AI/ML Research Intern

Navan is the all-in-one travel and expense management platform that is transforming the way businesses manage their corporate travel and expenses. Leveraging AI-driven automation, real time data, and an intuitive user experience, Navan simplifies business travel and finance operations for companies worldwide. We are seeking an AI/ML Phd Intern to work with a team to help create innovative artificial intelligence solutions within our platform enabling smarter, more efficient solutions for our customers. Working closely with cross-functional teams, you will be involved in every stage of AI development, from ideation and design to rigorous testing and successful deployment, ensuring our AI projects drive innovation and provide value in the rapidly evolving field of artificial intelligence.

About Navan Cognition

Navan is revolutionizing corporate travel and expense management with AI-driven automation and real-time data solutions. Our proprietary Navan Cognition system has transformed AI-powered dialogue agents, achieving performance levels competitive with top AI innovators. To sustain and expand these advancements, we are building a research-driven team that will pioneer LLM-based cognitive architectures and integrate cutting-edge AI research into our products. 

Internship Overview

As an AI/ML PhD Intern, you will contribute to the advancement of LLM-based dialogue agents by developing formal mathematical frameworks, benchmarking performance, and optimizing AI architectures. You will collaborate closely with engineers and researchers to bridge theory and real-world application, ensuring that Navan Cognition remains at the forefront of AI innovation.

What You’ll Do

• Research and develop Generative AI models to enhance Navan Cognition’s AI capabilities.

• Conduct benchmarking and comparative analysis of dialogue agent performance relative to state-of-the-art AI solutions.

• Apply formal mathematical frameworks to describe, analyze, and optimize LLM-based architectures.

• Design and implement experiments to evaluate AI models' effectiveness, scalability, and efficiency.

• Work closely with cross-functional teams to integrate AI solutions into Navan’s existing platforms.

• Stay current with advancements in AI, NLP, and machine learning, incorporating new techniques where applicable.

• Contribute to internal research reports and publish findings in leading AI conferences and journals.

  
  

What We’re Looking For

• PhD candidate in Computer Science, Machine Learning, AI, or a related field.

• Strong background in machine learning, AI algorithms, and natural language processing (NLP).

• Experience with commercial LLMs (e.g., OpenAI, Anthropic) and/or open-source models (e.g., Llama, DeepSeek).

• Proficiency in JavaScript (Python experience is a plus).

• Familiarity with structured and unstructured datasets, API integration, and data management.

• Knowledge of testing frameworks, experiment design, and model evaluation.

• Passion for AI research and staying ahead of industry advancements.

• Strong problem-solving skills, analytical thinking, and ability to collaborate with cross-functional teams.

  
  

Why Join Us?

• Work on cutting-edge LLM-based AI research with direct real-world applications.

• Collaborate with world-class engineers and researchers in a fast-paced, innovation-driven environment.

• Gain hands-on experience in applying AI research to enterprise solutions.

• Potential to publish research findings and contribute to the AI community.

The posted pay range represents the anticipated low and high end of the compensation for this position and is subject to change based on business need. To determine a successful candidate’s starting pay, we carefully consider a variety of factors, including primary work location, an evaluation of the candidate’s skills and experience, market demands, and internal parity.

For roles with on-target-earnings (OTE), the pay range includes both base salary and target incentive compensation. Target incentive compensation for some roles may include a ramping draw period. Compensation is higher for those who exceed targets. Candidates may receive more information from the recruiter.

Pay Range: $12—$60 USD

Navan About Us

Navan is the all-in-one super app that makes travel and expense easy so you can focus on being there, not getting there. Say goodbye to spending hours on the phone trying to change your flight or saving stacks of receipts to manually input expenses. From EAs and finance teams to travel managers and employees, Navan empowers people to focus on the things that matter most to them — all while providing companies with real-time visibility, savings, and control.

Navan’s investors include visionaries like Andreessen Horowitz, Lightspeed Ventures, Greenoaks, Zeev Ventures, and entrepreneurs Lee Fixel, Adam Bain, and Elad Gil. Valued at $9.2B, Navan is well-positioned for continued growth as it continues its takeover of the travel and expense market.

In April 2023, Navan expanded in the Indian market with the acquisition of Tripeur, a modern, people-centric corporate travel and expense management company. The group’s fifth acquisition in under two years, Tripeur joined the Navan Group alongside Spanish meetings and events specialists, Atlanta Events & Corporate Travel Consultants; Berlin-based modern travel management company, Comtravo; leading Scandinavian travel agency Resia AB; and London-based high-touch TMC, Reed & Mackay — the latter of which remains a standalone brand.

At Navan, we’re never satisfied with the status quo, and we know breakthrough ideas come from diverse perspectives. We are committed to cultivating a workplace that reflects the diversity of the customers we serve while fostering leadership and innovation. All voices are valued here and you’ll have the resources, tools, and training you’ll need to do the best work of your life.

Our Benefits

Navan provides a comprehensive benefits package tailored to support your well-being and financial security. Our offerings include generous medical plans, dental, and vision benefits with premiums covered by Navan, as well as various insurance options designed to cover each family's needs. We also prioritize your holistic wellness with perks like paid parental and bereavement leave, subsidized commuter benefits, mental health support, connectivity stipends, and even pet insurance.

Workplace Policy

Navan believes in the value of in-person connections, whether that is sitting down to have lunch with one another, taking a walking 1:1, or collaborating in a room together. The connections forged through face-to-face interactions improves company culture and drives business results. Navan invests in global office spaces — in the US, Germany, France, Spain, and the UK, among others — that feel welcoming and offers perks such as lunches and happy hours to create a strong team environment to help you do your best work. We operate on a hybrid working model, which we define as three days a week in-office. Please expect this policy for all roles that are tied to an office.

Equal Opportunity

Navan is an equal opportunity employer. We make all employment decisions based solely on merit. We provide equal employment opportunity to all applicants and employees without discrimination on the bases of race, religion, color, national origin, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, or other applicable legally protected characteristics. We prohibit any such discrimination or harassment. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including hiring.