Google DeepMind Recruits PhD Students for Cancer AI Research
Google DeepMind is hiring PhD students for six- to nine-month research roles focused on developing AI systems for cancer discovery. The positions start between May and June 2026 and are primarily based in North America, with Mountain View as the preferred location.
Shekoofeh Azizi, a staff research scientist at Google DeepMind, is leading the recruitment. She said the team is "building AI systems that accelerate scientific discovery in cancer."
Who Can Apply
Candidates must be enrolled in PhD programs in computer science, statistics, applied mathematics, or related fields. Google expects applicants to have experience in machine learning, natural language processing, or data science, along with prior research activity such as published papers or lab work.
Applicants must be able to work from the United States during the placement. The roles are non-conversion positions, meaning they do not lead to full-time employment.
Research Focus
The positions support Google DeepMind's work on applying large language models to biomedical research. Current projects include therapeutics, single-cell biology, and the Med-PaLM series, Med-Gemini, and TxGemma models designed for healthcare and life science applications.
These student researcher roles form part of Google's broader PhD placement program, which also includes positions at Google Research and Google Cloud.
Why This Matters for Researchers
The hiring reflects a shift toward closer alignment between academic research and industry-led AI development. For PhD students, the roles offer direct experience deploying AI systems at scale within industry environments-skills increasingly relevant for careers in scientific research.
Students interested in AI for Science & Research can explore foundational courses to prepare for roles like these.
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