Research And Development Intern

College Circle AI is an early-stage AI-powered company building the Academic Intelligence Layer for colleges.
Our belief is simple:
Curiosity should never die in a classroom.
We are building technology that understands how students learn and helps create a more personalised, intelligent, interactive, and accessible academic experience.
As we move into our next stage of product development, research will become a core part of how we build our technology. We are looking for a Head of Research Co-Builder who can lead this function with both research depth and technical understanding.
The Role
As the Head of Research, you will lead a 5–7 person research team working on the research foundations behind College Circle AI.
The role sits at the intersection of:
Research × AI × Student Behaviour × Personalisation × Product
You will work closely with the CEO, CTO, and product/engineering teams to turn research into systems that can actually be implemented in the product.
This is not purely an academic research role.
We are looking for someone who can understand the research, understand the technology, lead researchers, and help turn findings into working models and product capabilities.
What You Will Lead
1. Personalisation Model
A major area of research will be understanding how individual students learn and how we can use that information to create a more personalised learning experience.
You will help lead research around:
Student learning patterns
Academic behaviour
Learning preferences
Engagement patterns
Student interaction with academic content
Personalisation signals
Data required for adaptive learning
Evaluation of personalisation models
The objective is to help build a foundation for a Personalisation Engine that can continuously understand and adapt to students.
2. New-Student Prediction Model
You will also lead research into building a foundation prediction model for new students.
The goal is to explore how we can make useful predictions about a student even when we have limited historical data.
This may involve researching:
What signals can be collected during onboarding
Academic and behavioural indicators
Course and syllabus information
Student interaction patterns
Early learning signals
Feature engineering
Prediction approaches
Model evaluation and validation
The research should ultimately help answer:
“How can College Circle AI begin understanding a student before it has years of data about them?”
3. Research Team Leadership
You will lead a 5–7 person research team.
Your responsibility will include:
Defining research priorities
Dividing research areas among team members
Setting research milestones
Reviewing research output
Maintaining research documentation
Coordinating experiments
Ensuring research quality
Connecting research findings with product and engineering
Presenting findings to leadership
You will be responsible for making sure the research team is not simply producing papers or documents, but creating research that can move the company forward.
Technical Understanding
You do not need to be the primary engineer for every model.
However, you should have enough technical understanding to work effectively with our technical team.
Relevant areas may include:
Machine Learning
Artificial Intelligence
Statistics
Data analysis
Predictive modelling
Recommendation systems
Personalisation systems
Model evaluation
Python
Data processing
Basic ML/AI architecture
Research methodology
Experiment design
Experience with LLMs, embeddings, RAG, recommendation systems, student modelling, behavioural modelling, or adaptive learning would be valuable.
Research → Product
One of the most important responsibilities of this role is connecting research with execution.
We don't want:
Research → Paper → Folder
We want:
Research → Experiment → Model → Product → Student Impact
You will work with the CTO and engineering team to determine which research ideas can actually become part of College Circle AI's products.
Research Grants & Opportunities
College Circle AI intends to explore research grants, academic collaborations, institutional partnerships, and other research funding opportunities.
If research grants or dedicated research funding are secured, an appropriate portion of the allocated research funding may be assigned to support the Head of Research and/or research team, based on the grant terms, role, contribution, and available budget.
This is not a fixed salary position.
The role is primarily structured as an equity-based Co-Builder opportunity, with research-related monetary opportunities potentially arising through successfully secured grants or specifically funded research projects.
Co-Builder Structure
The Head of Research position is intended for someone who wants to build with College Circle AI for the long term.
Minimum expected commitment: 8 months
Potential continuation: Up to 3 years based on mutual alignment and performance.
In recognition of long-term contribution, Co-Builders may become eligible to unlock equity after completing 8 months, with equity opportunities of up to 5%, subject to:
Individual contribution
Performance
Role and responsibility
Tenure
Vesting conditions
Mutual agreement
Separate formal equity agreement
Equity is not automatic and will be determined through the formal Co-Builder process.
What We Offer
Equity Opportunity
Long-term Co-Builders may be eligible for equity opportunities of up to 5%, subject to formal terms.
Real Research
Work on research that can directly influence an AI-powered learning product used by students.
Research Leadership
Build and lead a 5–7 person research team rather than working only as an individual researcher.
Founder & Technical Collaboration
Work closely with the CEO, CTO, and product/engineering teams.
Learning & Mentorship
Access to learning resources, courses, workshops, mentorship, and practical startup exposure.
Research Funding Opportunities
Opportunity to participate in research projects supported by grants, academic collaborations, and funded research initiatives, where available.
Builder Culture
A collaborative environment where research, experimentation, questioning, and independent thinking are encouraged.
Student & Academic Network
Access to College Circle AI's growing student, campus, and academic ecosystem.
College Circle AI Merchandise & Team Experiences
Team merchandise, meetups, hangouts, and collaborative activities as part of the Co-Builder culture.
Who We're Looking For
We are looking for someone who:
Can lead a research team
Understands AI/ML and research methodology
Can think scientifically and practically
Is comfortable working with technical teams
Can translate research into product direction
Is capable of designing experiments
Can evaluate models critically
Has strong analytical thinking
Can communicate complex research clearly
Takes ownership
Wants to build for the long term
Most importantly:
We are looking for a researcher who wants to build something, not just study something.
Why This Role Matters
The long-term intelligence of College Circle AI will depend on how well we understand students.
The research team will help answer some of the most important questions behind the product:
How does a student learn?
How can we personalise that learning?
How can we understand a new student with limited data?
How can an AI system continuously become better at supporting each student?
Building the Future of Academic Intelligence

Work arrangement
No