Data Science PhD Internship

High Welwyn

2 days ago

Create job alert

About the role
The Tesco Data Science team are offering 12-week paid internships for PhD students within the team. The start date for each internship is flexible but must be between June and August 2026.

At Tesco, our Data Science team focus on modelling complex business problems and deploying data products at scale. Our work spans across multiple areas including physical stores, online, supply chain, marketing and Clubcard. This requires our Data Scientists to have an advanced understanding of statistics and algorithms. The team is made up of researchers and practitioners with varied backgrounds from both academia and the business world.

As an intern, you will join the team and get hands on experience of what it's like to be a Data Scientist at Tesco. You'll work with the team on helping us solve an exciting real-life problem. In addition to the technical mentorship and training provided by the team we will also provide a personal mentor to help you get the most out of the internship.

If that sounds exciting, then we'd love to hear from you!

The position will be based in either our London (Farringdon) office or our Welwyn Garden City campus.

What is in it for you
We're all about the little helps. That's why we make sure our Tesco colleague benefits package takes care of you - both in and out of work. Click Here "to find out more!

Annual bonus scheme of up to 10% of base salary

Holiday starting at 25 days plus a personal day (plus Bank holidays)

26 weeks maternity and adoption leave (after 1 years' service) at full pay, followed by 13 weeks of Statutory Maternity Pay or Statutory Adoption Pay, we also offer 6 weeks fully paid paternity leave

Free 24/7 virtual GP service, Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) for you and your family, free access to a range of experts to support your mental wellbeing

You will be responsible for
This is a hands-on position where you will need to use an analytical approach to find solutions to complex problems. As a PhD Intern you will work within the Data Science team, to understand difficult business problems and prototype solutions. A core component of the role is to apply, modify, and design algorithms and mathematical models to solve business problems on top of big data architectures (Hadoop, Spark). Our interns will need to be able to validate, document and present the modelling process and performance, as well as communicate complex solutions in a clear, understandable way to non-experts.

You will need
We are looking for ambitious PhD students (in their final or penultimate year) or Postdoctoral Researchers with a strong numerical background and a strong desire to pursue a career in data science.

An ideal candidate will have a scientific mentality with the ability to ask the right questions, as well as answer them. Experience in one or more of the following fields would be ideal:
• Machine Learning/Deep Learning
• Computer Vision
• Reinforcement Learning
• Graph Neural Networks
• Time series forecasting
• Probabilistic forecasting
• Bayesian Modelling
• Operations Research
• Recommender Systems

Finally, good programming skills are essential (either Python or Java is preferred) and ideally some familiarity with SWE best practices (such as version control and unit testing).

About us
Our vision at Tesco is to become every customer's favourite way to shop, whether they are at home or out on the move. Our core purpose is 'Serving our customers, communities and planet a little better every day'. Serving means more than a transactional relationship with our customers. It means acting as a responsible and sustainable business for all stakeholders, for the communities we are part of and for the planet.

We are proud to have an inclusive culture at Tesco where everyone truly feels able to be themselves. At Tesco, we not only celebrate diversity, but recognise the value and opportunity it brings. We're committed to creating a workplace where differences are valued, and make sure that all colleagues are given the same opportunities. We're proud to have been accredited Disability Confident Leader and we're committed to providing a fully inclusive and accessible recruitment process. For further information on the accessibility support we can offer, please click here.

We're a big business and we can offer a range of diverse full-time & part-time working patterns across our many business areas, which means that we can find something that works for you. We work in a more blended pattern - combining office and remote working. Our offices will continue to be where we connect, collaborate and innovate. If you are applying internally, please speak to the Hiring Manager about how this can work for you - Everyone is welcome at Tesco

Related Jobs

View all jobs

Data Science PhD internship (Operations Research)

Senior Machine Learning Engineer

Senior Data Scientist - National Security (TIRE) based in Cheltenham/H

Data Science and Analytics Manager

Data Science Lead

Data Science Placement Programme

Subscribe to Future Tech Insights for the latest jobs & insights, direct to your inbox.

Industry Insights

Discover insightful articles, industry insights, expert tips, and curated resources.

Feb 11, 2026

Careers

How Many Machine Learning Tools Do You Need to Know to Get a Machine Learning Job?

Machine learning is one of the most exciting and rapidly growing areas of tech. But for job seekers it can also feel like a maze of tools, frameworks and platforms. One job advert wants TensorFlow and Keras. Another mentions PyTorch, scikit-learn and Spark. A third lists Mlflow, Docker, Kubernetes and more. With so many names out there, it’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking you must learn everything just to be competitive. Here’s the honest truth most machine learning hiring managers won’t say out loud: 👉 They don’t hire you because you know every tool. They hire you because you can solve real problems with the tools you know. Tools are important — no doubt — but context, judgement and outcomes matter far more. So how many machine learning tools do you actually need to know to get a job? For most job seekers, the real number is far smaller than you think — and more logically grouped. This guide breaks down exactly what employers expect, which tools are core, which are role-specific, and how to structure your learning for real career results.

Feb 3, 2026

Jobs

What Hiring Managers Look for First in Machine Learning Job Applications (UK Guide)

Whether you’re applying for machine learning engineer, applied scientist, research scientist, ML Ops or data scientist roles, hiring managers scan applications quickly — often making decisions before they’ve read beyond the top third of your CV. In the competitive UK market, it’s not enough to list skills. You must send clear signals of relevance, delivery, impact, reasoning and readiness for production — and do it within the first few lines of your CV or portfolio. This guide walks you through exactly what hiring managers look for first in machine learning applications, how they evaluate CVs and portfolios, and what you can do to improve your chances of getting shortlisted at every stage — from your CV and LinkedIn profile to your cover letter and project portfolio.

Jan 29, 2026

Careers Jobs

MLOps Jobs in the UK: The Complete Career Guide for Machine Learning Professionals

Machine learning has moved from experimentation to production at scale. As a result, MLOps jobs have become some of the most in-demand and best-paid roles in the UK tech market. For job seekers with experience in machine learning, data science, software engineering or cloud infrastructure, MLOps represents a powerful career pivot or progression. This guide is designed to help you understand what MLOps roles involve, which skills employers are hiring for, how to transition into MLOps, salary expectations in the UK, and how to land your next role using specialist platforms like MachineLearningJobs.co.uk.