Mercor · 4 weeks ago
Research Engineer Intern
San Francisco
Internship
Onsite
Intern
$1,000/mo - $1,000/mo
Start in 2026Mercor is a profitable Series C company at the intersection of labor markets and AI research, partnering with leading AI labs and enterprises. As a Research Engineer Intern, you will contribute to AI development by working on post-training and RLVR workflows, data generation, and enhancing model performance through algorithmic improvements and data quality enhancements.
Artificial Intelligence (AI)Data Collection and LabelingEmploymentMachine LearningRecruitingSoftware
Responsibilities
Work on post-training and RLVR pipelines to help Mercor understand how datasets impact model performance
Design and run reward-shaping experiments and algorithmic improvements (e.g., GRPO, DAPO) to improve LLM tool-use, agentic behavior, and real-world reasoning
Quantify data usability, quality, and uplift on key benchmarks
Build data generation and augmentation pipelines that scale with training needs
Create and refine rubrics, evaluators, and scoring frameworks that push the boundaries of what LLMs can learn
Collaborate closely with research engineers, applied AI teams, and experts producing data
Operate in a fast-paced, experimental research environment with rapid iteration cycles
Qualification
Required
Pursuing a degree in Computer Science or a related field (graduating 2025–2027); ability to start in early 2026 is strongly preferred
Strong programming skills in Python, Go, or JavaScript, with an ability to write clean, reliable, production-grade code
Understanding of data structures, algorithms, backend systems, and core engineering fundamentals
Familiarity with APIs, SQL/NoSQL databases, and cloud platforms
Curiosity and passion for AI research, reinforcement learning, and fast-moving startups
Excitement to work in person and thrive in a high-intensity, high-ownership engineering environment
Preferred
Real-world post-training team experience in industry
Work samples, artifacts, or code repositories demonstrating relevant skills
Publications at ACL, NeurIPS, or ICML conferences
Experience training models or evaluating model performance
Benefits
Competitive internship stipend.
Mentorship from experienced engineers.
Work on real, high-impact projects.
$1K monthly stipend for meals
Free Equinox membership
Team events and offsites.
Potential full-time return offer.
Company
Mercor
Mercor is an AI-based hiring platform that improves the recruitment process by matching talent with opportunities tailored to their skills.
Founded in 2023
51-200 employees
H1B Sponsorship
Mercor has a track record of offering H1B sponsorships. Please note that this does not
guarantee sponsorship for this specific role. Below presents additional info for your
reference. (Data Powered by US Department of Labor)
Distribution of Different Job Fields Receiving Sponsorship
Represents job field similar to this job
Trends of Total Sponsorships
2025 (7)
Funding
Current Stage
Growth StageTotal Funding
$483.6MKey Investors
FelicisBenchmarkGeneral Catalyst
2025-10-27Series C· $350M
2025-02-20Series B· $100M
2024-09-19Series A· $30M
Leadership Team
Adarsh Hiremath
Co-Founder / CTO
Recent News
General Catalyst
2026-01-13
2026-01-05
Company data provided by crunchbase