Summer 2026

AI Research Scientist PhD Intern

Posted on 6/18/2026

Deadline 6/23/26
Cisco

Cisco

10,001+ employees

Networking hardware, security software, collaboration services

Compensation Overview

$21.15 - $62.50/hr

+ Bonus + Equity Grants

Milpitas, CA, USA + 4 more

More locations: San Francisco, CA, USA | San Jose, CA, USA | Hartford, CT, USA | New York, NY, USA

In Person

Category
AI & Machine Learning (1)
Required Skills
LLM
Python
Tensorflow
Pytorch
Requirements
  • Currently enrolled in a PhD program in Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, or a related field.
  • Strong understanding of machine learning, deep learning, and natural language processing concepts, validated through academic, project, or professional work.
  • Experience training large language models (LLMs)—including modeling, optimization, fine-tuning, and serving—using Python and common AI libraries (e.g., TensorFlow, PyTorch, Hugging Face Transformers), evidenced through academic, project, or professional work.
Responsibilities
  • contribute to sophisticated research in large language models (LLMs), natural language processing (NLP), and multimodal deep learning.
  • Work with senior researchers and cross-functional teams to help build, implement, and evaluate machine learning models and algorithms.
  • Participate in data collection, preprocessing, and analysis, and assist in developing and fine-tuning AI models for a variety of applications.
  • Your expertise in data manipulation, model building, and database design will help transform raw data into important insights.
  • continue to develop your skills with the latest tools and frameworks.
  • support research initiatives by creating experiments, comparing algorithms, tuning hyperparameters, and documenting results.
  • share findings with the team, contribute to reports and presentations, and help onboard new team members.
  • Through collaboration and ongoing learning, your work will help identify business and research opportunities, drive strategic decisions, and advance the field of AI at Cisco.
Desired Qualifications
  • Familiarity with agentic AI concepts, agent frameworks, and related applications.
  • Proficiency in software development, with experience in relevant programming languages (such as Python and Go) and associated tools.
  • Experience working with inference engines (e.g., vLLM, Triton, TorchServe) for LLM serving and optimization.
  • Familiarity with containerization and cloud platforms (such as Docker and AWS), as well as distributed systems for scaling and deploying AI models.

Cisco designs and sells networking hardware, software, and services that help organizations connect, protect, and manage data. Its products include networking gear, security solutions, cloud services, and collaboration tools like Webex to support hybrid work. Cisco differentiates itself with a broad, integrated stack—routing and switching, security, cloud, and collaboration—that works together at scale. Its goal is to help customers securely connect people, devices, and applications, enabling reliable communication and digital transformation across enterprises of all sizes.

Company Size

10,001+

Company Stage

IPO

Headquarters

San Jose, California

Founded

1984

Your Connections

People at Cisco who can refer or advise you

Simplify Jobs

Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

  • Unified operations can reduce enterprise complexity across Cisco's installed base.[3]
  • AI and security bundles support higher-value software and services upsell opportunities.[1][3]
  • Open integration with AWS, Microsoft, and Google Cloud broadens enterprise adoption paths.[8][9]

What critics are saying

  • Hyperscaler-native control planes can commoditize Cisco's management layer and weaken pricing power.[8][9]
  • Competitors offering similar AI infrastructure stacks can dilute Cisco's Secure AI Factory differentiation.[3]
  • Cisco's security reputation suffers if AI-assisted scanning keeps exposing vulnerabilities faster than remediation.[1][2]

What makes Cisco unique

  • Cisco Cloud Control unifies networking, security, compute, observability, and collaboration.[3]
  • Its open, federated architecture shares identity, tenancy, authorization, assets, topology, telemetry.[8]
  • Security Cloud Control centralizes management with AI-driven threat detection and real-time visibility.[1][2]

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Benefits

Paid Vacation

Hybrid Work Options

Flexible Work Hours

Professional Development Budget

Growth & Insights and Company News

Headcount

6 month growth

1%

1 year growth

1%

2 year growth

1%
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