The Company

PayPal has been revolutionizing commerce globally for more than 25 years. Creating innovative experiences that make moving money, selling, and shopping simple, personalized, and secure, PayPal empowers consumers and businesses in approximately 200 markets to join and thrive in the global economy. 

We operate a global, two-sided network at scale that connects hundreds of millions of merchants and consumers. We help merchants and consumers connect, transact, and complete payments, whether they are online or in person. PayPal is more than a connection to third-party payment networks. We provide proprietary payment solutions accepted by merchants that enable the completion of payments on our platform on behalf of our customers.

We offer our customers the flexibility to use their accounts to purchase and receive payments for goods and services, as well as the ability to transfer and withdraw funds. We enable consumers to exchange funds more safely with merchants using a variety of funding sources, which may include a bank account, a PayPal or Venmo account balance, PayPal and Venmo branded credit products, a credit card, a debit card, certain cryptocurrencies, or other stored value products such as gift cards, and eligible credit card rewards.  Our PayPal, Venmo, and Xoom products also make it safer and simpler for friends and family to transfer funds to each other. We offer merchants an end-to-end payments solution that provides authorization and settlement capabilities, as well as instant access to funds and payouts. We also help merchants connect with their customers, process exchanges and returns, and manage risk. We enable consumers to engage in cross-border shopping and merchants to extend their global reach while reducing the complexity and friction involved in enabling cross-border trade. 

Our beliefs are the foundation for how we conduct business every day.  We live each day guided by our core values of Inclusion, Innovation, Collaboration, and Wellness. Together, our values ensure that we work together as one global team with our customers at the center of everything we do – and they push us to ensure we take care of ourselves, each other, and our communities.

Job Summary:

MLE PhD Intern plays a critical role in ensuring PayPal’s adherence to a complex and evolving landscape of local and global regulations. By leveraging advanced machine learning, cutting-edge research, and data-driven insights, we design innovative solutions that streamline compliance processes, strengthen risk mitigation, and empower PayPal to deliver a secure, trusted, and seamless financial experience worldwide.

Job Description:

Key Responsibilities:

• Gain hands-on experience working on real-world large language model (LLM) and machine learning projects within the domains of commerce, personalization, recommendation, and user behavior understanding.
• Assist in the fine-tuning, evaluation, and deployment of LLMs for tasks such as personalized recommendations, semantic search, and behavioral modeling.
• Collaborate with experienced engineers, data scientists, and product experts to translate business requirements into actionable LLM and ML-driven solutions.
• Analyze data, build prototypes, and explore new methodologies to improve the effectiveness of personalization and recommendation systems.
• Contribute to the development and documentation of LLM training pipelines and model evaluation frameworks, ensuring reproducibility and maintainability.
• Present findings and recommendations to stakeholders across the organization, highlighting the business impact of personalization and LLM applications.
• Network with talented professionals and gain valuable insights into the world of financial technology, personalization, and applied machine learning.

Basic Requirements:

• Strong understanding of machine learning concepts, algorithms, and techniques (e.g., supervised learning, unsupervised learning, deep learning).
• Familiarity with large language models (e.g., GPT, LLaMA, Mistral) and techniques for fine-tuning, prompt engineering, or embeddings-based retrieval.
• Proven ability to work with Python, libraries like NumPy, Pandas, Scikit-learn, TensorFlow, PyTorch, and Hugging Face Transformers.
• Experience with data analysis, cleaning, and wrangling.
• Excellent communication, collaboration, and problem-solving skills.
• A passion for learning and exploring new technologies.
• Highly motivated and proactive with a strong work ethic.

Basic Requirements 

• Currently pursuing a PhD in Computer Science, Machine Learning, Statistics, or a related field. 

• Strong theoretical foundation in ML algorithms, optimization, and statistical learning theory. 

• Demonstrated ability to implement and evaluate ML models using Python and libraries such as NumPy, Pandas, Scikit-learn, TensorFlow, and PyTorch. 

• Experience conducting independent research, with publications in relevant ML/AI conferences or journals (preferred). 

• Excellent communication and collaboration skills, with the ability to present research to both technical and non-technical audiences. 

• Highly motivated, curious, and proactive in exploring new research directions. 

Program Information and Requirements 

• This is a Summer 2026 PhD Internship (Spring and Fall sessions are not available). 

• Must be enrolled in a PhD program at an accredited university, returning to studies after the internship. 

• Must reside in the U.S. during the program. 

The base pay for this role will depend on where you work and the relevant experience and expertise you bring. The expected range of pay for this role by location is: 

Primary Location | Pay Range: 

San Jose, California | $66 hourly

Subsidiary:

PayPal

Travel Percent:

0

PayPal does not charge candidates any fees for courses, applications, resume reviews, interviews, background checks, or onboarding. Any such request is a red flag and likely part of a scam. To learn more about how to identify and avoid recruitment fraud please visit https://careers.pypl.com/contact-us.

For the majority of employees, PayPal's balanced hybrid work model offers 3 days in the office for effective in-person collaboration and 2 days at your choice of either the PayPal office or your home workspace, ensuring that you equally have the benefits and conveniences of both locations.

Our Benefits:

At PayPal, we’re committed to building an equitable and inclusive global economy. And we can’t do this without our most important asset-you. That’s why we offer comprehensive, choice-based programs, to support all aspects of personal wellbeing—physical, emotional, and financial—delivering meaningful value where it matters most. We strive to create a flexible, balanced work culture with a holistic approach to benefits, including generous paid time off, healthcare coverage for you and your family, and resources to create financial security and support your mental health.

Who We Are:

Click Here to learn more about our culture and community.

Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion 

PayPal provides equal employment opportunity (EEO) to all persons regardless of age, color, national origin, citizenship status, physical or mental disability, race, religion, creed, gender, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, genetic information, marital status, status with regard to public assistance, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law.  In addition, PayPal will provide reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities.  If you are unable to submit an application because of incompatible assistive technology or a disability, please contact us at paypalglobaltalentacquisition@paypal.com.  

Belonging at PayPal: 

Our employees are central to advancing our mission, and we strive to create an environment where everyone can do their best work with a sense of purpose and belonging. Belonging at PayPal means creating a workplace with a sense of acceptance and security where all employees feel included and valued. We are proud to have a diverse workforce reflective of the merchants, consumers, and communities that we serve, and we continue to take tangible actions to cultivate inclusivity and belonging at PayPal.

Any general requests for consideration of your skills, please Join our Talent Community.

We know the confidence gap and imposter syndrome can get in the way of meeting spectacular candidates. Please don’t hesitate to apply.