Research Scientist Intern, Computational Social Science (PhD) at Meta in Menlo Park, California

Job Description:

Computational Social Science is a research and development team working to improve the value of Meta's products for people and society. Meta is committed to understanding and improving our impact on important societal topics, such as fostering healthy connection and community, social cohesion, youth experiences, civic discourse, elections and democracy, institutional trust, economic opportunity, and inequality. We are the computational social scientists dedicated to tackling these research problems at scale using quantitative and computational methods.Meta is seeking a Research Intern to join the Computational Social Science team. The ideal candidate will have extensive graduate training in computational approaches to the social sciences, and an interest in answering challenging, open-ended research questions with real-world impact, particularly in the area of youth experiences on Meta's products.Our internships are twelve (12) to twenty-four (24) weeks long and we have various start dates throughout the year.

Research Scientist Intern, Computational Social Science (PhD) Responsibilities:

• Conduct research that uses cutting-edge computational and quantitative methods to advance the scientific understanding of questions related to Meta's impact on society.


• Work with large amounts of data in service of concrete conclusions and actionable insights.


• Communicate complex technical topics and nuanced insights to diverse audiences.


• Learn new tools and languages quickly as required by the project you are working on, with tasks ranging across data processing, production engineering, modeling, machine learning, data analysis, and experimentation.


• Work both independently and collaboratively with other scientists, engineers, designers, UX researchers, and product managers to accomplish complex tasks.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Currently has or is in the process of obtaining a PhD in Computer Science, Economics, Political Science, Sociology, Statistics, or a related technical field.


• Fluency with statistical methods and computational approaches (e.g. machine learning, social network analysis, large language models), and experience solving analytical problems using such techniques.


• problems using such techniques. Experience with statistical inference techniques.


• Expertise in empirical research, including manipulating and analyzing complex data and communicating precise insights from quantitative analyses.


• Experience with data analysis languages such as R or Python.


• Experience using relational databases and SQL.


• Must obtain work authorization in country of employment at the time of hire and maintain ongoing work authorization during employment.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Demonstrated software engineer experience via an internship, work experience, coding competitions, or widely used contributions in open source repositories (e.g. GitHub).


• Experience working and communicating cross functionally in a team environment.


• Proven track record of achieving significant results as demonstrated by grants, open-source projects, fellowships, patents, as well as first-authored publications at leading workshops or conferences such as KDD, IC2S2, CODE@MIT, or similar.


• Intent to return to degree-program after the completion of the internship/co-op.

About Meta:

Meta builds technologies that help people connect, find communities, and grow businesses. When Facebook launched in 2004, it changed the way people connect. Apps like Messenger, Instagram and WhatsApp further empowered billions around the world. Now, Meta is moving beyond 2D screens toward immersive experiences like augmented and virtual reality to help build the next evolution in social technology. People who choose to build their careers by building with us at Meta help shape a future that will take us beyond what digital connection makes possible today-beyond the constraints of screens, the limits of distance, and even the rules of physics.



Meta is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action employer. We do not discriminate based upon race, religion, color, national origin, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, transgender status, sexual stereotypes, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, or other applicable legally protected characteristics. We also consider qualified applicants with criminal histories, consistent with applicable federal, state and local law. Meta participates in the E-Verify program in certain locations, as required by law. Please note that Meta may leverage artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies in connection with applications for employment.

Meta is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for candidates with disabilities in our recruiting process. If you need any assistance or accommodations due to a disability, please let us know at accommodations-ext@fb.com.


$7,800/month to $11,293/month + benefits


Individual compensation is determined by skills, qualifications, experience, and location. Compensation details listed in this posting reflect the base hourly rate, monthly rate, or annual salary only, and do not include bonus, equity or sales incentives, if applicable. In addition to base compensation, Meta offers benefits. Learn more about benefits at Meta. Apply Now