2026 Summer Internship, Research Scientist - PhD (London) at Spotify

London, England, United Kingdom

Spotify Logo
Not SpecifiedCompensation
InternshipExperience Level
InternshipJob Type
UnknownVisa
Technology, Music StreamingIndustries

Requirements

  • Pursuing a PhD in Computer Science, Information Science, Data Science, Statistics, or related areas with a strong computational focus
  • Strong preference for a graduation year date of 2026 or 2027
  • Currently have valid work authorization to work in the country in which this role is based that will extend from June to September 2026
  • Available from June 15th onwards for a 10 or 12 week summer internship
  • Publications in communities such as NeurIPS, ICML, ICLR, AAAI, RecSys, The Web Conference, ACL, SIGIR, WSDM, KDD, or related venues (preferred)
  • Creative problem-solver who is passionate about digging into complex problems and devising innovative ways to reach results (preferred)
  • Experience with the complexities of modeling and analyzing real-world data (preferred)

Responsibilities

  • Be part of an interdisciplinary team focused on making every user interaction with Spotify amazing through personalization and discovery, pushing innovation, and contributing to the wider research community by publishing papers
  • Apply scientific knowledge to application-oriented problems in artificial intelligence, machine learning, foundational modelling, probabilistic modelling, search and recommendation, combining insights from your expertise with those of the diverse team
  • Be a valued member of an autonomous, multi-functional team working in collaboration with other scientists, engineers, product managers, designers, user researchers, and analysts across Spotify to design creative solutions to challenging problems
  • Help to develop thoughtful, efficient, and intuitive new ways to search, explore, and discover music, podcasts, and audiobooks

Skills

Key technologies and capabilities for this role

Artificial IntelligenceMachine LearningGenerative AILarge Language ModelsRecommender SystemsInformation RetrievalProbabilistic Modelling

Questions & Answers

Common questions about this position

Is this internship paid?

Yes, this is a paid internship program.

What is the duration and timing of the internship?

The summer internship lasts for approximately 10 or 12 weeks and starts in the middle of June, with availability required from June 15th onwards.

What skills and background are required for this Research Scientist internship?

Candidates must be pursuing a PhD in Computer Science, Information Science, Data Science, Statistics, or related areas with a strong computational focus, with valid work authorization in the role's country, and availability for the summer dates. Preferred qualifications include publications in top conferences like NeurIPS, ICML, ICLR, and experience with real-world data modeling.

What is the team environment like at Spotify for this role?

You'll be part of an interdisciplinary, autonomous, multi-functional team collaborating with scientists, engineers, product managers, designers, user researchers, and analysts, focused on personalization, discovery, and innovation.

What makes a strong candidate for this internship?

Strong candidates are PhD students graduating in 2026 or 2027 with publications in top AI/ML conferences, a passion for creative problem-solving, and experience handling real-world data complexities.

Spotify

Digital music streaming service with podcasts

About Spotify

Spotify provides a digital music streaming service that allows users to access millions of songs and podcasts from various artists and creators. Users can choose between a free plan, which includes advertisements, and a premium subscription that offers an ad-free experience along with features like offline listening and higher sound quality. This tiered model caters to different user preferences and budgets. Spotify generates revenue through subscription fees from premium users and advertising from the free tier. Unlike its competitors, Spotify stands out with its extensive music library, user-friendly interface, and personalized playlists. The company's goal is to connect listeners with a wide range of audio content while supporting artists and advertisers.

Stockholms kommun, SwedenHeadquarters
2006Year Founded
$2,004.2MTotal Funding
IPOCompany Stage
Consumer Software, EntertainmentIndustries
10,001+Employees

Benefits

Extensive learning opportunities, through our dedicated team, GreenHouse
Global parental leave, six months off - fully paid - for all new parents
Flexible public holidays, swap days off according to your values and beliefs
Flexible share incentives letting you choose how you share in our success
All The Feels, our employee assistance program and self-care hub
Spotify On Tour, join your colleagues on trips to industry festivals and events

Risks

Accidental display of adult content may harm Spotify's reputation.
Creating its own music to avoid royalties could lead to legal issues.
Layoffs may affect Spotify's operational efficiency and employee morale.

Differentiation

Spotify offers a vast library of music and podcasts globally.
The platform's user-friendly interface enhances user experience and engagement.
Spotify's personalized playlists cater to individual user preferences.

Upsides

Spotify's AI-powered Wrapped feature enhances user engagement and personalization.
Expansion into political podcasting taps into new audience segments.
Growing podcast popularity in Africa presents expansion opportunities for Spotify.

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