Applied Research Intern

ABOUT WEAVIATE Weaviate https://weaviate.io/ is an AI startup with open source and creativity at its core. Our AI-native vector database uses machine learning to create meaningful insights from unstructured data in a completely new way. Named one of Forbes’ Top 50 AI startups, and with over a million monthly downloads, Weaviate is quickly growing in popularity with developers and enterprises alike. Our team members work remotely across the globe with the flexibility to work from anywhere and at any time. Our people experience this as a massive benefit! Operating with a strong sense of ownership and collaboration, our teams prioritize results while empowering each individual to do their best work. Join us for the summer and work with some of the world’s brightest and kindest (!) database engineers on the planet to push the boundaries of vector and hybrid search, RAG, and recommendations even further. To get an impression of Weaviate under the hood, check out this Architectural Deep Dive from Co-Founder and CTO Etienne Dilocker https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sLJapXEPd4 at the CMU Database Group - ML⇄DB Seminar Series (2023). WHAT TO EXPECT - Paid, full-time internship at one of the most exciting companies in the database and AI space. - Post-internship career opportunities at Weaviate. - Make meaningful contributions that change how our users use Weaviate (see example project list below). - Work directly with experts in Databases, AI, IR, etc. - Low-level work possible: Weaviate’s core components (LSM stores, vector indexes, filtering and inverted indexes, networking, replication, etc.) are all written in-house - Work entirely remotely from anywhere in the world. - Participate in company off-site events during your internship (Note: There is no guarantee that an off-site event will happen during the course of the internship. If it does, you’re part of it). QUALIFICATIONS - Programming Languages: Experience with statically typed languages such as C/C++, Go, Rust, or similar. (Note that Weaviate is written in Go; prior Go experience is preferred but not strictly required) - Preferred Coursework: Database-related courses, Information-Retrieval-related courses, System Design, adv. Algos and Data structures - A strong sense of ownership of your work, ability to work independently - Kindness and excellent communication skills Eligibility for an internship: For U.S. Citizens in the U.S.: - You must have all necessary documentation to be legally employed in the United States (e.g. Social Security Number) before commencing the internship. For Foreign Students in the U.S.: - You must have a valid student visa (e.g. F-1) in place at the time of application. - You are responsible for securing the appropriate work authorization (e.g. CPT, OPT) prior to the start of your internship. This includes coordinating with your educational institution to obtain the necessary approvals and documentation. - Please note that employment is contingent upon receiving proper authorization, and you will be required to provide proof of work eligibility before commencing the internship. For All Other Countries: - You must have the right to work in the country you are currently living, including a residence title (visa or residence permit) if required. - You must have the required paperwork arranged in order to be able to start your employment (e.g. social security number, bank account, etc.) EXAMPLE PROJECTS Below is a list of example projects by their respective area. If you have your own project ideas that fit with the general theme of projects, please let us know. When applying, please specify your top 3 project preferences. STORAGE & NETWORKING - Improve Filter performance at scale (roaring bitmaps, inverted indexes, etc) - Design and implement new index types that can be used with various storage backends (NVMe, network disk, cloud storage) - Optimize hot-path code in the storage engine (Memory allocations and usage, Disk I/O, SIMD, etc.) - Use start-of-