Research Intern

Job ID RES-0552679 Job type Full-time Complementary Work country Kenya Position type Student/Internship Work city Nairobi Posted 31-Jan-2013 Travel No travel Job area Research Business group IBM Research Job category Other Business unit Res Staff Job role Student/Intern Job role skillset General Commissionable/Sales-Incentive jobs only No

Job description

Introduction:  IBM Research – Africa is the 12th lab in IBM’s world-class network of research laboratories. It was established in 2012 with the goal of advancing innovations that matter to the African continent. The IBM Research – Africa lab is located in Nairobi, Kenya in the campus of Catholic University of Eastern Africa (CUEA). This lab will have local and international scientists and engineers working on a rich portfolio of projects including in areas of Smarter Planet solutions and infrastructures, Next-generation Public Sector solutions and Human Capacity Development. The lab will actively collaborate with scientists and engineers in Industry, Academia and Government to advance a research agenda that is essential to addressing pressing problems of the region and the continent.  IBM Research – Africa is launching its internship program to engage and attract top talent in the African continent to come and work in its lab on exciting and innovative projects (see example below). This program will accommodate summer and winter interns from top universities and eligible students must be enrolled in Masters or PhD programs.  Innovation Project: Mobile technologies have taken the African continent by storm. Today, Africa has more mobile phone subscriptions than adults. The reach of mobile technologies cuts through all segments of society and mobile devices have become the primary means for information acquisition and dissemination. The ubiquity of mobile devices opens up opportunities for inclusion of low-income segments of the population in various economic and societal scenarios. For example, farmers can get informed about the actual market prices and risks to their crops in a timely manner to make smart decisions. Public health systems can provide information about resources available to address health issues through simple SMS based exchange even in the most remote areas that can save lives. The challenge is to develop innovative solutions that will be commercially viable and hence maintain a sustainable impact on people’s lives.  An example project in the internship program is to develop innovative mobile applications, both feature and smartphone based, that has the potential to affect peoples’ lives, specifically in the context of agrifiance and mobile health. In joint collaboration with IBM Researchers, local innovators in Kenya, business partners and universities, the student will be exposed to real world scenarios that are relevant across Sub-Saharan Africa. The expectation is to develop applications that can be deployed in pilots leading to results with sufficient novelty for high-quality publications. Furthermore, we expect such projects to contribute to the development of business models that illustrate how to achieve commercial viability of the solution. Interns will have a unique opportunity in Africa to be part of a world-class research network working with top scientists and engineers and develop their professional skills. Process:  The University will inform IBM of prospective students for the program. IBM Research – Africa lab will select the students and notify them of the internship. The student interns will have an opportunity to shape the project from its inception. They will be working with IBM scientists and engineers in the lab to define the project and create a work plan prior to commencement of the internship. Internships can be awarded either for summer or winter as appropriate.

Required Master's Degree At least 1 year experience in Developing method applications that can be deployed in pilots. At least 1 year experience in Development of business models English: Fluent

Preferred Doctorate Degree At least 2 years experience in Developing method applications that can be deployed in pilots. At least 2 years experience in Development of business models

Additional information Requirements:  IBM Research – Africa Lab, as part of this intern program, is seeking Pre-doc and Masters students with backgrounds in engineering and computer science. The selection process will take into consideration the need for particular expertise or skill across a portfolio of research projects that the lab is pursuing. For the launch of this program in Summer 2013 we are seeking students with expertise in mobile technologies and application development and an interest in mobile health or agri-finance.

IBM is committed to creating a diverse environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status. To apply click here