Loon · 4 hours ago
2026 PhD Residency, Machine Learning Explainability (Tapestry)
Mountain View, CA
Full-time
Onsite
New Grad
$109K/yr - $150K/yrLoon's Tapestry is a project focused on integrating AI with energy systems to create advanced analytical tools for the electric grid. The PhD Resident will research and develop explainability approaches for complex decision-making systems, improving transparency and usability in electric grid operations.
AerospaceInformation ServicesInternetTelecommunicationsTravel
Responsibilities
Research and prototype explainability approaches for complex optimization and decision-making systems in the electric grid
Apply LLMs to generate natural-language explanations of model outputs, constraints, and tradeoffs
Explore reasoning over graph-structured data (e.g., power grids) to produce grounded, faithful explanations
Investigate methods to detect and explain incorrect or anomalous network model inputs in natural language
Translate academic research into practical feasibility demonstrations using real or simulated grid data
Collaborate with machine learning researchers and power systems experts to refine approaches and evaluation methods
Clearly document findings and communicate insights to inform future research and product directions
Qualification
Required
Currently enrolled in a PhD program in Machine Learning, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or a related field
Strong research experience in machine learning or deep learning
Hands-on experience with LLMs, transformer-based models, or graph neural networks
Strong programming skills in Python and experience with frameworks such as PyTorch or JAX
Ability to reason about complex systems and communicate technical concepts clearly
Interest in applying AI to high-impact, real-world infrastructure challenges
Preferred
Experience with optimization, convex optimization, or decision-making systems
Familiarity with power systems, energy modeling, or networked physical systems
Prior work in explainability, interpretability, or human-centered AI
Publications in ML or AI venues (e.g., NeurIPS, ICML, ICLR)
Experience working on applied research projects in industry or startup environments
Benefits
Medical, dental, and vision coverage
Competitive residency stipend and housing relocation support for the duration of the program.
Direct mentorship from industry-leading research scientists and engineers.
Opportunity to work on "moonshot" problems with access to Alphabet-scale compute and resources.
Company
Loon
Loon is a network of high altitude balloons used to provide stable internet coverage on the ground. It is a sub-organization of Alphabet.
Founded in 2011
51-200 employees
H1B Sponsorship
Loon 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
2021 (9)
2020 (12)
Funding
Current Stage
Growth StageTotal Funding
$125MKey Investors
HAPSMobile
2019-04-25Undisclosed· $125M
Recent News
2025-10-31
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