Internship Opportunity: Using a Novel Optical, Analog Computing Platform to Accelerate Optimization Problems Cambridge, East of England, England
Microsoft
Full Time
Cambridge, East of England, England
10.56 - 12.04 GBP Today
Job description
At Microsoft Research Cambridge, our scientists and engineers undertake world-leading, ambitious projects to transform the world through deep research. Our lab has contributed to many of Microsoft’s most successful products, services, and partnerships.
The Cloud Systems Futures team is a highly cross-disciplinary group of researchers and engineers with diverse expertise across computer science, optical sciences, image processing and engineering. We partner closely with product teams across Microsoft to tackle the big and open challenges of next-generation cloud infrastructure. We create new technologies and develop partnerships with leading academic groups across the world.
During this internship you will work with the researchers in Project AIM. Additionally, as an intern you will be part of the larger internship programme at Microsoft Research, Cambridge.
Responsibilities
You will be responsible for designing optimization algorithms that build upon the group’s work on the Analog Iterative Machine (AIM) algorithm and showcase how real-world optimization problems from specific verticals can be efficiently mapped and solved given the abstraction it offers. We have prototypical problems from a few verticals; for example, a promising optimization problem from healthcare is the reconstruction of images from Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) raw data. Using existing datasets, as well as techniques for creating synthetic datasets, you will need to formulate the process of recovering the image from the raw data as an optimization problem that adheres to the QUMO abstraction supported by AIM. You will evaluate the quality of the reconstruction and compare it with state-of-the-art alternatives. You will explore alternative formulations to identify the trade-offs between reconstruction quality, computational cost, and size of the input data set. You will work with the rest of the AIM team to identify algorithmic extensions to AIM that could benefit the reconstruction process.
In this role, you will be required to excel in a highly multidisciplinary team environment. While your primary focus during this internship will be on working with a software emulation of the physical solver, effective communication of your findings to the broader team is crucial. This will involve identifying desirable features in the AIM hardware that could enhance the target application, as well as recognizing hardware limitations that inform the design of the algorithm.
Qualifications
Required/Minimum Qualifications:
The candidate should be studying towards a Ph.D. in Physics, Mathematics, Computer Science, or related areas.
The successful candidate must be skilled and bring a strong background in the following areas:
- Physics-inspired optimization.
- Computer Programming; we are using the Julia programming language, but any similar language (e.g., Python, Java, C#/F#) should suffice.
Other Requirements:
Besides the core competencies above, a successful candidate would have many of the following desirable experiences and capabilities:
At least 1-3 years’ experience in designing and evaluating optimization algorithms for hard-optimization problems.- Strong programming skills in a modern language;
- Understanding of mathematical programming.
- Good presentation and communication skills.
- Good organizational skills, capable of managing multiple simultaneous tasks effectively.
- Experience applying Computational Thinking techniques to solve problems in experimental science and/or obtaining reproducible results through algorithms and automation.
Preferred/Additional Qualifications:
Knowledge/experience in the following domains:
- Medical imaging and MRI reconstruction.
- Financial optimization
Microsoft is an equal opportunity employer. Consistent with applicable law, all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, citizenship, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, immigration status, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran or military status, race, ethnicity, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable local laws, regulations and ordinances. If you need assistance and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application process, read more about requesting accommodations.
Microsoft
https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/
Redmond, United States
Satya Nadella
$10+ billion (USD)
10000+ Employees
Company - Public
Computer Hardware Development
1975
