Notre Dame Dublin has reinvigorated their partnership with IBM Ireland through a new Joint Study Agreement. Over the 2024 summer session, IBM Ireland hosted the first two PhD students on the IBM Graduate Fellows Program, a 10-week research experience for Notre Dame PhD students in STEM disciplines. The fellowship, administered through the Irish Internship Program, is aimed at doctoral candidates in their third or fourth year, studying Computer Science and Engineering, Applied and Computational Mathematics and Statistics (ACMS), Math, or Physics.

PhD students are nominated to the program by their supervisors, giving them the opportunity to conduct research at IBM Ireland, IBM’s only European Research Lab. Selected candidates will collaborate with IBM’s world-class scientists and engineers and contribute to cutting-edge research projects in key areas, including assessing risks and threats associated with Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) and applications of AI/ML in real-world contexts, particularly in the healthcare domain.

About IBM’s European Research Lab

With a focus on sustainable technology solutions, IBM's research labs around the world play a key role in transforming industries and shaping the future of technology. IBM’s European Research Lab in Dublin focuses on areas such as artificial intelligence, healthcare and life sciences, quantum computing, and cloud computing. As a global leader in technology research and development, IBM is committed to fostering the next generation of researchers, scientists, technologists, engineers, designers, and thinkers inventing what’s next in computing.

Eligibility and Nomination Process

Notre Dame PhD students interested in the IBM Graduate Fellows program should contact their PhD supervisor. If deemed a suitable candidate, supervisors can email a letter of recommendation, along with their graduate student's CV to Maggie Arriola Fagan (marriola@nd.edu), associate director for partnerships and engagement at Notre Dame Dublin, who will provide guidance and support through the application process. Details on available research projects and application procedures will be made available in November 2024 for the 2025 summer session.

There is no single ideal research intern profile. Interns are expected to be generally curious, self-starting and good communicators. Previous AI/ML knowledge is essential for all projects. Typical common skills of a successful research intern at IBM include software development (Python) skills and statistics knowledge to perform data preparation and analysis tasks relatively independently. Depending on the individual project, additional useful skills may include familiarity with a deep learning framework, applied knowledge of Large Language Models (LLMs) and Natural Language Processing (NLP), statistics, machine learning, data science, data visualization, UI and UX Design, AI foundation models, and graphical neural networks.

Originally published by Margaret Arriola at dublin.nd.edu on October 04, 2024.