Research Scientist Intern

About Upstart At Upstart, we’re united by a mission that matters: to radically reduce the cost and complexity of borrowing for all Americans. Every day, we bring creativity, experimentation, and advanced AI to reshape access to credit, helping millions move forward financially with clarity and confidence. As the leading AI lending marketplace, we partner with banks and credit unions to expand access to affordable credit through technology that’s both radically intelligent and deeply human. Our platform runs over one million predictions per borrower using more than 1,800 signals, powering smarter, fairer decisions for millions of customers. But the numbers only hint at the impact. Every idea, every voice, and every contribution moves us closer to a world where credit never stands between people and their financial progress. We’re proudly digital-first, giving most Upstarters the flexibility to do their best work from wherever they thrive, alongside teammates across 80+ cities in the US and Canada. Digital-first doesn’t mean distant. We’re intentional about in-person connection through team onsites, planning sessions, and moments that spark creativity and trust. And whether you choose to work primarily from home or collaborate in-person from one of our offices in Columbus, Austin, the Bay Area, or New York City (opening Summer 2026), you’ll have the support to work in the way that works best for you. If you’re energized by tackling meaningful problems, excited to innovate with purpose, and motivated by work that truly matters, we’d love to hear from you. The Team Machine Learning is at the heart of Upstart’s business model, our models are the product. Our team includes research scientists, data scientists, and machine learning engineers who build and improve production models and the systems around them across the funnel: underwriting and pricing, fraud detection, performance marketing, loan servicing and fair lending/explainability. We tackle high‑impact problems, from underwriting and pricing to monitoring and fairness, where creativity, rigor, and strong engineering directly move the business. The Role As a Research Scientist Intern, you will work on real-world applied machine learning problems and contribute to the development of business-critical models. You will prototype new features/architectures, present your findings to the team and write production code to deploy your changes.You will receive mentorship from experienced ML practitioners and collaborate closely with ML scientists to improve our models. How you’ll make an impact Research, develop and deploy new features/architectures/models. Write production-grade code, i.e. tested, reviewed and scalable Python. Communicate findings clearly to get buy-in for recommended next steps. Work with your mentor to align stakeholders, and drive next steps. Minimum Qualifications Bachelor (or above) degree in Statistics, Mathematics, Economics, Finance, Computer Science or a related quantitative field. We require that you are on track to graduate by the summer of 2027. Proficiency in a broad array of mathematical, statistical, and machine learning skills. Programming skills in Python Strong sense of intellectual curiosity, humility, drive and teamwork, as well as communication skills. Ability to use modern agentic tooling (Claude Code, Codex, …) efficiently. Preferred Qualifications Phd in Statistics, Mathematics, Economics, Finance, Computer Science or a related quantitative field. We require that you are on track to graduate by the summer of 2027. Specialized research in statistical/probabilistic modeling or machine learning. OR specialized training (e.g. data science bootcamp) in all steps of the modeling process from ideation to productionalizing code. Excellent coding skills in Python. Position location This role is available in the following locations: Remote Travel requirements As a digital first company, the majority of your work can be accompli ... (truncated, view full listing at source)