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Research Scientist Intern, Synthetic Data for Computer Use Agents (PhD)

Pay
$7,650–12,667/month — pay source
**Public Compensation:** $7,650/month to $12,667/month + benefits **Industry:** Internet
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Work setting
Not stated
Employment
Not stated

Before you apply

New graduates
For current studentsJob title: Research Scientist Intern, Synthetic Data for Computer Use Agents (PhD)
Work authorization
Must already have the right to workMust obtain work authorization in the country of employment at the time of hire and maintain ongoing work authorization during employment

What you’ll work on

Full posting
  • Research methods for generating diverse, challenging RL tasks with reliable success checks

  • Develop ways to measure and control task difficulty

  • Evaluate agent performance and separate reasoning failures from task or environment problems

  • Build reproducible experiments and communicate findings and limitations

From the employer’s posting
Research methods for generating diverse, challenging reinforcement learning (RL) tasks with reliable success checks.
Develop ways to measure and control task difficulty.
Evaluate agent performance and distinguish reasoning failures from problems in tasks or environments.
Build reproducible experiments and communicate findings and limitations.

What you’ll bring

All qualifications

Core experience

  • Currently has, or is obtaining, a PhD in computer science or a related field
  • Must obtain work authorization in the country of employment at the time of hire
  • Proficiency in Python
  • Experience designing and implementing machine learning experiments

Preferred experience

  • Proficiency in HTML, TypeScript, Docker, SQL & AWS
  • Experience with language models, reinforcement learning, AI agents, automated planning, synthetic data, or evaluation methods
Qualification wording
Currently has, or is obtaining, a PhD in computer science or a related field
Must obtain work authorization in the country of employment at the time of hire and maintain ongoing work authorization during employment
Proficiency in Python
Experience designing and implementing machine learning experiments
9. Proficiency in HTML, TypeScript, Docker, SQL & AWS
10. Experience with language models, reinforcement learning, AI agents, automated planning, synthetic data, or evaluation methods
Education & alternatives
**Summary:** Our team builds synthetic data and simulation tools & infra to train AI agents that use computers to complete everyday tasks. We are looking for a PhD intern to research how to generate tasks that require stronger planning and reasoning, with an initial focus on planning and navigation workflows.The intern will design generation methods, build prototypes, and run experiments to understand which kinds of task difficulty help agents learn. The project combines research with practical engineering and offers an opportunity to contribute to training data for frontier models. **Required Skills:**
**Required Skills:** Research Scientist Intern, Synthetic Data for Computer Use Agents (PhD) Responsibilities: 1. Research methods for generating diverse, challenging reinforcement learning (RL) tasks with reliable success checks.
Minimum Qualifications: 5. Currently has, or is obtaining, a PhD in computer science or a related field 6. Proficiency in Python
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Posting record

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Actively hiringFirst seen by us 1 day ago, still listed, and not a repost of an earlier posting.

Status in our records
Live
First seen by us
Nov 8, 20261 day ago
Recorded sightings
2
Last seen by us
Nov 9, 2026

We found this posting on the National Labor Exchange. These dates show when we found the posting. Check the employer’s website to confirm it is still accepting applications.

How this job compares

Pay

$118K–$194K is typical

The middle half of what similar US postings state. This one doesn’t list pay.

From 3,819 postings in the last year. Stated ranges, not salaries paid.

Time since we first saw it

Day 1

Early. Similar jobs usually come down between day 7 and day 57.

At Meta, jobs usually come down by about day 8.

From 10,789 similar postings that came down, and 331 of Meta’s. Coming down is not always a hire.

Meta is hiring

901 open jobs

Open jobs by the week we first saw them, last 12 weeks.

  • Data Scientist hiring has slowed
  • Takes jobs down at a usual pace
Hiring record

See how this role fits your experience

Add your resume and we’ll mark which of these tools you already use, and point out anything in the posting that could rule you out.

  • Python
  • SQL
  • TypeScript
  • AWS
  • Docker
Where the posting names them
5. Currently has, or is obtaining, a PhD in computer science or a related field 6. Proficiency in Python 7. Experience designing and implementing machine learning experiments
Preferred Qualifications: 9. Proficiency in HTML, TypeScript, Docker, SQL & AWS 10. Experience with language models, reinforcement learning, AI agents, automated planning, synthetic data, or evaluation methods

Your next step

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About Meta

People
About 78,865 in 2025, up 6% from the year before.Annual report (SEC Form 10-K)
Company
Listed as META.
H-1B visas
3,530 approved for new hires in fiscal 2025.US Citizenship and Immigration Services
Layoff notices
Notices this year and last cover 3,792 people. The latest was filed May 22, 2026.State WARN notices

Demand for Data Scientist roles

New Data Scientist postings at the employers we follow are down 5% over the last 6 weeks compared with the 6 before.

Weekly new Data Scientist postings at the same employers, from the week of August 17 to the week of November 2. The fewest in a week was 1,408, the most 2,964, and the latest week had 2,139.
August 17Last week

Each bar is one week of new postings. The darkest bars are the last 6 weeks.

Counted from the hiring pages we’ve followed for at least five weeks, so employers we add don’t look like growth. Updated weekly.

About the role

We file this job under Data Scientist, by the work the posting describes.

Data scientists use statistics and models to answer harder questions, such as whether a change worked, what demand will look like next quarter, or which customers are likely to leave.

Postings usually ask for Python or R, SQL, statistics, experiment design and common machine learning methods.

Unlike an ML engineer, a data scientist's main output is often an analysis or a first model, not software running inside a product.

US government figures for data scientists

Median yearly pay, May 2025
$120,230
Expected change, 2025 to 2035
34.6% more jobsagainst 3.5% for all jobs

Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025) and Employment Projections (2025 to 2035). Occupation code 15-2051.

Job description

View original posting ↗

**Summary:** Our team builds synthetic data and simulation tools & infra to train AI agents that use computers to complete everyday tasks. We are looking for a PhD intern to research how to generate tasks that require stronger planning and reasoning, with an initial focus on planning and navigation workflows.The intern will design generation methods, build prototypes, and run experiments to understand which kinds of task difficulty help agents learn. The project combines research with practical engineering and offers an opportunity to contribute to training data for frontier models. **Required Skills:** Research Scientist Intern, Synthetic Data for Computer Use Agents (PhD) Responsibilities: 1. Research methods for generating diverse, challenging reinforcement learning (RL) tasks with reliable success checks. 2. Develop ways to measure and control task difficulty. 3. Evaluate agent performance and distinguish reasoning failures from problems in tasks or environments. 4. Build reproducible experiments and communicate findings and limitations. **Minimum Qualifications:** Minimum Qualifications: 5. Currently has, or is obtaining, a PhD in computer science or a related field 6. Proficiency in Python 7. Experience designing and implementing machine learning experiments 8. Must obtain work authorization in the country of employment at the time of hire and maintain ongoing work authorization during employment **Preferred Qualifications:** Preferred Qualifications: 9. Proficiency in HTML, TypeScript, Docker, SQL & AWS 10. Experience with language models, reinforcement learning, AI agents, automated planning, synthetic data, or evaluation methods 11. Intent to return to the degree program after the completion of the internship **Public Compensation:** $7,650/month to $12,667/month + benefits **Industry:** Internet **Equal Opportunity:** Meta is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action employer. We do not discriminate based upon race, religion, color, national origin, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, transgender status, sexual stereotypes, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, or other applicable legally protected characteristics. We also consider qualified applicants with criminal histories, consistent with applicable federal, state and local law. Meta participates in the E-Verify program in certain locations, as required by law. Please note that Meta may leverage artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies in connection with applications for employment. Meta is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for candidates with disabilities in our recruiting process. If you need any assistance or accommodations due to a disability, please let us know at accommodations-ext@meta.com.
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Pay
**Public Compensation:** $7,650/month to $12,667/month + benefits **Industry:** Internet
Location & working pattern

Menlo Park, CA

Working pattern and location restrictions need checking in the full posting.

Work authorization
7. Experience designing and implementing machine learning experiments 8. Must obtain work authorization in the country of employment at the time of hire and maintain ongoing work authorization during employment **Preferred Qualifications:**
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