Salesforce AI Residency Program: 12-Month Training Helps Launch Careers of AI Researchers and Engineers; Candidates Can Apply Through Jan. 3

6 min read

What the Program Is: The Big Picture

Salesforce is excited to announce its new AI Residency Program. We are inviting researchers and engineers to join our 12-month training program, designed to help launch their careers while serving as AI Residents at Salesforce AI Research.

About the Program

This research training program is intended to kickstart or further one's experience in AI research. Residents will gain valuable hands-on experience in basic and applied AI research, working closely with Salesforce researchers. As part of our team, you’ll learn unique skills, work with talented people, influence the industry standard for fair and ethical use of artificial intelligence, and help us shape the future of AI.

Our goal is to help propel residents’ careers forward to the next level.

  • For those recently graduated with an M.S. or Ph.D. degree, our AI Residency will give them world-class research experience that will prepare them to transition into positions as full-time AI researchers.

Responsibilities

While in the Program, AI Research Residents will be interns at Salesforce and expected to:

  • Participate in Salesforce AI Research projects and areas of interest

  • Spend at least 50% of their time at the Salesforce AI Research facility to work on research projects

  • Develop innovative techniques and solutions for real world, large scale problems

  • Publish high quality research papers at top-tier conferences or in leading journals.

About Salesforce AI Research

Salesforce AI Research is dedicated to pioneering innovation in artificial intelligence, deep learning, machine learning, natural language processing (NLP), and related fields. Our team is committed to collaborating with the wider research community; while our scientists have the opportunity to work directly on advancing technologies that customers use as part of the Einstein AI Platform, they may also focus exclusively on high-impact publications. We believe that making substantive progress on hard applications can drive and sharpen the research questions we study, and, in turn, scientific breakthroughs can spawn entirely new applications. With this in mind, the team maintains a portfolio of projects.

Who the Program is For: The Ideal Candidates

The Salesforce AI Residency Program will foster the careers of the next generation of AI researchers and applied engineers.

The Program is looking for:

  • Highly motivated individuals who are eager to learn and have a strong interest and passion for AI and machine learning research

  • Candidates who want to gain real-world experience working with leading AI researchers at Salesforce, so they will be fully prepared to excel in the “Big Leagues” of top AI research positions.

Eligibility requirements:

  • The ideal candidate has earned an advanced degree (M.S. or Ph.D.) -- or has equivalent experience -- in a STEM field such as Computer Science, Math, Statistics, Economics, Bioinformatics, Data Science, or a related field.

  • Candidates have ideally graduated from top local or global universities with excellent academic records.

  • While our main qualification is that the candidate has either a Master's (M.S.) degree or a Doctoral (Ph.D.) degree, and some type of STEM background, any grad date should be fine as long as they graduate before August 2022 and have completed their M.S. or Ph.D.

  • Candidates should have a passion for one or more of the following research areas: Artificial Intelligence, Deep Learning, Machine Learning, Natural Language Processing (NLP), Computer Vision, Big Data, Data Mining, and Business Analytics.

  • We also highly encourage candidates with non-traditional backgrounds and experiences to apply to our program.

Why You Should Apply: Our Unique Value Proposition

The Salesforce AI Residency Program will help prepare residents for (and propel them to) the next level in their careers. Here are four primary reasons why our Program is the perfect place to achieve this goal of accelerated career success:

Impact: You’ll Do Meaningful Work - and Publish It

As a Salesforce AI Resident, you will contribute to open-source projects, influence product development, and contribute to new AI research directions, innovative products, and applications. You will also have the opportunity to make your impact on meaningful research and share your findings with the academic community. Residents will be highly encouraged to submit work to top-tier conferences such as NeurIPS, ICLR, ICML, EMNLP, ACL, and many more.

Best of Both Worlds: Big Company and Small “Startup”

While Salesforce is a large enterprise (one of the world’s most successful companies), we’re proud to foster many qualities of a startup – especially on our AI Research team, since we’re a relatively small group. You’ll enjoy the benefits of a big company (resources, connections, global reputation) and a startup (personal attention, community, opportunity to stand out).

Outstanding in Your Field? You’ll Stand Out on Our Team

If you want to make your mark in AI, our AI Residency Program is for you. Here's why:

  • With our team’s smaller size, you can rise higher up in the ranks, and do so faster.

  • At other large tech companies that have hundreds of researchers, it's highly likely that your research area has already been explored, by one or more other researchers or groups. That’s much less likely to happen on our team.

You’ll Make Lasting Connections

Our Program is a great place to make lasting professional connections. During your residency at Salesforce AI Research, you’ll have the chance to collaborate and connect with fellow researchers, and our group is structured to encourage communication with any member of the team. For example, you can talk directly with an EVP or other members of our team leadership, something that’s harder to do at other large tech companies.

Where the Program is Based

Our Palo Alto office is the main hub for Salesforce AI Research, where we have cultivated a team of diverse backgrounds. Located in the heart of Silicon Valley, our office is at the center of innovation and in close proximity to the company’s San Francisco headquarters.

Depending on the state of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2022, we expect that the AI Residency will either be onsite in Palo Alto or remote.

When to Apply: Program Timeline

  • Application deadline: January 3, 2022 @ 5:00 PM Pacific Time
  • Interview period: January - February 2022
  • Notification of admission: March 2022
  • Cohort begins: August 2022

(Note: we reserve the right to adjust this timeline.)

How to Apply and Get More Information

Ready to launch your career as a Salesforce AI Resident? If you feel you meet the desired qualifications, we encourage you to apply today!

Interested and qualified candidates should start by visiting the AI Residency link on the Salesforce Careers page. Learn more about our AI Residency Program at:

https://www.salesforce.com/company/careers/university-recruiting/ai-residency.

Direct link to apply:

https://salesforce.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/External_Career_Site/job/California---Palo-Alto/AI-Research-Resident---Salesforce-Research_JR113780-2.

Additional questions? Please email us at airesidency@salesforce.com.


The Bottom Line

  • Salesforce is inviting researchers and engineers to apply for our new AI Residency Program, a 12-month training program designed to kickstart or further one's experience in AI research.

  • Residents will gain valuable hands-on experience in basic and applied AI research, working closely with Salesforce researchers.

  • Who should apply:

    • The ideal candidate has earned an advanced degree (M.S. or Ph.D.) -- or has equivalent experience -- in a STEM field such as Computer Science, Math, Statistics, Economics, Bioinformatics, Data Science, or a related field.

    • Candidates have ideally graduated from top local or global universities with excellent academic records.

    • While our main qualification is that the candidate has either a Master's (M.S.) degree or a Doctoral (Ph.D.) degree, and some type of STEM background, any grad date should be fine as long as they graduate before August 2022 and have completed their M.S. or Ph.D.

    • Candidates should have a passion for one or more of the following research areas: Artificial Intelligence, Deep Learning, Machine Learning, Natural Language Processing (NLP), Computer Vision, Big Data, Data Mining, and Business Analytics.

    • We also highly encourage candidates with non-traditional backgrounds and experiences to apply to our program.

  • Some of the Benefits of our Program:

    • You get to make an impact in AI, by doing meaningful work and publishing it.

    • Our team combines the advantages of a large company and a small startup.

    • It’s easier to carve your niche, get visibility for your work, and rise in the ranks at Salesforce AI Research, compared to other residency programs.

    • You’ll make lasting, meaningful connections with world-class AI researchers.

  • Upon completion of our Program, here’s what you can expect:

    • Your 12 months of AI research experience (and most likely some publications along the way) will greatly strengthen your portfolio when you apply for research positions.

    • High performers will be encouraged to interview for full-time positions.

  • Job Category: Intern. Full time. Job Location: Palo Alto, California, or remote.

  • Application deadline: candidates should apply by January 3 @ 5 PM PT

  • Ready to foster your future in AI and machine learning?


About the Author


Donald Rose is a Technical Writer at Salesforce AI Research. He works on writing and editing blog posts, video scripts, and media/PR material, as well as helping researchers transform their work into publications targeted to a popular (less technical) audience.