex First teamOur employees have the flexibility to choose where they do their best work—whether it’s from home, an office, or your favorite coffee shop—while staying connected and building community through regular in-person eventsInstacart provides highly market-competitive compensation and benefits in each location where our employees workPlease read more about our benefits offerings here (https://instacart.careers/taste-of-instacart/)Company OverviewInstacart is an online grocery platform that offers same-day delivery and pickup services for retailers and consumers. It was founded in 2012, and is headquartered in San Francisco, California, USA, with a workforce of 1001-5000 employees. Its website is https://www.instacart.com.Company H1B SponsorshipInstacart has a track record of offering H1B sponsorships, with 23 in 2026, 152 in 2025, 173 in 2024, 109 in 2023, 159 in 2022, 170 in 2021, 59 in 2020. Please note that this does not guarantee sponsorship for this specific role.