Visa is a world leader in digital payments, facilitating more than 215 billion payments transactions between consumers, merchants, financial institutions and government entities across more than 200 countries and territories each year. Our mission is to connect the world through the most innovative, convenient, reliable and secure payments network, enabling individuals, businesses and economies to thrive.

When you join Visa, you join a culture of purpose and belonging – where your growth is priority, your identity is embraced, and the work you do matters. We believe that economies that include everyone everywhere, uplift everyone everywhere. Your work will have a direct impact on billions of people around the world – helping unlock financial access to enable the future of money movement.

Join Visa: A Network Working for Everyone.

Visa Research: Visa Research is a team of world-class research scientists. Our mission is to conduct applied research on the most challenging problems in the payment industry and provide technical thought leadership for the company’s future. Visa Research engages with internal and external partners to identify and research critical ideas and issues that may have an impact to the payment’s ecosystem. 

Our research agenda focuses on three key areas: Artificial Intelligence, Security, and Future of Payments.
 

As a Research Scientist intern, you will work with a team to conduct world-class security research and contribute to the long-term research agenda for digital payments, as well as deliver innovative technologies and insights to Visa's strategic products and business. As an integral team member of the extended Research team, you will work on research and development activities with fellow researchers, and work closely with product and technology teams to ensure the successful creation and application of disruptive and innovative security technologies.

This role represents an exciting opportunity to make key contributions to Visa's strategic vision as the world-leading digital payments company. The successful candidate must have an outstanding academic track record in fundamental and applied research with participation in developing innovations. The candidate will be a self-starter comfortable with ambiguity, with strong attention to detail, and excellent collaboration skills.

Job duties and projects could include:

• Research and develop cutting-edge cryptographic, security, and/or blockchain technologies across a large spectrum of applications concerned with secure payments, and data protection
• Deliver high-impact intellectual property values through research publications and patents
• Collaborate with team members to deliver innovative technologies, insights and products to Visa business units to resolve their significant product pain-points and create new growth opportunities
• Work with team members and cross-functional teams (internal/external) that include representation from Technology, Product, Operations, Market Research, etc.

Past intern projects have included:

• Blockchain scalability, e.g., sharding (RapidChain) and light clients (FlyClient)
• Layer 2 scalability solutions, e.g., hub-based payment channels (UPC) and offline payments (OPS)
• Blockchain privacy, e.g., private smart contract transactions (Zether)
• Privacy-preserving auditability of large payment graphs (SPA)
• Privacy-preserving fraud detection using federated learning and multi-party computation

Flex Work Arrangement - Hybrid Position - This is a hybrid position. Hybrid employees can alternate time between both remote and office. Employees in hybrid roles are expected to work from the office two days a week, Tuesdays and Wednesdays with a general guidepost of being in the office 50% of the time based on business needs.

Basic Qualifications

• Pursuing a PhD in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, CIS/MIS, Data Science, or
Cybersecurity, graduating December 2023 or later
• Strong communications skills, specifically, the absence of repeated grammatical or typographical
errors, clear and concise written and spoken communications, and communications that
demonstrate professional judgment.

Preferred Qualifications

• Research experience in one or more research areas related to systems security, cryptography, and
blockchain.
• Strong track record in research publications and impact in the research community.
• Strong ability to collaborate
• Highly driven, resourceful and results oriented
• Good team player and excellent interpersonal skills
• Good analytical and problem-solving skills
• Demonstrated ability to lead and navigate through ambiguity

Work Hours: Varies upon the needs of the department.

Travel Requirements: This position requires travel 5-10% of the time.

Mental/Physical Requirements: This position will be performed in an office setting.  The position will require the incumbent to sit and stand at a desk, communicate in person and by telephone, frequently operate standard office equipment, such as telephones and computers.

Visa is an EEO Employer.  Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability or protected veteran status.  Visa will also consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with EEOC guidelines and applicable local law.

Visa will consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with applicable local law, including the requirements of Article 49 of the San Francisco Police Code.