PhD Applied Scientist Intern

We’re looking for Ph.D. students specializing in Applied Science to intern during Summer 2026 (12 weeks). As a Ph.D. intern, you will be embedded in a product team working on solving real-world Uber problems and will have the opportunity to partner closely with other Applied and Data Scientists, Software Engineers, Product Managers, and other cross functional partners.

About the Team

The Core Services Science Staff team applies data science and analytics to drive initiatives across all core service elements, including Customer Support, Safety, Risk, Insurance, and Identity. As a member of the team you will conduct deep-dive analyses, design and analyze experiments, and support the development of machine learning models to make using our platform as smooth and magical as possible for all users. You will play an influential role in driving critical product and policy decisions. A critical aspect of this role is being very hands-on, not only in model development and prototyping, but also through deployment and launch, helping to structure projects from the initial idea through to final implementation.

What You’ll Do

• Work with a mentor closely to define a business problem, scope a project, develop, and prototype the solution using data-driven approaches
• Perform deep-dive analyses to discover root causes for safety issues and changes in trends
• Present findings to leaders to inform decisions
• Support statistical and machine learning efforts including modeling, experimentation, signal processing, time series analysis, geospatial analysis, natural language processing, large language model interactions and more
• Get an opportunity to drive the implementation and scaling of developed solutions
• Get an opportunity to utilize and learn software engineering tools/concepts, including ML web applications (Streamlit, Flask, etc.), real-time databases, big data tools (Spark, Ray), and LLM tools and frameworks (HuggingFace Transformers, LangChain) and Generative AI APIs (OpenAI, Google)

Basic Qualifications

• Current Ph.D. student majoring in Operations Research, Mathematics, Computer Science, Statistics, Machine Learning, or other related quantitative fields. Candidates should have at least one semester/quarter left of their education after finishing the internship.
• Knowledge of the underlying mathematical foundations of statistics, machine learning, optimization, economics, and analytics
• Knowledge of experimental design and analysis
• Knowledge of causal inference
• Strong problem-solving and analytical abilities
• Familiarity with SQL
• Familiarity with a programming language such as R and Python
• A keen interest in acting as a full-stack Applied Scientist, taking ownership of the solution life cycle by developing, prototyping, and actively participating in the deployment and final launch of models and analytical tools

Preferred Qualifications

• Ability to communicate effectively with both technical and business partners
• Research mentality with a bias towards action to structure a project from idea to experimentation to prototype to implementation
• Independence, excellent communication, and outstanding follow-through - you energetically tackle your work and love the responsibility of being individually empowered
• Experience with exploratory data analysis, statistical analysis, model development, and causal inference.
• An interest in software engineering fundamentals is preferred for the Core Services Science Staff team, allowing the Applied Scientist to transition solutions from concept to production efficiently. Knowledge or interest in software engineering tools/concepts, including ML web applications (Streamlit, Flask, etc.), real-time databases, big data tools (Spark, Ray), and LLM tools (HuggingFace Transformers, LangChain)

For San Francisco, CA-based roles: The base hourly rate amount for this role is USD$67.00 per hour.

For Sunnyvale, CA-based roles: The base hourly rate amount for this role is USD$67.00 per hour.

For all US locations, you will also be eligible for various benefits.

Uber's mission is to reimagine the way the world moves for the better. Here, bold ideas create real-world impact, challenges drive growth, and speed fuels progress. What moves us, moves the world - let's move it forward, together.

Uber is proud to be an Equal Opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, color, religion, national origin, disability, protected Veteran status, age, or any other characteristic protected by law. 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 let us know by completing this form.

Offices continue to be central to collaboration and Uber’s cultural identity. Unless formally approved to work fully remotely, Uber expects employees to spend at least half of their work time in their assigned office. For certain roles, such as those based at green-light hubs, employees are expected to be in-office for 100% of their time. Please speak with your recruiter to better understand in-office expectations for this role.