ML/Software Engineer Intern

About Us (Valis Insights aka VALIS)

VALIS is a Worcester-based early-stage company, backed by leading climate-tech VC’s, looking to bring on new team members that can help us build VALIS and transform the industry. We deliver value to metals recycling stakeholders through material sampling, production analytics, and recovery process monitoring solutions. We deliver value to our planet by helping emissions related to primary metal production, maximizing secondary production (recycling of metals) which requires a fraction of energy. We deliver value to our team members by empowering them to learn quickly, take ownership, and drive change.

We're a remote-first team, with our headquarters in Worcester and most of our team residing in the greater Boston/Worcester area. Our current customer base is metal recycling facilities across the United States, but we're expanding into other material streams and beyond the US market.

Role Overview

We are looking for a self-motivated student to join our team for Summer 2026 (and beyond). The projects you'll work on will drive forward greenfield R&D and deliver value to existing customers using VALIS' computer vision product. You'll work on a multidisciplinary team of materials and software engineers to apply your knowledge, build new technical and interpersonal skills, and gain exposure to a multitude of fields encompassed in a fast-moving SaaS startup solving problems in metals recycling and recovery. This position is well suited for computer/data science students looking to get real-world project-based experience, to build data solutions for sustainability-centered innovation, and consider working at a fast-paced startup post-grad.

Some knowledge or general competence in our web stack is valuable (or an interest to learn). Our two existing products are web-based, one a purely-software production analytics platform (VALI-Sort), and a material sampling tool consisting of a scale-integrated-camera accompanied by a web app UI (VALI-Sample). We are also building a new product-line, integrating cameras and other sensors over conveyor belts to deliver process monitoring solutions. We are a small engineering team, so breadth of skillset and excitement to expand/learn is important to us..

This role is primarily remote, but will require some in-person work at our Worcester, MA facility (you must provide your own transportation). You'll be expected to work a consistent schedule each week until the end of the program (exact schedule/hours can be discussed).

Summer/Fall/Spring 2026 Internships/Co-ops

We're also considering candidates for Spring/Fall internships/co-ops. If those are of interest, please note in your application.

This internship/co-op is supported by the MassCEC Clean Energy Internship program.

• ~40 hours/week (exact hours/schedule flexible)
• Starts May 2026 (dates are flexible, e.g., Spring or Fall)
• Ends August 2026 (dates are flexible, e.g., Spring or Fall)
• Compensation range of $24-36/hour

Responsibilities

• Greenfield R&D, building out object detection, segmentation, and classification model solutions for our CV products
• Lead the improvement of data management workflows, including data collection, cleaning, labeling, and storage
• Implement proof-of-concept models and algorithms, build case studies for analytical solutions, and contribute to new feature development of new and existing products
• Perform exploratory data analysis and statistical analysis in Python and SQL
• Collaborate with the software and product team to ideate and iterate upon building practical analytical solutions to solve problems in the metals recycling domain
• Work independently to identify, scope, and solve technical challenges with minimal supervision

Requirements

Required Skills

• Computer Science Fundamentals - strong understanding of data structures and algorithms

• Problem-Solving > Tool Usage - strong proficiency in Python with ability to architect solutions using data science libraries
• Autonomy with Uncleaned Data - proven ability to work with unclean data from various sources
• Machine Learning Fundamentals - understanding of basic machine learning algorithms and model evaluation techniques
• Clear Communication - ability to clearly communicate technical concepts

Non Technical Requirements

• You are an MA resident or a full-time student at a University in MA

• You have completed your first undergraduate year or have obtained 24 credits

• You are perusing a degree in computer, data, or mathematical sciences (or a related field)

Nice To Haves

• Experience with our web stack or similar technologies (C#, TypeScript, React)
• Experience working with image data or computer vision tasks
• Background or knowledge in statistics, probability, and/or mathematics
• Experience with SQL and database systems
• Git version control experience

Application Form

Please note that we will screening all application question responses for authenticity; any pure AI-generated answers will result in automatic disqualification. Our team members will be personally reviewing each application, and we want to hear your voice & personal experience!

Benefits

• Paid internship/co-op position ($24-36/hour)
• Opportunity for future full-time employment post-internship