Operations Research Intern (PhD), Summer 2027

DoorDash USA•Sunnyvale, CA

3d•$130,600 - $192,000•Onsite

About The Position

DoorDash is seeking an Operations Research Intern for a 12-week summer internship on the Assignment Engine team. The intern will be immersed in the team and contribute to developing, maintaining, and shipping products that address real customer problems. The role focuses on improving DoorDash’s real-time on-demand dispatching system through optimization, data analysis, research, and collaboration with partners across the company. The position is hosted in person at DoorDash’s Sunnyvale, California office. Applicants must be authorized to work in the U.S.; F-1 students using CPT are eligible, but DoorDash does not support J-1 students for this position. The internship is intended for PhD students graduating between Fall 2027 and Summer 2028 in operations research, industrial engineering, computer science, or a related field. Applications are accepted on an ongoing basis.

Requirements

Be a PhD student in operations research, industrial engineering, computer science, or a related field, graduating between Fall 2027 and Summer 2028.
Have research or industry experience with complex optimization problems using mathematical programming or metaheuristics.
Have strong programming fundamentals, experience with object-oriented and/or functional programming languages, and a solid understanding of algorithms.
Be authorized to work in the U.S.; F-1 students must be using Curricular Practical Training (CPT).

Nice To Haves

Experience developing algorithms for logistics problems, especially vehicle routing problems (VRP) and real-time dispatching.
Experience with mathematical programming software packages such as CPLEX, Gurobi, COIN-OR, or Xpress.
Production experience with a JVM-based language such as Java, Kotlin, or Scala.
Experience with the software development lifecycle, including writing clean code, version control, and unit testing.
Production experience with modern web applications at scale.
Experience with statistical analysis and machine learning algorithms.
Proficiency in SQL and a visualization tool such as Tableau, Chartio, or Mode.

Responsibilities

Design and implement improvements to the real-time on-demand dispatching algorithm.
Analyze delivery data in detail, conduct research, and identify new lines of work.
Collaborate with engineers, data scientists, product managers, business operators, and others to develop cross-cutting, scalable solutions for consumers, Dashers, and merchants.
Develop, maintain, and ship products while working with the team to solve customer problems.
Receive and incorporate actionable feedback from a mentor and team members.