PhD Scientist Intern - US

We’re looking for PhD candidates to work with the Earner Online Experience Team as a Scientist intern during summer 2026 (12 weeks). As an intern, you will be embedded in a product team working on solving real-world Uber problems under the supervision of a scientist on that team, and will have the opportunity to partner closely with Scientists, Software Engineers, Product Managers, and other cross functional partners.

About the Role

Have you ever ordered a car service on Uber, and when the ride arrives, wondered how it got to you so fast? Ever ordered food on UberEats and wondered where the driver was before receiving your order and how long it took to get to the restaurant or if your order was ready when the courier arrived? Ever wondered why your grocery delivery from Uber always has the best apple picked? If so, Uber is for you. In our Sciences division, we strive to make magic within Uber’s marketplace. This requires judgment to make difficult trade-offs, blending algorithms with human resourcefulness, and the ability to build simplicity from complexity. When we get the balance right for everyone, Uber magic happens. We build systems to peer into the future to craft the most cost-efficient marketplace for matching supply and demand. We are passionate about using innovative economics, machine learning, and scalable distributed software that automates and optimizes every aspect of this intricate dance between participants of the marketplace.

We are involved in every stage of the product development cycle and use data to inform product decisions, build models to power our solutions, and also develop platform tools that are used across teams with a primary focus on Mobility and Delivery. We work with millions of earners across the globe to make this magic happen and want you to join us!

About the Team

Earner Online Experience: Our team owns the Earner (driver and courier) online experience, from the moment just before the driver goes online to the moment just after the driver goes offline. The team charter encompasses supply management, decision making while on the job, and the actual end-to-end trip or delivery experience. We work closely with various Marketplace Teams to understand how products affect earner behavior and how earners actions in turn affect the broader marketplace of millions of earners, riders, and Eaters worldwide.

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
• Work with engineers and product managers to turn prototypes into scalable solutions
• Present findings to leaders to inform decisions
• Establish standard methodologies for science such as modeling, coding, analytics, optimization, and experimentation
• Conduct experiments to drive business decisions

Basic Qualifications

• Pursuing a Ph.D. majoring in Economics, Operations Research, Statistics, Machine Learning, or other related quantitative fields
• Candidates should have at least one semester/quarter left of their education after finishing the internship
• Strong problem solving and analytical abilities

Preferred Qualifications

• Coding proficiency in areas such as Python, Spark, and SQL
• Knowledge of underlying mathematical foundations of statistics (including causal inference), machine learning, optimization, stochastic processes, economics, and analytics
• Background in data visualization via open-source libraries/packages or third-party tools (i.e. Tableau, Mixpanel, Looker, or similar)
• Experience in the following areas: Exploratory Data Analysis, Statistical Analysis, Model Development, Operations Management, Revenue Management and Pricing, Advertising, Experimental Design, Assortment Planning, Transportation
• 0-2 years of prior work experience in an analytical setting
• Organized, detail oriented and able to work independently on multiple projects at once
• Ability to communicate effectively with both technical and business partners
• Open to feedback, excellent at implementing newly learned ideas and concepts
• Research mentality with a bias towards action to structure a project from idea to experimentation to prototype to implementation
• Independence, self-starter mindset, excellent communication, and outstanding follow-through - you energetically tackle your work and love the responsibility of being individually empowered

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

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.