SAP iXp Intern - AI Research PhD Associate

We help the world run better. At SAP, you bring your best, and we’ll bring out the best in you. Join a team shaping the future of over 20 industries and 80% of global commerce. The work is challenging—but it matters.

About the role

The SAP Internship Experience Program is SAP’s global, strategic, paid internship program that provides university students with opportunities to find purpose in their careers. This is more than an internship—it’s the foundation for a career built on connection, creativity, and impact.

As a PhD Intern, you will work with a team of experienced researchers and data scientists to tackle challenges posed by SAP customers and product units. You’ll have the chance to work with some of the richest datasets in the world, addressing real-world problems.

• Perform state-of-the-art research to advance the performance of agents in enterprise environments.
• Choose from focus topics: Agentic AI systems development and evaluation, LLM fine-tuning and reinforcement learning, or synthetic data generation for enterprise environments.
• Publish research results and contribute to research that can be applied to SAP product development.
• Collaborate with academic researchers and cross-functional partners, including communicating research plans, progress, and results.

Location: Palo Alto/Seattle
Expected Start Date: September 2026
Contract Duration: 6 months (minimum 4 months)
Work Hours: Full-time, 40 hours per week

Requirements

• PhD student (at least in your second year) or PostDoc specializing in Agentic AI systems or scalable synthetic data generation for agents.
• Strong foundation in AI, including building agentic AI systems, LLM and agent evaluation, LLM fine-tuning and reinforcement learning, and synthetic data generation.
• Strong publication record in recognized ML/NLP conferences or journals such as ACL, EMNLP, ICLR, ICML, or NeurIPS.
• Proficient in LangGraph or another agentic system development framework, with a good understanding of agent evaluation and best practices.
• Fluent in English.

Benefits

• Culture of collaboration with experienced SAP colleagues and expert mentors supporting your growth.
• Project-driven experience with hands-on learning, making an impact from day one.
• Endless learning resources, including virtual, in-person, and hybrid sessions tailored to you.
• Gain visibility by building relationships with leaders and peers across teams and functions.
• Opportunities to showcase your ideas, skills, and creativity in a global, fast-paced environment.

Be part of SAP Next Gen, a global community for students, universities, and educational partners passionate about innovation and technology.

Pay

The hourly base salary range for this position is $15.00 - $62.00. The actual amount offered will depend on education, skills, experience, scope of the role, and location. SAP offers limited benefits for employees in hourly roles, subject to applicable plan/policy terms.