CoOp Student - Machine Learning & Applied AI
Location:ย Hybrid - Minimum 3 days per week onsite (Vernon Hills, IL)
Duration:ย CoOp Term (6-8 months)
Department:ย Automation & Emerging Technology
Reports To:ย Emerging Technologies Leader
Candidate Level:ย Bachelor's, Master's, or PhDtrack students
Position Overview
We are seeking a highly motivatedย Machine Learning & Applied AI CoOp Studentย to join ourย Automation & Emerging Technologyย team. This role is ideal for students who want handson ownership ofย realworld machine learning experimentsย in a fastmoving, startuplike environment within a large enterprise.
The coop will focus onย applied machine learning, datadriven experimentation, and model evaluation, with opportunities to explore Generative AI and large language models where they meaningfully support MLdriven use cases. Rather than production maintenance or traditional automation work, this role emphasizesย problem framing, experimentation, and measurable impact.
This position follows aย hybrid work model, with a minimum ofย three (3) days per week onsiteย at our Vernon Hills, IL office.
Key Responsibilities
- Leadย machine learning experiments endtoend, including:
- Problem definition and hypothesis development
- Data exploration and feature engineering
- Model prototyping, training, and evaluation
- Iteration based on quantitative results
- Develop and evaluateย ML modelsย using enterprise datasets for use cases such as:
- Prediction and classification
- Pattern detection and insight generation
- Decision support and optimization
- Apply soundย experimental design and evaluation techniques, including:
- Train/validation/test strategies
- Baseline comparisons
- Error analysis and model diagnostics
- Useย Databricksย for data analysis, experimentation, and scalable ML workflows
- Define and trackย success metrics, such as:
- Model accuracy, precision/recall, and robustness
- Latency, scalability, and cost considerations
- Business relevance and usability
- Exploreย applied AI techniques, including Generative AI and LLMs, where appropriate (e.g., summarization, knowledge retrieval, or hybrid ML + LLM solutions)
- Document experiments, assumptions, results, and technical tradeoffs; present findings and demos to technical and business stakeholders
- Applyย Responsible AI and data governance practices, including data privacy, security, and bias awareness
Required Qualifications
- Currently enrolled in aย Bachelor's, Master's, or PhDtrack programย in Computer Science, Data Science, Machine Learning, Statistics, or a related field
- Ability to workย onsite in Vernon Hills, IL at least three days per week
- Strong proficiency inย Python
- Solid understanding ofย core machine learning concepts, such as:
- Supervised and unsupervised learning
- Feature engineering
- Model evaluation and validation
- Experience with common ML/data libraries (e.g.,ย pandas, NumPy, scikitlearn, or similar)
- Experience with AI Tools like Copilot, Copilot GitHub etc.
- Ability to work independently, take initiative, and operate effectively inย ambiguous problem spaces
- Strong analytical thinking and communication skills
Preferred Qualifications
- Handson experience withย endtoend ML projects, including experimentation and evaluation
- Familiarity withย Databricksย or similar data/ML platforms
- Exposure toย cloudbased ML workflowsย (Azure preferred)
- Experience withย deep learning or NLP frameworksย (e.g., PyTorch, TensorFlow, Hugging Face)
- Working knowledge ofย Generative AI or LLMsย as an applied technique (not required)
- Prior internship, research, or applied ML project experience with measurable outcomes
What You'll Gain
- Ownership ofย real machine learning experimentsย with direct business visibility
- Experience working in aย startuplike, experimentdriven environmentย inside a large enterprise
- Handson exposure toย enterprisescale data and ML workflowsย using Databricks and Microsoft platforms
- Mentorship from experiencedย AI and Emerging Technology leaders
- Strong preparation for fulltime roles inย Machine Learning Engineering, Applied Data Science, or AI Engineering
Salary Target Range: $28/hr-$30/hrย
Rust-Oleum is an equal opportunity employer. Employment selection and related decisions are made without regard to sex, race, age, disability, religion, national origin, color, or any other protected class.
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