About the role#
This PhD internship offers the opportunity to contribute to core algorithms and work directly on a deployed enterprise product. You will work at the intersection of machine learning, perception, estimation, and signal processing to drive new research directions in spatial AI. This is a hands-on role where you will see the full journey of research in production, with your work directly impacting features used by enterprise customers.
What you'll do#
- Explore new research directions in sensor fusion and spatial AI aligned with product needs.
- Develop and improve algorithms for indoor positioning and spatial perception.
- Run experiments on real-world customer deployments, including collecting data, analyzing failures, proposing fixes, and validating improvements.
- Contribute to production ML and signal processing pipelines across modeling, evaluation, and deployment.
- Collaborate with engineering and product teams to ship features to enterprise customers.
What you'll need#
- Currently enrolled in a PhD program in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Robotics, or a related field.
- Research track record of published work in top-tier CS, ML, vision, robotics, or related venues.
- Strong foundations in at least one of the following: machine learning, perception, sensor fusion, or signal processing.
- Demonstrated research output through publications, open-source projects, or impactful applied work.
- Excellent communication skills and the ability to work effectively in a small team.
- Experience or strong interest in spatial AI, such as 3D vision, SLAM, mapping, or geometric deep learning, is highly desirable.
Location & details#
- Location: On-site at the Cartesian headquarters in Kendall Square, Cambridge, Massachusetts.
- Term: Summer 2026 (12 to 24 weeks).
- Status: Full-time, paid internship.
- Note: This role does not offer sponsorship.
About Cartesian
Cartesian is a consulting firm that serves the telecommunications, media, and technology industries. Founded in 1990, the company provides services in strategy, management consulting, and technical solutions. It maintains a global presence with offices in the United Kingdom, the United States, and France. The firm is now part of Bounteous, an organization focused on AI services. It employs approximately 360 people.
How to get in at Cartesian
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