Research Internship : Foundation Models for Brain Data

About the internship

Sigma Nova is looking for interns : (starting in Q1 / early Q2 2027)

You will work on publication-oriented research at the intersection of representation learning and neuroscience. Projects will primarily involve EEG, with possible connections to other brain-data modalities, depending on the selected topic and available datasets. We will define a focused research question together, based on your interests and background.

Possible research tracks

1) Robust representations and generalization

Investigate what models learn from brain signals and how to make their representations more useful across subjects and sessions. Possible directions include self-supervised learning, representation analysis, and lightweight adaptation to new recording conditions.

2) Learning across brain-data modalities

Explore how complementary measurements of brain activity and anatomy can inform one another. Depending on the project, this could involve EEG, MRI, or intracranial recordings, with a focus on combining information and evaluating when multimodal learning improves over a single modality.

3) Flexible detection of neural events

Study how models can identify meaningful events in continuous brain recordings from limited supervision. A motivating question is whether a few examples marked by a researcher or clinician can help a model find similar patterns elsewhere, including in previously unseen recordings.

These tracks illustrate the possibilities rather than prescribe a fixed set of methods. The internship will focus on one topic, with room to refine the direction as results emerge.

• Master’s-level training in machine learning, signal processing, computational neuroscience, or a related field

• Strong Python skills and experience with PyTorch

• Solid foundations in deep learning and an interest in neuroscience

• Comfortable reading papers, preparing data, and running careful, reproducible experiments

• Mathematical training and experience with self-supervised learning are a plus

• Prior experience with EEG or neuroimaging is welcome, but not required for every project

What we offer

• A research-driven startup at the interface of AI and neuroscience

• Close mentorship from researchers working on brain data and foundation models

• Access to large brain-signal datasets and high-end GPU resources

• Room to shape a research question and contribute to a publication

• Prescreen recruiter

• Technical screen with a Research Engineer

• Onsite interviews (coding / research discussion)