Machine Learning Engineer PhD Intern

Overview

PayPal has been revolutionizing commerce globally for more than 25 years. Creating innovative experiences that make moving money, selling, and shopping simple, personalized, and secure, PayPal empowers consumers and businesses in approximately 200 markets to join and thrive in the global economy.

We operate a global, two-sided network at scale that connects hundreds of millions of merchants and consumers. We help merchants and consumers connect, transact, and complete payments, whether they are online or in person. PayPal is more than a connection to third-party payment networks. We provide proprietary payment solutions accepted by merchants that enable the completion of payments on our platform on behalf of our customers.

We offer our customers the flexibility to use their accounts to purchase and receive payments for goods and services, as well as the ability to transfer and withdraw funds. We enable consumers to exchange funds more safely with merchants using a variety of funding sources, which may include a bank account, a PayPal or Venmo account balance, PayPal and Venmo branded credit products, a credit card, a debit card, certain cryptocurrencies, or other stored value products such as gift cards, and eligible credit card rewards. Our PayPal, Venmo, and Xoom products also make it safer and simpler for friends and family to transfer funds to each other. We offer merchants an end-to-end payments solution that provides authorization and settlement capabilities, as well as instant access to funds and payouts. We also help merchants connect with their customers, process exchanges and returns, and manage risk. We enable consumers to engage in cross-border shopping and merchants to extend their global reach while reducing the complexity and friction involved in enabling cross-border trade.

Our beliefs are the foundation for how we conduct business every day. We live each day guided by our core values of Inclusion, Innovation, Collaboration, and Wellness. Together, our values ensure that we work together as one global team with our customers at the center of everything we do – and they push us to ensure we take care of ourselves, each other, and our communities.

Job Description Summary:
What You’ll Do As a Ph.D. Research Intern, you will: Collaborate with PayPal’s Applied Research and AI Science teams on high-impact projects in areas such as: Machine Learning & Deep Learning Natural Language Processing Generative AI Trust, Fraud, and Risk Modeling Apply advanced research methodologies to real-world challenges at scale. Conduct literature reviews, prototype novel solutions, and contribute to internal or external publications. Work alongside industry researchers and engineers to transition ideas from concept to application. Present findings through presentations, whitepapers, or internal demos.

Job Description:
What We’re Looking For
Minimum Qualifications:

• Currently enrolled in a Ph.D. program in Computer Science, AI/ML, Data Science, or a related field.
• Deep technical understanding in machine learning algorithms, optimization, and statistical modeling.
• Strong publication or research track record in top-tier conferences (NeurIPS, ICML, ACL, CVPR, etc.).
• Solid coding proficiency in Python, along with experience in frameworks like PyTorch, TensorFlow, or JAX.
• Ability to design, execute, and interpret experiments with scientific rigor.
  
  
  

• Demonstrated ability to connect theoretical research to practical business or product outcomes.
• Experience handling large-scale datasets or distributed training pipelines.
• Strong communication and presentation skills ability to explain complex ideas simply
  
  
  

• Exposure to real-world AI challenges at global scale.
• Mentorship from leading PayPal researchers and data scientists.
• Opportunity to co-author publications or contribute to patent filings.
  
  
  

PayPal is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity of thought and background and are committed to building an inclusive, research-driven culture that values curiosity, transparency, and collaboration.

PayPal does not charge candidates any fees for courses, applications, resume reviews, interviews, background checks, or onboarding. Any such request is a red flag and likely part of a scam. To learn more about how to identify and avoid recruitment fraud please visit https://careers.pypl.com/contact-us.

For the majority of employees, PayPal's balanced hybrid work model offers 3 days in the office for effective in-person collaboration and 2 days at your choice of either the PayPal office or your home workspace, ensuring that you equally have the benefits and conveniences of both locations.

Our Benefits:

At PayPal, we’re committed to building an equitable and inclusive global economy. And we can’t do this without our most important asset-you. That’s why we offer benefits to help you thrive in every stage of life. We champion your financial, physical, and mental health by offering valuable benefits and resources to help you care for the whole you.

We have great benefits including a flexible work environment, employee shares options, health and life insurance and more. To learn more about our benefits please visit https://www.paypalbenefits.com

Who We Are:

To learn more about our culture and community visit https://about.pypl.com/who-we-are/default.aspx

Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion

PayPal provides equal employment opportunity (EEO) to all persons regardless of age, color, national origin, citizenship status, physical or mental disability, race, religion, creed, gender, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, genetic information, marital status, status with regard to public assistance, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law. In addition, PayPal will provide reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities. If you are unable to submit an application because of incompatible assistive technology or a disability, please contact us at paypalglobaltalentacquisition@paypal.com.

Belonging at PayPal:

Our employees are central to advancing our mission, and we strive to create an environment where everyone can do their best work with a sense of purpose and belonging. Belonging at PayPal means creating a workplace with a sense of acceptance and security where all employees feel included and valued. We are proud to have a diverse workforce reflective of the merchants, consumers, and communities that we serve, and we continue to take tangible actions to cultivate inclusivity and belonging at PayPal.

Any general requests for consideration of your skills, please Join our Talent Community.

We know the confidence gap and imposter syndrome can get in the way of meeting spectacular candidates. Please don’t hesitate to apply.

REQ ID R0130541