AI Research Scientist II (Intern) United States

Please note this posting is to advertise potential job opportunities. This exact role may not be open today but could open in the near future. When you apply, a Cisco representative may contact you directly if a relevant position opens. Applications are accepted until further notice. Meet the Team Join a collaborative team of researchers and engineers dedicated to unlocking insights from substantial volumes of structured, unstructured, transactional, and real-time data. Together, we analyze diverse data sources to understand customer usage patterns and deliver actionable, impactful insights using advanced metrics, algorithms, and statistical techniques. Your Impact As an AI Research Intern, you will drive innovation by contributing to sophisticated research in large language models (LLMs), natural language processing (NLP), and multimodal deep learning. You will work alongside senior researchers and cross-functional teams to bridge the gap between theoretical research and scalable AI applications, transforming raw data into strategic insights that advance the field of AI at Cisco. Design and Execute Experiments: Develop, implement, and evaluate state-of-the-art machine learning models and algorithms, focusing on performance, scalability, and accuracy. Advanced Model Development: Participate in the full research lifecycle, including data preprocessing, architectural design, and the fine-tuning of AI models for diverse enterprise applications. Collaborative Research: Support strategic initiatives by comparing algorithms, tuning hyperparameters, and documenting findings for internal reports and potential academic publications. Knowledge Sharing: Present research results to technical and non-technical stakeholders, contributing to the team’s collective expertise and helping to identify new business opportunities. Minimum Qualifications Currently enrolled in an undergraduate degree program with 2 years of relevant experience, or currently enrolled in a graduate degree program with 0 years of relevant experience. Relevant fields include: Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Data Science, Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence, Statistics, Mathematics, Software Engineering, or a related program. Proficiency in software development, with strong experience in Python and familiarity with other languages such as Go or C++. Demonstrated ability to analyze and interpret complex datasets using advanced statistical methods and data analysis libraries (e.g., pandas, NumPy, SciPy). Preferred Qualifications Experience training and optimizing Large Language Models (LLMs)—including modeling, fine-tuning (SFT/RLHF), and quantization—using frameworks like PyTorch, TensorFlow, or Hugging Face Transformers. Experience working with high-performance inference engines (e.g., vLLM, NVIDIA Triton, TorchServe) for efficient LLM serving. Familiarity with agentic AI concepts, multi-agent frameworks, and the development of autonomous AI workflows. Familiarity with containerization (Docker, Kubernetes) and cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, or Azure) for scaling and deploying distributed AI models. Deep understanding of deep learning architectures (Transformers, CNNs, RNNs) and NLP concepts, ideally evidenced by advanced academic projects, previous internships, or contributions to research papers. ProductIntern26 Why Cisco? At Cisco, we’re revolutionizing how data and infrastructure connect and protect organizations in the AI era – and beyond. We’ve been innovating fearlessly for 40 years to create solutions that power how humans and technology work together across the physical and digital worlds. These solutions provide customers with unparalleled security, visibility, and insights across the entire digital footprint. Fueled by the depth and breadth of our technology, we experiment and create meaningful solutions. Add to that our worldwide network of doers and experts, and you’ll see that the opportunities to grow and build are limitless. We work as a team, c ... (truncated, view full listing at source)