Recording Media R&D Intern, AI & Data Science

You will join the HAMR Media Mechanical R&D group at Seagate's Recording Media Research Center in Fremont, CA, where we develop advanced media interfaces, coating technologies, characterization methods, reliability testing capabilities, and AI/ML solutions for HAMR magnetic recording media. Our team collaborates closely with sputter process, recording physics, equipment engineering, materials science lab, drive design and recording head design teams, and manufacturing teams across Seagate's global organization. Together, we develop next-generation, high-capacity storage technologies for AI, cloud computing, edge computing, and other emerging applications.

You will work closely with R&D engineers to apply data science, machine learning, and generative AI to magnetic recording media R&D. You will contribute to one or more projects that improve understanding of media performance and failure mechanisms, make technical knowledge easier to access, and improve R&D efficiency.

Responsibilities Include:

• Develop reusable data analysis workflows and interactive dashboards that integrate design, process, manufacturing, and reliability data to identify performance drivers and support engineering decisions.
• Work with domain experts to develop and evaluate predictive models for media performance and reliability, with attention to data quality, appropriate validation, and interpretation of results.
• Prototype and evaluate GenAI applications, such as technical knowledge bases and agentic workflows, to support knowledge retrieval, research synthesis, and engineering analysis.

What you will gain:

• Hands-on experience applying AI and data science to design, process, and reliability challenges in advanced HAMR media development.
• Opportunities to collaborate with cross-functional R&D teams and translate analytical insights into practical design and process improvements.
• Mentoring from the R&D AI Business Lead and engineers, with opportunities to present your work to world-class recording media experts.

• Strong problem-solving and communication skills, curiosity about unfamiliar scientific domains, and the ability to work independently and collaboratively.
• Commitment to responsible handling of confidential technical information.

• Proficiency in Python and working knowledge of SQL, with experience cleaning, integrating, analyzing, and visualizing data.
• A solid foundation in statistics and machine learning, including exploratory analysis, feature engineering, model evaluation, and interpretation.
• Hands-on experience through coursework, research, internships, or personal projects in machine learning, data analytics, or GenAI application development.
• Familiarity with relevant tools such as pandas, NumPy, scikit-learn, PyTorch, and data visualization libraries.
• Currently pursuing a bachelor's or master's degree in computer science, data science, statistics, applied mathematics, computer or electrical engineering, or a related technical discipline.

You may also have:

• Experience building GenAI applications using LLMs, retrieval-augmented generation, embeddings, vector databases, or tool-using agents.
• Experience processing technical documents, including extracting and organizing information from reports, presentations, tables, and figures.
• Experience adapting and evaluating open-source language models using tools such as Hugging Face and PyTorch, or parameter-efficient fine-tuning methods such as LoRA.
• Familiarity with experimental design, uncertainty estimation, interpretable ML, or analysis of scientific and engineering datasets.
• Experience with Git, reusable data pipelines, application development, or tools such as Power BI, Hadoop, or Snowflake.
• Familiarity with enterprise data access controls and secure use of AI tools.

Our Gold LEED-certified Fremont product-design campus drives innovation, bringing together a diverse set of engineering, design, operations, support, and administrative teams. The site is equipped with a state-of-the-art clean room and lab space. On-site social activities are popular, including our annual BBQ, ice cream social, and holiday events. Wellness programs, gaming rooms, and the on-site fitness center help round out and balance your Seagate work-life experience, along with opportunities to give back to our local community.

The estimated base wage range for this position is $26 - $41/hr. The individual base wage is based on work location and additional factors, including job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training. Seagate offers comprehensive benefits to its eligible Interns, including, but not limited to, medical, dental, vision, and participation in the employee stock purchase plan. Seagate also offers Interns 12 paid holidays and a minimum of 48 hours of paid sick leave. The benefits for this position are based on a 24 to 40-hour-per-week schedule for a full calendar year and may differ depending on work location and tenure with the Company.

Location: Fremont USA Research Center

Travel: None